Janet Hardy in Hollywood Part 11

Janet stared hard at the clipping, hardly believing her eyes. There was her story with her name signed to it.

"Why Janet, your name is on this front page story!" exclaimed her mother.

"What's all the mystery?" demanded Helen, and Janet explained, rather quickly, about her summons to the Times office.

"Pete Benda said he liked the story and was going to send me a box of candy, but I thought he was joking. You know he's always telling people he's going to send them candy."

"This is no joke," said Helen as Janet opened the box and offered candy to her mother and to Helen. "In fact, I'd like a joke like this about once a week."

"Yes, but I wouldn't like an experience like we had once a week,"

retorted Janet.

Helen's mother phoned that they were having an early supper and Helen picked up the tryout sheets, put her coat over her shoulders, and started for home.

"If I disappear, it's just that I've been swept away in the flood," she called as she hurried out.

Janet looked after her. Helen wasn't far from wrong. With the rapidly rising temperature, the afternoon sun had covered the sidewalks and filled the street with rushing torrents of water. Another day and there would be no sign of the storm of the night before.

Mrs. Hardy called and Janet went into the kitchen to help her mother with the preparations for the evening meal.

"I heard you rehearsing this afternoon," said her mother, "and I wouldn't set my heart too much on winning one of those parts."

"I won't," promised Janet. "Of course I'd like to be in the senior play, but I won't be heart-broken if I don't win a part."

"Perhaps I was thinking more about Helen than you," confessed Mrs. Hardy.

"She's so much in earnest that failure would upset her greatly."

"I know it, but I can understand why Helen wants a part and I'm afraid I'd be just as intent if my father were the ace director for a great motion picture company. I suppose I'd think that I should have dramatic ability to be a success in his eyes."

"That's just it," said Mrs. Hardy. "Helen doesn't need to get a part in the play. When he comes home, he likes nothing better than being with his wife and Helen. You know he never goes any place."

"Except fishing with Dad."

"Oh, pshaw. They don't fish. They dig a few worms and take their old fishpoles along some creek that never did have any fish. It just gets them outdoors and away from people who might want to bother Henry Thorne."

"Well, no matter, Helen has set her heart on winning the leading role and I'm going to do everything in my power to help her along."

_Chapter X_ VICTORY FOR HELEN

The rest of the week slipped away quickly. The harrowing experience in Little Deer valley became a memory and the seniors concentrated upon winning roles in the cla.s.s play.

By Sat.u.r.day morning the snow had vanished, the temperature was above freezing and the gra.s.s was starting to turn green--such are the miracles of the early spring.

Janet and Helen rehea.r.s.ed their tryout parts so many times that Janet found herself mumbling her lines in her sleep.

Most of the seniors a.s.sembled promptly at 9:30 o'clock that morning for the tryouts. A few of them, feeling that they had no chance, did not come, but Janet noticed that Margie and Cora were well to the front of the room where Miss Williams would be sure to see them.

"I want you to do your best this morning for on your work now depends whether you will have a place in the play," she warned them, and Janet felt a little twinge. School was near an end and the senior play was her last chance. Of course it wasn't as important to her as it was to Helen, but it would be nice to have the part of Abbie, for Abbie was such a delightfully irresponsible character.

Miss Williams called for tryouts for minor roles first and Helen sent an anxious glance toward Janet and nodded toward the hall.

They slipped out of the a.s.sembly quietly and Helen voiced her fears.

"Perhaps I'd better try for one of these minor parts as well as for the lead. Then if I don't get to play Gale Naughton, I may win another role."

"I wouldn't," counseled Janet. "Concentrate on the main part. I think you'll make it all right."

"I wish I had your confidence."

"I'm not confident about winning a part myself, but I'm sure you will,"

replied Janet. "Let's go back and watch the tryouts."

"Perhaps I ought to go over my lines again?"

"Nonsense. You can even speak them backwards. If you work on them any more you may do that, which would be fatal. Let's see the mistakes of the others and then we'll know we aren't the world's worst actresses."

Miss Williams was conscientious. She wanted every boy and girl who felt he had a chance to have the utmost opportunity and she worked with them carefully. At noon she was fairly well down the cast, but the four major roles remained, two for the boys and two for the girls, including the parts of Gale and Abbie Naughton which Helen and Janet sought.

"We've been at this long enough," announced Miss Williams as the noon whistles sounded down town. "Everyone take a rest, have lunch, and be back here at one o'clock. Then we'll go on until we finish. For those who have been a.s.signed parts, the first rehearsal will be Monday night at 7:15 o'clock. I'll expect you to have your first act lines memorized."

The group broke up, some of them going home to have lunch and others stopping at the luncheonette of a nearby drug store. Janet and Helen were among this group, which included Cora and Margie. The latter, seated with two companions, appeared confident that they would win the leading roles, but Janet overheard a spiteful remark by Cora.

"Of course, I haven't the pull Helen has, for her father's a famous director," she said, and Janet saw Helen's face flush.

"That's isn't fair," said Helen. "You know Dad wouldn't use any influence to get a part for me."

"So does Cora. She's saying that just to be mean."

When they rea.s.sembled it was a small group, Jim Barron, Ed Rickey and two other boys who were trying for the male leads, Cora, Margie, Helen, Janet and Miss Williams.

The instructor worked with the boys first and it was evident that Jim and Ed were to have the major parts. In less than half an hour they were a.s.signed, Ed getting the lead and Jim the second role. If Janet won the part of Abbie, Jim would be playing opposite her. That would be fun, for Jim was wholesome and pleasant.

After the boys had departed, Miss Williams turned to the girls.

"Now we're down to the two major parts, for the play hinges on the characters of Gale and Abbie." She looked at the four hopeful, anxious faces.

"I want Cora and Margie first. Take your places and give me an interpretation of the action you think should go with the lines you have memorized."

Cora, dark-eyed and confident, stepped to the platform. Margie, a wispy, blonde girl, followed. Both girls used excellent diction, spoke clearly and with feeling, but somehow Cora's work lacked a convincing touch.

Perhaps she was trying too hard and Janet felt her spirits rising.

Helen should walk away with the role unless she got scared when she stepped on the platform. But Janet was more than a little concerned about Margie. The blonde senior was doing an excellent job, putting just the right amount of enthusiasm into the role. There was nothing forced. Every word and gesture seemed spontaneous and lines that had sounded silly in their own rehearsals were very logical and convincing when they came tumbling from Margie's lips.

Janet smiled grimly. Of course she wanted the part, but even more, she wanted Helen to win the role of Gale.