A Bright Tomorrow Read Online Free Page B

sweet drops of rain on dry earth, other times falling like blows that crush and maim, as the Capulets and the Montagues raged at one another.
    When Romeo got his first glimpse of Juliet, his words came to Lylah like magic:
    O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
    It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
    Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear—
    Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
    And when Juliet, in the balcony scene, mourned that the one she loves is the sworn enemy of her family, Lylah wanted to cry out—
    O, be some other name!
    What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
    By any other name would smell as sweet.
    But it was in the death scenes that Lylah felt most keenly the power of poetry and drama. She did not know the play and supposed that somehow Romeo and Juliet would overcome all their difficulties and live happily ever after. When Romeo came to the tomb and found Juliet apparently dead, Lylah delighted in the first of the scene, especially the speech that Romeo made:
    Eyes look your last!
    Arms, take your last embrace! And, lips, O you
    The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
    A dateless bargain to engrossing death!
    But when Romeo killed himself, Lylah was struck dumb, unable to speak, hardly able to think. To complete the tragedy, Juliet, finding the dead body of Romeo, stabbed herself with his dagger, crying out, “O happy dagger! This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die.”
    Lylah began to weep, overcome by grief for the young lovers. And when Hackett found her, he was shocked to discover that the young woman had been so affected by the play.
    â€œWhy, Miss Stuart, what’s this?” he whispered, taking both her hands. The tears were running down her cheeks, and the worldly actor thought he’d never seen anything more innocently beautiful in his life than the soft, damp eyes of Lylah Stuart!
    â€œI can’t…help it!” Lylah moaned.
    â€œWell, now, you come and meet Miss Adams. She’ll be flattered that her performance has been so effective.”
    And so she was. Maude Adams, though only thirty years old, had received applause from royalty and admiration from many, but she was genuinely touched when she saw the trembling lips of the beautiful young girl. Realizing that Lylah was beyond speech, she took her hand, then kissed her on the cheek. “It’s good to see that what I do on the stage has some power to move young people.”
    â€œOh, Miss Adams,” Lylah whispered, “it’s the grandest thing there is!”
    Maude Adams stared at the young woman, then shifted her gaze to Hackett. “Well, she certainly has the beauty for the stage, hasn’t she?”
    Lylah had dreamed all her life of something like this! She lifted her glorious eyes to Maude Adams and said, “I want that more than anything!”
    Hackett squinted as if in thought. “Why, certainly, Miss Stuart! And if you come to New York, Miss Adams and I will be glad to help you find your place in the theater!”
    Maude Adams knew her man, however, and warned, “It takes more than good looks to become an actress, Miss Stuart.” A peculiar light came to her eyes, and she added softly, “More hearts are broken by this profession than any I know of. Better for you simply to come and enjoy the plays, than to risk letting your dreams get broken.”
    After Hackett led her out of the dressing room, he said, “Let’s have a bite to eat.”
    â€œAll right.” Lylah was like a woman in a trance. She lifted her face to Hackett. “Will you help me get on the stage if I come to New York with you?”
    Hackett blinked. He was a womanizer, and this girl was a rare prize to add to his collection. But he was shrewd enough to know that while a one-night affair in a hick town was one thing, to take a young woman to New York was something entirely different.
    â€œWell…your parents would have