The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-12

Thyra Samter in the Chicago Tribune. A TIER this is published, If it ever A is, probably shall be sorry, first because some of these gratis be- long to some of my best girl friends, and it will take ages for me to explain why I subjected their pet plans to public ex- posture, and second because some or these gratis are my own pet gratis, and 1T try to use them again the Johns Will know and will decline to fall for them prorerly. But I shall sacrifice everything l to save the unsuspecting youths Of the land and their papas. and 1t is mostly | their papas, from the unnecessary ex- penditure of the coin of the realm Every chorus girl Is a grafter. l can hear the cries of ''Traitor!' already, but 1 it is true. If chorus girl isn't a grafter she is fool, and that is even worse 1 chorus girl has got to graft unless she wants to refuse dinner invitations because she hasn't pair of long white gloves, | or a. motor ride because she hasn't motor bonnet. Gloves and chiffons and vanity cases can't be purchased on a sal ary of SIS week.
 | Of course 1t isn't right to graft We | all read the newspapers and know what happens, or rather what ought to happen, | to grafters. But a mere member of the foundation of musical comedy cannot be expected to reform the world.
 l Perhaps the most common graft is the | "sick roommate" That is used mostly on ''one nighters'' and is almost too old to be really useful. A chorus girl meets | a John and goes to supper with him. She smiles and tries to be gay, but un- derneath the smile he can easily detect a hidden sorrow. The cause of it? l Why, the dear grille has a roommate who was too i'll to be in the evenings performance and the manager will not advance her any money or let her draw ahead because she missed the night show, and she has a hotel bill to pay and doctors bill, and it will just break girlie's heart if roommate is left behind.
 Roommate probably is peacefully asleep, much daubed with cold cream, and dream ing about the time when she will not have
 to get up for any early jump" But the | John" doesn't know, or isn't supposed to. | He has a kind heart Besides, he likes
 chorus girls and he can tell later about
 the hard life that they have and about their sweet. sisterly devotion.
 Can't you just hear the necktie drum
 mer frmo St. Joseph telling his fellow
 traveller from Sioux City:
 "Yes, indeed, and she was & pretty
 little thing, too, and all broken up about
 her roommate. Those managers must l,, <.f etc ,sf fnl
 leaving that poor little girl dead broke in
 a strange city. No wonder some of them
 go down the toboggan. Aud that story
 was on the square, too, for they both
 wrote me the incest little notes of thanks
 from the next town, I'd like to see that little girl again.
 There, what can you do with a case like
 that?
 The lost pocketbook is another good one. presumably rich John is around, and no stage door haunter wants to be put down as cheap. The reason it is 50 easy to graft from a stage door frequenter lis because he wants to appear rich and generous and quite a sport. It is his own vanity that makes him easy. So glrlie finds her purse is gone Business of quiet sobbing. And had tenor twenty, or as much
 as she dares-dolars in 1t, and it was all
 I had, and I've got to pay my board to-
 morrow. and I've drawn ahead weeks
 salary already, and
 But the protecting hand of the kind and
 generous "John" is on her shoulder and his There, there. don't cry, little girl, is being whispered into her ear.
 The lost gloves graft is slightly dif-
 ferent, but really more effective. Cecilie
 Marie of the chorus goes out to supper T with a "Johnv after the, show. The '"John'' politely takes Cecile Marie homo