The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-17

different displays OF loneliness. The time
has barely passed when the competitor for
a place I'm the front line has to be less than
sight, no matter how pretty her face might
be; but the five-footer has her chance now,
and she numbers two score in this produc-
tion
Ten of these "shorties'' are the show girls
at the front in THE Medal and the Maid, =
while the six "lengthies" are relegated to
the rear. The ten are very active as pupils
at a boarding school, while the six are al
most inert as casual visitors. All, how tickle
we are in our fondness. We wave aside the
stately big ones of yesterday and extend
our hands to the frisky little ones of to-
day. The favorites are a choice lot, too
none plain, several superlatively beautiful,
and all strangers. Not one has been known
before in a Broadway chorus. There Will
be commotion at the stage door and
freshened vivacity in the midnight reStau-
rants. And what will the discarded ones do
hundred survivors of ''the. original f'loroo
dora sextet find refuge in their plight?
Well, some have already advanced 10
speaking roles, some have retired into pc
cunious wedlock, some have kept in view as
parties TO divorce suits, and the rest will
contrive, no doubt, to live off beer and
oysters If they can't get wine and birds:
This is drifting away from professional
propriety, / know, and my excuse is that
in the grade of theatrical life under notice,
personality has become a matter of self
obtrusion Maybe il is kind TO let the show
girl alone when she is off the stage, but
she doesn't think so. She dotes on public
ity.
Shrewdness and ingenuity are shown in
the introduction of the schoolgirls in THE
Medal and the Maid" They are led by an
eleventh stranger, who has been brought
from London for the purpose. Ruth Vim
cent plays one Of the maids, whose welfare
is mixed up in ways not worth the space
TO describe, with the loss and recovery of
a war medal. Ruth is a nice example of
the smooth, smiling, ingratiatory English
type that is scarce in this America of pert,
smart, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT maidens. She
sings and dances well, and-she is new here.
She makes such acquaintances of ours here
as jeanette Lowerie and Emma Carus give
way to her, just as the ten chorus girls do
the six, and If anything could crowd Jimmy
Powers from the center OF the stage-which
he holds firmly with his familiar fun--she
would do that. too. So desirously express
sive are we of anything new under the cal
cium sun. The school mistress honors the
pupils with frills on their petticoats &C.
cording to their deserts. from one with
none to one with ten, and at annual
award of prizes the class sings about these
record frilis each member In turn showing
her DetticOat register OF merit. That is
done daintily, and indeed, there is nothing
gross in all the fOolery, which runs from
delicate comedy down 10 such a depth OF
farce as Powers crawling of on his hands
and knees, with a sword between his teeth
to assassinate a man in the woods Powers
may know. but 1 don't, how many times
he has fallen into the hands OF bandits
been initiated against his will as a member
and assigned 10 some dangerous deed OF as
sassination. Once more his squeaks OF ter
ror with eyes rolling and legs antic make
US laugh in spite of ourselves.
The teacher takes her pupils on a vaca-
ton trip TO Greece, and they are captured
by brigands. quite in the same old manner
but their durance is neither vile nor dull
One of their exploits makes the funniest
novelty in the show. Up TO this time they
have been frocked attractively. Now they
come on with all but their faces covered
from wrists TO ankles, by one-plece suits
| OF rough Drown eloth- Ihey squat and hoI