The Alaska citizen., 1910-12-12
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 for his son by the late John Burn1i to more than one uu -uf-toWn com petiior for the pleasure f handling his money. He Was growing quite sophisticated. was Bobby quite able to discern the claws benelth the vel. vet paw. quite suspicious Of all the experts who wanted 10 make for tune for him: and their frantic at tempts 10 get his goat" as Bin Bates expressed it. had become very amusing to this wise young person. He was just congratulating himself upon his advancing acumen. when there suddenly erupted into the out CT office. where Johnson and Apple rod had charge of the books and papers which told of Bobby's three successive failures as tnanCleT, a pandamonium of gabbling.
 The Herr Professor said Bobby. rising with peculiar smile. and Tn a moment more there bounded into his room a round little German with enormous and extremely thick glasses upon the knob of his nose. grizzled mustaChe that poked straight up on both sides Of that knob. and an absurd toupee thai hared straight out all around on top of the tald spot 10 which fl was pasted. Behind him trailed pufgy man of so exactly the Herr PrOfes- sor, height and build that it seemed as if they were cast in the same spherical mold, but he was much younger. and had jet black hair and 9 jet black H1uStache Of such tiny proportions as to excite amaze mcnt and even awe. Still behind him was a tremendous grenadier of Wo- man, fully a head and a half taller than either of the two men, and pon- derous in every dimension. She also had jet black hair, and was dressed in very rich robe and wrap, both of which were somewhat soiled and worn.
 "Signor R-r-rr-icardo, der grosse tenore-Mees-tor Burnt" introduced the Herr Professor, with a deep bow commensurat with the greatness of the great tenor. "SignOTina Car-r-r- avaggio-Mees-tcr Burnt. I. Mees- ter Burnt. Ich bin Professor Fruh- lingsvogeL"
 Bobby. for lack of any other handy greeting. merely bowed and smiled, whereupon Signorina Caravaggio stepping into the breach which other wise would certainly have been em- barrassing. seated herself Comforta- bly upon the edge of Bobby's desk and swung one ponderous foot while she explained matters.
 Its like this. Mir. Burnit." she con fidently began; When that dried-up little heathen, MatteO, who tried to run the Neapolitan Grand Opera Corpany with stage money. got us this far on a tour that is a dis grace to the profession. he had a sudden notion that he needed ocean air; so he took what few dollars were in the treasury and hOpped right on into New York. Here We are, then. two hundred miles from our next booking and without enough among Us to buy postage stamp We haven't seen a cent of salaries for six weeks, and the only thing We can do is to seize the props and scenery and costumes, see if they can be sold, and dishand, unless some body gallops to the rescue in a hur ry. Professor FruhlingsVogel hap pened to know another Dutchman here who conducts an orchestra al the Orpheum, and he sent Us to you. He said you knew all the swell set and could start a benefit going if anybody could
 Yes" said Bobby, smiling; "Schmirdonnir telephoned me just a few minutes ago that the Herr Pro lessor FrulingsvOgel would be up to see me, and asked me to do what l could. How many of you are there?"
 "Seventy-three," promptly return ed SignOrina Caravaggio, and all hungry. Forty singers and an or Props and the stage manager and Herr Fruhlingsvogel, who is the mus ical director"
 Where are you stopping?" asked Bobby, aghast at the size of the contract that was offered him.
 Were not" laughed the great Italian songstress. We all went up and registered at a fourth-rate place they call the Hotel Larken, but that's as far as we got, for we were told before the ink was dry that we'd have to come across before we got single biscuit; so there they are scattered about the s. R. O. parts of that little two-by-twice hotel, wait ing for little me to trot out and find an angel. Are you it?"
 T can't really promise what can do," hesitated Bobby, who had never been able to refuse assistance where it seemed to be needed; but I'll run down to the club and see some of the boys about getting up a subscription concert for you. How much help will you need?"
 Enough to land us on little old Manhattan Island"
 And there are over seventy of you to feed and take care of for say, three days. and then to pay rail road fares for" unused Bobby, a lit tie startled by the magnitude of the demand began to dawn upon him Then there's the music hall, adver Using, printing and I suppose a score of other incidentals. You need quite a pile of money. However, I'll go down to the club at lunch time and see what I can do."
 T knew you would the minute looked at you," said the Signorina confidently, which was a compliment or not, the way one looked at it But, say; I've got better scheme than that, one that will let you make little money instead of contribut ing. I understand the Orpheum has next week dark, through yesterdays failure of The Married Bachelor Com edy company. Why didn't you get the