Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-08-16
CONFESSIONS OF A CHORUS GIRL
Miss the Skirts? Why. Bless You, Not
the Least Bit.

| Miss the Skirts? Why. Bless You, Not
the Least Bit.
| Ever since the woman had known
| the chorus girl she had wanted to ask
| her questions, but az the questions re-
| lated mostly to hcr sta g. costume, which
was very scant. she was afraid. Fin
| ally. mastering up all her courage, she
| began. whereupon it developed that she
| needn't have been afraid II ell. ON the
| subject of her stage costume the chorus
| gill hadn't the slightest hesitation
! about talking. In fact, the trouble was
| to get her to stop.
| The first time you went on the
stage" was the question the woman
| started with. did you feel the ghast-
| ly sensation Of wishing to grasp your
skirts and pun them down, when there
weren't any skirts there to pull" I've
| heard some say they do
| by the time you have passed the
| exam" the chorus gill replied. stood
up before 20 men in a critical row, and
| had your good and bad points criticised
as if you We're deaf, dumb, blind and
| hadn't any feeling or interest in the
matter whatever, you don't care as
much as you might for the opinion of
the general public. BY the time they
| have half closed 20 pairs Of keen. cold
eyes looked you over as if YOU We're
| a eenseless 2-year-old and said. Dun
ming you're little off on the left side
| there. Pad or. You're bit too big
| in the waist Lace you have about
got over any little squeamshness YOU
may have possessed before you've had
-, I h.,
You never can tell how a girl is go
| ing to look in tights from her looks out
Of them. The managers can hold your
arm all they want to. hold it till they're
tired, but they cant tell. Anyway,
what's the difference? out of "A girls in
| our chorus. y wore symmetricals."
and what" asked the woman, ARE
| SymmetIicals?
The Girl looked at her disgustedly.
| Don't You know? They are the fig
| ares Of the chorus girls. They buy
| them for 50 much and put them on"
| The woman got Ia laughing.
And what about the bald heads"
she gasped. by ana by
| It's good enough for them" declared
| tho chorus girl. They sit in the front
rows ard gaze bcamingly at them.
| those symmetricals. and smile and
| siggle ana nudge each other and ogle.
| They might as well oglc so many rows
| Of wax figures If they only knew it.
| but then they don't know it. so what
| harm do it do@ They are just rs well
| IF. ana those symmetricals help many
| a poor girl into the chorus who would
| be selling matches in the street if it
wasn't for them.
And as for making lightning
| chanses-well if you think the life Of
| a chorus girl is all Strawberries and
| cream. you ought just once to try max
| ing lightning change with the ac-
| commodationS usually given to the
| chorus girl. This was what we had to
| DO. our rooms We're on the top floor.
| They always are. We had. therefore,
| To run up five flights of stairs to I'M
| dress. We began undressing on the
way NJ. We had then to change from
tights to skirts. change slippers. stock
| ngs. neckties and gloves. hook our
| bodices-always fastened in the back
| ana run down again. all in the limited
space of five minutes by the clock.
Imagine "a girls tearing upstairs at
breakneck speed in jumbled row, I'M
buttoning each others bodices as they
run. then leaping back down again.
buttoning them.
often | have gone to the stage.
smiling and bowling fit to KILL with my
bodice wide open III the back. because.
YOU see. | was first off and last on and
| there was nobody back OF me to button
| it"
How much do you get week."
asked the woman.
Eighteen dollars. but if you are not
| careful lot of that goes one way and
another with fines and that. If there's
a tear in your tightS-and you have
| to keep them mended yourself, mind
| you-you are fined so cents. If your
skirts are not span clean-you can
fancy what the laundry bills are for
| lace skirts with dozen ruffles-anoth-
Ell fine, 80 cents. If you don't get on
| the stage in time. 80 cents. II you get
off too quick. another 20 cents. 1t
| doesn't take very many of these so
centses to make some dollars, if you
want to know. and they seem to try
ard see how often they can fine you.
If you turn around they fine you. If
you don't turn around they fine you.
So there you are.
Il know. To see a girl standing up
before the footlights serene and
blooming in pink tights. yellow wig
and pleasant smile, you'd think her
life was one long. radiant dream: but
that's just where you's find yourself
very much mistaken" she finished and
sighed-New York Sun.
The average value Of all the mules in