live all dis time alone, an' den have
no one to tek keer o' me w'en I git ol'. He wants me to ma'y him, Kit.
Kit, I love yo' fathah; he 's my only one. But Joe, he 's gone, an' ef
yo go, befo' Gawd I 'll tell Tawm Gibson yes."

The mother looked up to see just what effect her plea would have on her
daughter. She hoped that what she said would have the desired result.
But the girl turned around from fixing her neck-ribbon before the glass,
her face radiant. "Why, it 'll be splendid. He 's such a nice man, an'
race-horse men 'most always have money. Why don't you marry him, ma?
Then I 'd feel that you was safe an' settled, an' that you would n't be
lonesome when the show was out of town."

"You want me to ma'y him an' desert yo' po' pa?"

"I guess what he says is right, ma. I don't reckon we 'll ever see pa
again an' you got to do something. You got to live for yourself now."

Her mother dropped her head in her hands. "All right," she said, "I 'll
do it; I 'll ma'y him. I might as well go de way both my chillen 's
gone. Po' Be'y, po' Be'y. Ef you evah do come out, Gawd he'p you to baih
what you 'll fin'." And Mrs. Hamilton rose and tottered from the room,
as if the old age she anticipated had already come upon her.

Kit stood looking after her, fear and grief in her eyes. "Poor ma," she
said, "an' poor pa. But I know, an' I know it 's for the best."

On the next morning she was up early and practising hard for her
interview with the managing star of "Martin's Blackbirds."

When she arrived at the theatre, Hattie Sterling met her with frank
friendliness.

"I 'm glad you came early, Kitty," she remarked, "for maybe you can get
a chance to talk with Martin before he begins rehearsal and gets all
worked up. He 'll be a little less like a bear then. But even if you
don't see him before then, wait, and don't get scared if he tries to
bluff you. His bark is a good deal worse than his bite."

When Mr. Martin came in that morning, he had other ideas than that of
seeing applicants for places. His show must begin in two weeks, and it
was advertised to be larger and better than ever before, when really
nothing at all had been done for it. The promise of this advertisement
must be fulfilled. Mr. Martin was late, and was out of humour with every
one else on account of it. He came in hurried, fierce, and important.

"Mornin', Mr. Smith, mornin', Mrs. Jones. Ha, ladies and gentlemen, all
here?"

He shot every word out of his