e hot months the
breezes which blow almost continuously from the snow-capped heights of
Pike's Peak, make the air deliciously cool, with a temperature rarely
rising above the eighties. For this reason Denver is almost as popular
a summer resort with those who live in the Middle West, as Colorado
Springs, Manitou, and other fashionable places.

Nor does this picturesque mountain capital with its 200,000 population,
lack in up-to-date comforts and amusements. It has beautiful homes,
fine hotels, good theatres. Its people are cultured and discriminating.
They hear the best music and see the latest comedies. In the winter,
Paderewski plays for them; Sembrich sings for them; Mrs. Fiske and
Maude Adams act for them. In the summer they applaud at an open air
theatre pleasantly set among the shady trees, the latest Broadway
successes performed by a stock company especially engaged in New York.
It was as leading lady of this organization that Laura Murdock made her
debut in Denver.

As already intimated, Mr. Brockton's protegee was not a good actress;
she was not even a competent actress. Deficient in mentality, lacking
any real culture, she failed utterly to rise to the opportunity offered
by the roles with which she was entrusted. Fortunately for her, summer
audiences are not highly critical. Her youth and beauty pleased, and
the local reviewers, susceptible like ordinary mortals to the charms of
a pretty woman, were unusually indulgent. Some of them paid doubtful
compliments, but what they said of her acting sounded good to Laura,
who eagerly cut out the notices and mailed them to Brockton.

So far her summer season had been a decided success. She liked Denver
and Denver liked her. This she considered most fortunate, for it suited
her purpose to make such a hit of this engagement that the echo of it
would reach as far East as Broadway. It would give her better standing
with the theatre managers in New York and put a quietus for good on
comment in unfriendly quarters. A clever tactician with an eye always
open to the main chance, she exerted herself to the utmost to make
friends and neglected no opportunity to advance her interests. She
attended church regularly and made liberal donations to the local
charities. When entertainments were organized on behalf of the poor,
she volunteered her services, which were gratefully accepted. Thus her
local popularity grew and was firmly and quickly established.

The papers spoke eulog