But at last the night for the public performance of "As You Like It" arrived.
The Camp Fire girls had not erred in their prediction that their guardian's reputation was sufficient to insure them a large audience. Mrs. Burton had secured the aid of a well-known California actor, Arthur Whitney, to play Orlando to her Rosalind. For the past two weeks he had been living in one of the hotels near the open-air theater, where he had many friends.
In the neighboring cities and towns the newspapers had devoted columns of unpaid advertising to notices of the play and the opportunity it afforded for seeing the famous American actress. Added to this was the fact that the proceeds from the performance were to be devoted to the recreation fund for the boys in the southern California cantonment.
Long before the night of the performance, every ticket of admission to the theater had been sold, and as much standing room as possible.
Fronting the entrance to the open-air theater stood three or four palm trees so trimmed as to give the effect of a green canopy.
Inside the theater were rows of rustic benches and in the foreground the open-air stage surrounded by a background of shrubs. Around the enclosure was a thick hedge.
Once inside the little theater and one was in so unique a setting, it was as if one were shut away in an enchanted world.
No more charming place could have been discovered for the performance of Shakespeare's comedy. The atmosphere and the scenery of the "Forest of Arden" were already secure.
A thrill of anticipation ran through the audience with the tinkling of a number of bells to announce the opening of the play.
Then the actors entered from behind a screen of shrubs to the left of the stage. The first conversation is between Orlando and old Adam.