The Camp Fire Girls Behind the Lines

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER XIV

  The Night of the Play

  During the weeks of rehearsal before the performance of "As You LikeIt," the Camp Fire girls and the young officers and soldiers from theNational Guard camp had delightful opportunities for developing newfriendships.

  When the emotion which existed between Felipe Morris and Gerry Williamsbecame more than an ordinary friendship, the chances for exchangingconfidences were more frequent than one would readily guess.

  Felipe possessed a talent for pursuing the ends he desired in a quiet,unostentatious fashion. There were moments when merely passing by Gerrywith other people near, he would whisper a few words which only shecould hear. Then, when neither of them expected to be called for theirshare in a rehearsal, they used to slip away together to some secludedplace for more intimate conversations.

  The final rehearsals took place at the open-air theater near one of themost fashionable seaside resorts in southern California, and Felipe wasfamiliar with the coast and the surrounding country.

  There were no long, dull waits for them between the moments when theywere actually upon the stage, no sense of fatigue and boredom of whichthe other amateur players occasionally complained.

  Gerry appeared to be happy to listen and Felipe to talk to herindefinitely.

  Of course the other actors were aware of Gerry's and Felipe's interestin each other and tried teasing them now and then, but since neitherdenied the fact, the effort lost its piquancy.

  Nor were Mrs. Burton and Mrs. Webster entirely blind, although they didnot accept the situation seriously. It was ridiculous to presume thatevery friendship between a girl and a man must be regarded withsolemnity. Nevertheless it is more than possible that if Mrs. Burton hadnot been so absorbed in the coming performance she would have noticedsome tell-tale circumstances. Her extreme preoccupation was her chiefexcuse.

  She did mention to her sister several times that she never had seenGerry look so pretty or appear as happy as she had for the past fewweeks.

  "Why, the child is like a field of wild flowers; her hair is the colorof buttercups, her eyes are cornflowers and her cheeks----"

  But here Mrs. Burton's flow of imagery had been stopped by Mrs.Webster's protest.

  "Please don't be so absurd, Polly. You know conversation of thatcharacter merely strikes me as foolish." So Mrs. Burton had laughed andthe subject of Gerry was dismissed.

  Gerry was becoming aware of a change in her own life, not in her mereappearance, but in a way far deeper. There were moments when she evenhoped her own drab, lonely existence was past forever and that a life asradiant as these past weeks would endure. She tried not to hope too muchfrom Felipe's manner and the kind things he said to her now and then. Ofcourse she was too young for him to think of seriously. NeverthelessGerry could not refrain from occasionally seeing a happy image ofherself at the old ranch with Felipe and his father!

  In her dream the old house was not in its present dilapidated condition,but had been made beautiful and luxurious following the plans whichFelipe had more than once confided to her.

  For always he talked of beautifying his old home and of his music andtravel and of other delightful things, but never of war, orself-sacrifice, or hard work.

  Felipe had not been informed whether his claim for exemption from warservice had been accepted, and yet he seemed to regard the matter assettled.

  So Gerry also forgot what was going on in the world about them, forgotwhat was being required of other young men, even though she had dailytalks with the soldiers.

  But at last the night for the public performance of "As You Like It"arrived.

  The Camp Fire girls had not erred in their prediction that theirguardian's reputation was sufficient to insure them a large audience.Mrs. Burton had secured the aid of a well-known California actor, ArthurWhitney, to play _Orlando_ to her _Rosalind_. For the past two weeks hehad been living in one of the hotels near the open-air theater, where hehad many friends.

  In the neighboring cities and towns the newspapers had devoted columnsof unpaid advertising to notices of the play and the opportunity itafforded for seeing the famous American actress. Added to this was thefact that the proceeds from the performance were to be devoted to therecreation fund for the boys in the southern California cantonment.

  Long before the night of the performance, every ticket of admission tothe theater had been sold, and as much standing room as possible.

  Fronting the entrance to the open-air theater stood three or four palmtrees so trimmed as to give the effect of a green canopy.

  Inside the theater were rows of rustic benches and in the foreground theopen-air stage surrounded by a background of shrubs. Around theenclosure was a thick hedge.

  Once inside the little theater and one was in so unique a setting, itwas as if one were shut away in an enchanted world.

  No more charming place could have been discovered for the performance ofShakespeare's comedy. The atmosphere and the scenery of the "Forest ofArden" were already secure.

