Page:Our Little Girl (1923).pdf/155

 how the newspapers treated the efforts of dignified artists ! A commercial note was run into her concert plans. She would see that a retraction was published. Everyone would read this. Everyone would read this. . . perhaps it might attract an audience.

Her mother fumed for ten minutes over the picture, and then sent out for twenty extra copies of the paper. Arnold telephoned excitedly. The telephone kept ringing all afternoon. Apparently everyone had seen the picture. Her mother’s friends cried out that they were thrilled—positively thrilled to see Dorothy’s picture in print. They were sure that everyone would want to hear the recital now.

Dorothy felt that everyone who passed the house would point up and say, “Yes, that’s where the hat king’s niece, the singer, lives.” Although only her mother was about, she felt unwontedly conspicuous. By the end of the after~ noon, she had a formula for thanking her mother’s friends who telephoned congratulations and who wanted to speak to the little diva.

Shortly before six, Uncle Elliott arrived.

“Took here!” he shouted as he entered. “Who did this?”

He waved a copy of the paner excitedly.

“Who did this?” he boomed ferociously. “What do you call this? How dare they~"

He stormed up the stairs into the sitting-room and thrust the paper on Mrs. Loamford.

“Isn't this the limit?’ he cried. “This is smart—ah, that’s smart. Why, I'll take this up with my lawyer. It makes me ridiculous!”

He noticed his sister edging to the table. His eyes followed her—and he saw twenty copies of the paper, with the picture displayed on each.