Getting string from variable name

im not sure how to explain this but, heres the code:

number = 1
person1 = “some stuff”
person2 = “other stuff”
trace(“person”+number)
//i want to get “some stuff”, but instead get “person1”

the variable “number” is obtained from an external source, how do i get the corresponding string for “person”+number, in this case person1, which is “some stuff”?

sry if im unclear, but i really dont know how to put this into words…
thx in advance