“What songs do you sing?”
She ran over a list that took in all the popular melodies of the day.
“Here’s a dollar, get up and sing another one—anyone will do, and do your best.”
Dollars for singing one song were rare for her, so she obeyed with alacrity, and she sang as best she knew.
When she had finished she came back to where they were sitting just as one of the men was saying:
“Why don’t you give her a chance, Jim? You can never tell how these kind will turn out. Remember Elinore was dug up out of just such a joint as this.”
“Do you want to go on the stage?” asked Jim, abruptly.
“Do I?” and she unconsciously straightened up. “Why, I’d go on for nothing, just to show them I could make good. Say, I’d work for my board. Can you put me on?”
“I think I can,” and smiled as he said it.
He pulled a card case out of his vest pocket, took a card from it, which he handed to her.