Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-12
TERRIBLE TANGLE
A

1t Is not often that so complicated and
embarrassing a ticket tangle takes place
as the one which had four persons more or
less dazed at Washington theater the
other evening.
The four persons will be described as fol-
lows:
l. John Smith, whose first wife obtained
a divorce from him three years ago.
2. Mrs. John Smith, second wife of the
above, whom he married about year ago.
8. Mrs. John Smith. his first wife. and
who still goes by" her married name.
4. Jack Deepsea, naval officer who is
engaged to be married to the divorced Mrs.
John Smith.
Shortly after o'clock the other morning
John Smith rang up the box Office of the
theater on his house telephone and told
the ticket man who answered the phone
that he wanted two orchestra seats for the
performance that evening He said that
he'd cali for them that evening at 7:45.
Ihey were to be marked for Mr. John
Smith. The ticket man said to John Smith
that that would be all right He took two
orchestra tickets out of the rack. put them
In an envelope, marked them John Smith
ana put them away in the "to-be-called-
for pigeonhole.
rano, leaving another man to take his
place during his absence.
The other ticket mans first call up was
from lady, who said that she wanted two
tlchets In the orchestra for the perform
ance that night. This lady was Mrs John
smith, who had obtained a divorce from
2 Ho smith three years previously. Jack
engaged, and who is stationed at Norfo,i,
was due In town that evening, as he in
formed her in a letter which she received
rom MN that morning, and he had sug-
sested the theater In his letter. asking her
to pick out the theater and to make the
arrangements as to the seats
very well; two seats in the orchestra"
You'll call for the mat 7:45 Won saw
served?" 'e' " oe re-
Mrs. John Smith," said that lady at her
end of the telephone 81 no'
Inc ne ticket man scrawled John Smith"
tn .ne envelope in which he placed the two
n rdcne.s; and placed the envelope in the
oddIy eno nor tt1S, % tickets.
Iohn smith and his wife and those mt
ASIDE for Mrs. John Smith and her fiarce
naa attached coupons calling for seats NOT
the orchestra e' 'iA
ON the minute Of 7:45 John Smith an
peareo IN the lobby of the theater with his
Also on the stroke of 7:45 Jack Deenso.
the naval officer engaged to marry the
divorced MRS. John Smith, appeared in the
LOBBY OF the theater with his fiancee.
q q how
severally entered the lobby,
, Inc Two men glared at each other
Inc Two women shifted at each other
John Smith was the first to reach the
ticket window.
Let me have those two seats 1 teIephoned
for this morning-John Smiths the name"
he said to the ticket man.
me ticket man shuff1ed over the .to-be-
cailed-1or envelopes, and then looked mys-
tilted
There are reservations for two John
smiths, he said. You didn't telephone
twice. did you-or perhaps your wife, not
knowing that you telephoned for the tick
cts, telephoned for them herself?"
Nothing like it, replied John Smith
upon whom the situation flashed with the
first words Of the ticket man. Il tele-
pnoned only once, and my wife didn't tele-
phone. l asked for two seats in the orches-
ira. Let me have the John Smith envelope
that contains two orchestra seats"
The first John Smith envelope that the
ticket man opened contained two orchestra
seats, and he passed them over to John
Smith. who, bestowing a final glare upon
the naval officer, who stood in the lobby
with a sardonic expression on his counte-
nance, took his wife into the theater.
Then the naval officer walked up to- the
box office window
Those two seats reserved this morning
for Mrs. John Smith," said the naval officer
to the ticket man.
'Oh, see," said the ticket man. a light
breaking in on him. "One of the reserya-
understudy in the office didn't put the
Mrs before the second request for a reser-
walton. Here are the seats, sir" and he
passed over the envelope containing two
orchestra seats.
Jack Deepsea took the seats, and pres-
emily was walking down the middle aisle of
the theater with his fancee the divorced
Mrs. John Smith, the usher conducting
them.
Arriving at he row called for by the
seat coupons, Mrs. John Smith, the fancee
OF Jack Deepsea. instantly saw that her
former husband and his present wife had
the two aisle seats, and that the only two
empty seats in the row were right next to
the aisle seats. She flashed look of con-
| sternation at her fiance. Jack Deepsea,
who, however, only set his jaw down hard
and nodded that, former husband or no
former husband, they were to take those
two seats that he had paid for.
john smith, in standing up to permit
Jack Deepsea and the former Mrs John
Smith to pass, glared vindictvely at the
naval officer, who returned the glare with
compound interest. His wife, in kind, sniff
ed nightly at the sight of her husbands
former wife. but her sniff wasn't marker
to the sniff given vent to by the first Mrs.
John Smith.
1T Is too absurd whispered the first
Mrs. John Smith to Jack Deepsea, her
fiance, when they were settled in their
seats. There are lots and lots of people in
the theater who know me, and just know
that they are pointing US out and-and-
&,
Let em knock and comment all they
want to-, growled her fiance Jack Deepsea
We've got right to these seats" and he
glared around him with Who's afraid?'
expression.
Its such a silly position to be placed in,
said Mrs. John Smith to her husband in a
tiny whisper, as soon as the other two had
been seated. And just know that every
body in the house is talking about the alb
surdity of it,
john smith made some inaudible reply to
his wife, and then the curtain went up.
When the curtain fell on the first act
Mrs John Smith No. l told Jack Deepsea
that she couldn't any longer stand having
people behind her bore holes in the back Of
her head with their eyes, and told him he
must have their seats changed. Jack Deep
sea reluctantly consented to do this and
the two got up and left their seats
Il am not going to sit alongside that
brazen creature any longer" said Mrs. John
Smith to her husband as soon as Jack
Deepsea and his fancee had left their seats.
You must have seats changed in
stantly.''
John Smith told her that the other two
had probably left the theater for good but
Mrs. John Smith insisted that she knew thew
would be back-"the creature is too bold to