“THE GAMESTER”
with
Nancy Bradshaw
she read:—
NANCY BRADSHAW
in
“The Gamester”
It blinked and smiled at her, that dazzling announcement. She shut her eyes in ecstasy that hurt. When she opened them, shameless tears were streaming down her cheeks and a prayer was in her heart.
Coghlan was waiting at the door of her dressing-room. She rushed at him, arms flung recklessly about his neck, and wept into the stiff white collar that held up his double chin.
[294]
] “You deserve it!” he told her, his own eyes a bit moist. “You deserve it. Never asked for it. Never nagged me for anything. Just worked like hell—and waited. How old are you, kid?”
Nancy looked up. “T—twenty-three for publication.”
“But on the level?”
“Almost twenty-eight.”
“Well, by the time you’re thirty-three, you’ll be the greatest actress in the country. Take it from me—Jerry Coghlan knows what he’s talking about!”