Page:Lippincotts Monthly Magazine-40.djvu/908

884 want for the part,—some one, you know, who can take the prima donna's part if she gets sick. There, that will be all right for the last act; but you will have to have a new dress for the first act."

"Can you make a dress for me by this evening?" I echoed, in surprise.

"I must. You see, Mr. H. could not tell until this morning whether you'd be all right for to-night, and now I'll have to work my fingers off to get you ready. But don't you worry about your costume: I'll see to that, and bring it to your room and show you how to put it on."

My measure was taken for the new costume, and I was then brought back to the stage and reported to Mr. H. I found that I was to furnish my own slippers and stockings, extra finishings for the dress, and wig.

"Do you know anything about making up?" asked Mr. H.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Well, there's no society powdering about it: it's regular kalso-mining."

"I'll make her up, Jack," said a voice beside us, and, turning, I saw a very handsome young woman in a rich fur dolman who must have come in during my absence in the wardrobe-room. Mr. H. introduced us, and in the young good-looking Miss L. I found it hard to recognize the comic old woman of "Beatrice."

"Come to my dressing-room this evening," she said,—"it's No. 5,—and I'll make you up. I suppose you have nothing to do it with?"

"No," I said.

"Well, you go to Myers's store and tell them you want a box of make-up, and he'll know just what you need. You can get your wig there also."

She then gave me the address, and we left the theatre together. After making my other necessary purchases, I went to the number given to me by Miss L., and, in as easy a manner as possible, asked Mr. Myers to "put me up a box of make-up."

I had not calculated upon the avalanche of questions the famous wig-maker would unload on me. He wanted to know if I desired this, that, and the other thing put in the box, articles the names and uses of which I was utterly ignorant of. I had to confess that I did not know what I needed; and when he discovered that I was about to make my first appearance, nothing could have exceeded his good-natured interest. He showed me all sorts of paints, powders, pencils, green paint, etc., telling me their uses, and giving me many valuable hints. In showing me how to use these articles, he made up one of his eyes, colored his lips, and smeared the back of his hand with every tint of grease, paint, and powder, to show me the different effects from which I was to change my complexion.

When the box was filled, I was taken into a gaslit room, where Mr. Myers showed me how to coil my own hair flat on the top of my head and adjust the wig he had selected to be "dressed" and sent to the theatre.

When all my preparations were completed, I could hardly realize that in a few hours I would be standing behind real footlights, under-