The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-14


reporters, but not often described by
woman from actual experience. Apply
las though you really wanted the job,
and 20 right into it as though you
wanted to earn your bread and butter that
way, noting everything"
a chorus girl! Great Joye! sank into
chair and gazed blankly at the opposite
wall. on which pantomime of Tvoli
chorus girls appeared. frizzled. painted and
powdered and short-1ressed. Then they
almost disappeared. leaving only multi
tudinous dancing legs-bIsck, blue, pink,
yellow, red, and even green. A Tivoli
audience surrounded me and l heard
whispered remarks, such as, II tell you,
that little pink one is dandy" Just
look at that black one on the right. She
has legs like bottle"
shuddered and almost cried, but didn't
waver, and went off to bed with q deter
mined ''Tll do it though it takes an arm %
Nine o'clock Monday morning saw me at
the Tivoli. The OOX-office was closed, but
a little, black. important-lookin man met
me at tie door and asked me If had come
in response tn their advertisement for
chorus girls. On receiving an affirmative
answer lie directed me to room upstairs.
On the stairs groups of gigglipg girls
had congregated. From parts of their con-
veTsation l overheard knew they too were
applicants for chorus oStions. They had
evidently never met before, but were be-
coming acquainted and even chumny with
amazing rapidity. The girls followed me
and we took possession of chairs that were
placed against the wall at the end of the
room nearest the door. AT the farther end
Of the room was grand piano.
The girl who sat nearest TO me was a
queer character. and / should Judge had
taken unusual pains with her toilet that
morning. Ithad certainly taken her quite
while TO curl her bangs, there was s0much
of them and they were really well curled,
and the amount OF paint and powder she
had managed 10 make stick on her face was
astounding. But she had forgotten the
back OF her neck. Think she had neglected
TO put little soap and water on 1t. 1t was
greasy and grimy. She wore light rough
and-readv straw hat that was turned up
jauntily on one side and trimmed with
faded pink artificial roses and black and
dingv white ostrich feathers that fell over
her mass of golden brown ringlets and
coquettishly tickled her left ear She was
gloVelssS aud had neglected to manicure
her nails. Her fingers we're covered with
cheap rings and she was perfumed with
German cologne.
While l was studying her and several
others of her type, distinguish he'd looking
woman walked into the room and took
chair on the other side OF me. She was
middle-aged, and was dressed all in black.
just after her arrival the little fat man |
had met downstairs and a tail. slender
dark man rushed in. They were followed
by timif-apDearing girl, who was blush
ing painfully. l suppose she was one of
the chorus aspirants they had met in the
hall. The man with the glasses sat nj the
piano and began running over the scales,
holding 10 the girl to go ahead.
Poor thing! her face got redder and red
der. She was apparently making des-
nHFQtR pffuTt EinalIV her flaw
open. but no sound issued. The musician
became terribly patient and thumped each
note out clearly and distinctly. The girl
was in agony, she squlTmed and twisted
and looked as though she were about 10
have stroke OF apopleXy. Finally hoarse
discordant noise came from her throat.
You wont do" said the slender dark
man at the piano.
The girl looked really happy, and made
her escape as quickly as possible.
While the girl was trying TO sing the
lady in black spoke 10 me, saying: us that
Professor Bat the piano ,"
l assured her OF my Ignorance regarding
everything concerning the place. She
smiled indulgently ana said:
Isn't that horrible bIano? | consider
that it is very Injurious TO the voice TO sing
to an Instrumental out of tune"
my this is q professional singer and
I've got to stand uD there and make a fool
of myself before her" | thought. And /
grew weak and felt like going home. 1
hadn't do re med" for years; | wasn't Mt
all sure l could do better than The poor
girl who was being tortured Just then
As the girl left the room the man at the
piano beckOned to me. To my great sur.
prise managed to get through the scale.
The musician said:
"YOur voice is weak, hut you'll do"
Then addressing the little man who had
come In with him and who stood near The
piano with paper and pencil in his hand
locking very solemn and very important,
he said:
Take her name"
! gave him my name and address and he
tod me to come back at 9 o'clock. went
back TO my seat to watch the others.
The ladT In black was next called. She
had little chat with the accompanist be-
fore she began. / couldn't hear what she
said. With a smile he struck the first
note.
Horrorsl What voiceI What dis
cordI
The poor musician seemed to curl up as
in pain and went over the scales two or
three times in helpless, bewildered sort
of way.
The little fat man nearly lost his digni-
fed expression when she stopped, then
both solemniy nodded mo"
She tried to look cheerful. but she did
not succeed; there was a forced smile on
her lips, but there were tears in her eyes,
and as she slowly left the room | noticed
the blotched silk skirt she wore was very
old AID hardly hung together, and her
black beaded jersey was ancient and
patched and minus two or three buttons.
think she is woman who would not
have applied for such a position unless
forced 10 ii by dire necessity.
The professor Il afterward learned that
the man at the piano was Professor B.
was calling for the ladies" to come up.';
There was great giggiug and nudgiup
the girls FINALLY If ba,
went up TO Professor B and said some
thing in an undertone. Be then asked us
to step out into the hall, saying he would
call each one as he wanted her So l had
to go away without hearing the others.
The Tiv0li advertised for forty girls and
had over 100 applicants. Among them
were quite q number of refined looking
girls and several middle-aged ladies'
Poverty compels people to do strange
things.
AT o'clock went back. OF the hun
dred applicants about nineteen had been
selected. They were mostly nice-looking
girls and appeared to be from 16 to 20
years of age. We were taken to the same
room we had been in in the morning. The
floor mad just been scrubbed and was real
wet and we had to sit there with our feet
cold and damp during the first rehearsal,
which lasted till o'clock.
Professor b was not there. A fair
rather good-looking fellow took his place
at the piano. He would go over and over
parts of the opera that seemed particularly
hard Tor the new chorus TO get without a
change OF countenance. He called us
girls" in patronizing manner and kept
cigar in his mouth during the whole time
we were with him. When things went
excessively bad and any other man in his
place would have jumped up aud down
and denounced us as blockheuds he only
betrayed his nervousness by furiousy
chewing his cigar. Once lie strnek a high
note so hard he broke a string, even then
he did not show ais excitement except by
chewing more madly than ever on his
cigar.
After rehearsal heard considerable COM
plant among the girls because the gentle
man had kept cigar in his mouth while
In their presence, but / was glad he
had done so, ana SO expressed myself,
because was sure the filthy weed" had
received the consequences of the irritability
caused by our many blunders, by what
must have appeared to our teacher our
Inordinate stuniditv