Dr. Storr's Grand Niece Now A "Leading Lady". Elizabeth H. Valentine, Sister of Mrs. Dreler, to ... a New Star. Recognition After Two Years. Genuine Society Girl, of Independent Means and College Education, Succeeds on Stage. Miss Elizabeth H. Valentine, of the well known Heights family, will begin to rehearse for first "leading lady" part to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock, in a ball on Wust Forty-eighth street, Manhattan. Thi rehearsal marks the success of a Brooklyn society girl on the stage. After two years of saiall parts on the road she ha3 been picked, upon merit alone, to support a new star. Miss Valentine Is of the Sidney plane family. Her sisters are prominent figures of the Heights set. Bhe is a grand niece of the late Dr. Richard Salter Storrs, paBtor of Church of the Pilgrims for half a century. By marriage in her family she is closely connected with the Dreiers of Montague terrace, one of the Heights' most Important households to-day. Miss Valentine ts not known at all, as the phrase io, "upon Broadway," her entire experience having been confined to two years spent In traveling companies at distant points. Quite by ohance David Proctor, the new road star who is to go out in the familiar "A Message From Mars," saw her play. "That's the leading lady for me," be at once said, and forthwith engaged Miss Valentine. Thus, at a bound this Holghts girl springs from being a good deal of a nobody on the stage to the position of a decided somebody. In "A Message from Mars," playing the sympathetic part of Minnie Temple, she has been given an opportunity the average woman would have had to wait years for. A road company far better than the average has been gathered together, and Miss Valentine has every reason to feel that the chance of her life is before her. She comes in from her country home at Storrs, Conn., her mother's old family mansion, where she has been spending some weeks, to-morrow morning, and from then on will be hard at work In the harness. She is a tall, magnetic girl, not of remarkable beauty or exceptional charm, but of characteristics that already are making her a personality among stage folks. Elizabeth Valentine is now 23 or ti years of age. She has had the bee of acting In her bonnet very nearly since childhood. Her family thought it would die out when she came to be a young woman. But the desire to go upon the stage only grew in intensity with her. She went to Cornell and was graduated from there in 1002. Few other girls of her time up at Ithaca took as keen an interest in the amatucr dramatios there, and the Brooklyn girl led in the productions, soaring in her last year a triumph in her rendering of Katharine in "The Taming of the Shrew." Her college course over Miss Valentine's family found to their disappointment that Bhe was more stage enthusiastic than ever. They proposed a yeRr of delightful travel abroad, thinking to wean her from professional 'acting, but the girl to their surprise, refused. She wanted to begin her career at onca, and she had her way. Good fortune came to her at the start. Out of a dozen applicants Ben Greet picked her to play a small part In "Everyman," that of TJeautc. This was her first year's training. Last year flie went on the road with "Twelfth Night," doing one of the minor roles very acceptably. Both were small things, however. Elizabeth Valentine, after doing them was scarcely better known than when she started. But now her admirers think that any day may land her In Broadway. Her chance Is the more Interesting for the reason that she is to have with her some very good dramatic people. David Proctor has plnyed with Mary Manncrlng ana Herbert Kelcey. This Is his Initial work as a star. He played leading parts with Amelia Bingham, and waB In "The Climbers," Frisky Mrs. Johnson" and "A Modern Magdalen." Miss Valentino has the lead 'With him, the first such part ifae has yet essayed. In the company there is the original London messenger from Mars, last year's tramp and Inst year's Juvenile. There has also been ongised for the character part of Aunt Martha an English actress, Misa Isabel Egremont. The Valentine family have been very prominent in Brooklyn life. They formerly lived at 21 Monroe place, once t'ne house of Sylvester Ilondlow and where thirty years ago old Mr. Hondlow was attacked by thieves one midnight, shot and pounded almost to a Jelly. The house was sold four years ego, on the very afternoon one of the Valentino girls. Miss Ethel Valentine (now Mrs. H. Fdward Dreler), was married. "While the florists were putting up the doeo-rnllons the sale was going on two blocks nwny in t'.ie Real Estate Exchange There wrro four Valentine daughters Miss Antoinette Storrs Valentino (now Mrs. Oeorge B. B. Lamb of Sidney place), Miss ISthnl Valentine (who became the wife of the brother of the four Dreler girls now of Montague Terrace, one of whom, Miss Margaret Dreler, Is to-dny Mrs. Raymond Hoblns and is a leader of women's trade unionlBra), Miss Elizabeth H., the present actress, and Marguerite Storrs Valentine. Miss Ethel Valentine, rspeolnly before her marriage, was one of the lenders nmong Heights girls. She was nt one time president of the famous Asncog Club of the Heights (whose name Ib an nna-gram of the phrase 'AH Sorts and Conditions of Girls," and which was the first of the "n-K'liimrhoed guilds" or "settlements" of Hrooklvn). She was, loo, prnbnbly the most pnnular of these presidents and brought the :Iuh into RTnt local fame. These four girls were the daughters of Mrs. Antoinette Storrs Valentine, who died somo years ago. On their mother's side the daughters are descended from a new England family of much renown, the Storrs of Connecticut. From the Storrs all these girls have eomfortnblo Incomes, Thus In Elizabeth Vitlenllne the stage has one of Its bust born and hest connected women to-dny, and one of Its few women of Independent menus. If her family are not reconciled yet to her stage career they have ceased to oppose it openly. It Is recalled that when she began two yearn o,to none of her people were willing to talk about It. The theatrical folks who have seen her predict that, Bhe will go far. Mrs. Dreler, her sister, resides nt 2:i Ttein-Ben Blreel, close to the houso of the .Yliujtos Dreler. The Orders have very large means. Their father made a large fortune many years ago, and the family have been extensive, though careful, givers to many charities.

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