A Bright Tomorrow Read Online Free

Rock. A large imposing structure in the Victorian style, it had succeeded in luring to the city the better road companies that were criss-crossing the nation at the turn of the century. In earlier days, it had hosted such giants as Sarah Bernhardt, Lillian Russell, and even an aging Edwin Booth.
    Many thousands had passed by the opera house since it rose to dominate the wide street that led to the capitol, but not one of them had been so strongly affected by it as had Lylah Stuart.
    She had been bored with the convention, as she had known she would be, and it was to escape boredom that she had pestered Don Satterfield to include her in the group. He had thought it was his own idea, of course. “The experience will do her good” he had told the president, not realizing that Lylah herself, using her feminine wiles, had planted that idea in his mind.
    Satterfield, who had been hopelessly in love with Lylah for years, was sincere enough. He had been disappointed that Lylah had taken so little interest in spiritual things at the Institute. Oh, she had done well enough academically, for she had a keen mind. She had even memorized the kings of Judah and Israel with the dates of their reigns, rattling them off carelessly when called on. But she had attended only those services required by the code of the school. Satterfield had never once succeeded in getting her to attend any of the all-night prayer meetings, nor even one of his own meetings in the smaller churches of the area.
    Nor had he any idea of the crashing boredom Lylah Stuart was enduring! But Lylah was too smart to behave in a manner that would send her back home to slop razorback hogs. She was a clever girl and played the role of “student at Bible school” as she had played other roles. Her boast to Amos and Owen that she would set the institute on its ear by doing what she pleased was not the way, and she knew it.
    But the empty years loomed before her, as they do for men and women in prison cells, and when the chance came to go to Little Rock she grabbed it. It took only a few soft words, a little pressure as she leaned against Don Satterfield, to get her way.
    Her first train ride was thrilling. Snow began to fall as the train chugged toward Little Rock, and it was exciting to watch the dead-looking hills being transformed into smooth mounds of glittering white. The excitement of the train ride palled into nothingness, however, when Lylah passed by the opera house and saw the pictures plastered across the front of the building. She glanced up at the huge sign that read:
    ONE ENGAGEMENT ONLY!
ROMEO AND JULIET
STARRING MAUDE ADAMS
    Turning her avid attention to the playbill, Lylah studied the picture of the star. “Why, she’s no older than I am!” she whispered aloud.
    â€œAnd not nearly as pretty!”
    Startled, Lylah turned to find herself facing a tall young man dressed in a thick fur coat. He was handsome, with chiseled features. When he took off his black bowler hat, he revealed a mass of black hair piled high in front in a pompadour. A pair of bold black eyes dominated his face, and when he smiled, Lylah knew she’d never seen such a perfect set of teeth!
    â€œMiss Adams is , in fact, older than you are,” the man smiled, and then his eyes took on even more of a sparkle as he added, “but she certainly is not as attractive!”
    Accustomed as she was to subduing the young men who fluttered around her, Lylah was suddenly a little breathless, for this man was no callow student! He was very tall, and the diamond he was wearing on his right hand flashed as he gestured. Assurance flowed out of him, and the young woman knew that this man was more dangerous than any she’d ever met. He knows how to handle women the same as I know how to handle men, Lylah thought.
    But there was enough audacity in her to cause her to hold up her head and smile—she knew what this did to men!—and she murmured, “My mother