  A thrill of anticipation ran through the audience with the tinkling of anumber of bells to announce the opening of the play.

  Then the actors entered from behind a screen of shrubs to the left ofthe stage. The first conversation is between _Orlando_ and old _Adam_.

  The real interest of the audience waited, of course, upon the appearanceof the star, and soon after _Rosalind_ and _Celia_ appeared on the lawnbefore the _Duke's_ palace.

  Mrs. Burton had played the character of _Rosalind_ many times; thecourage and gaiety of one of the most charming of all Shakespeare'sheroines were essentially her own characteristics.

  Tonight, on making her entrance, she had to pause for a moment toacknowledge the storm of applause. The first speech was _Marta's_, andMrs. Burton was glad of the respite, remembering her own tragic firstappearance and wondering if Marta could be suffering half so much.

  Several times before the actual performance, she had been afraid thather solicitude for her amateur company would seriously interfere withher own acting.

  Marta managed her first speech as _Celia_ bravely. If one recalls herline, it is a brief one:

  "I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry."

  Then _Rosalind_ takes the center of the stage and while she is there,but few eyes are turned away from her. All the grace and charm of theone-time Polly O'Neill returned to the great actress in the hours whenshe was playing, and now added to her natural gifts were the long yearsof experience and training.

  Tonight Mrs. Burton's voice charmed her audience with its peculiarmagic, her every movement kept one fascinated.

  Marta Clark too scored a distinct success as _Celia_. She had beenawkward and self-conscious at rehearsals and no one had believed inher. But whether she needed the spur of the actual production, or hadlearned more than any one realized from playing with Mrs. Burton,certainly she showed unusual ease and pliancy for an amateur actress.More than once during the performance Mrs. Burton managed to whisper hercongratulations, stirring Marta to fresh efforts.

  Gerry did not do a great deal of acting, but as _Phebe_ she was such aravishingly pretty shepherdess that one thought of little else. Peggy'scharacter study of _Audrey_, the country wench, showed such an amusingcombination of stupidity and common sense that in spite of theunimportance of the part, she won a real triumph.

  Lieutenant Carson at least presented a fine appearance as the melancholy_Jaques_.

  The one failure among the company of youthful artists was Felipe Morris,upon whose natural ability Mrs. Burton and all the other players haddepended.

  It was surprising, for during all the rehearsals Felipe had always actedso agreeably that even the stage manager had only words of praise forhim.

  Yet the _Touchstone_ who danced gracefully out before the footlights onthe occasion of the real performance was a different _Touchstone_.

  By a kind of natural instinct Mrs. Burton instantly recognized the fact.Even through his make-up and his motley costume of stripes and
caps andbells, one could discern that Felipe's thoughts were not concentratedupon his performance.

  _Touchstone_ spoke his lines with the proper combination of drollery andimpertinence, yet there was no suggestion of real wit or merriment. Thevery jangling of his bells was depressing.

  Once in a hurried moment behind the scenes Mrs. Burton managed toinquire: "Is there anything the matter, Felipe? Are you not well?"

  Felipe only laughed and shook his head. "What should be the matter? Am Ifalling down on my part? I shall try and brace up in the next act."

  If _Touchstone_ was a failure in his acting, Felipe sang as neverbefore. It was not Gerry alone, listening behind the scenes, who wascompletely fascinated.

  One of _Touchstone's_ ballads is of the eternal romance of love andspring time. Felipe's voice held a freshness, a clear sweetness thatwent straight to the hearts of his audience.

  "It was a lover and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, That o'er the green corn-field did pass In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring."

  The play was finally over, and if the curtain could not be rung down, atleast the players bowed their thanks and farewells, standing together ina long line with Mrs. Burton in the center.

  In order that they might avoid the confusion and fatigue of meeting somany strangers and receiving their congratulations after the play hadended, Mrs. Burton previously had invited her company of actors to motorover to Sunrise camp to a supper party as soon as they could slip away.

  Gerry was returning in the motor with Mrs. Burton.

  She chanced to be standing alone for a moment waiting for the others whowere shaking hands with some new acquaintances, when Felipe Morristouched her upon the arm.

  "Gerry, I must speak to you by yourself tonight after we reach theSunrise camp. Please, no matter what happens, let nothing interfere withmy seeing you. I have something to tell you and something to ask youwhich will affect all our future."