Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-27
C. N. AND A. NJ. WILLIAMSON


eing to be a little warmer. because he
was amused.
Bet II was bully"
Il wasn't hungry-then."
PITY! STILL" the man at the other end
Of the bench murmured. refectively.
you've got IL TO remember. and I guess,
lot OF other nice things"
III that were any comfort
Twould he to me Say l don't throw
myself out much to strangers. but you
saved my dog for me. while I was
snoozin' like a sick dormouse. and there's
somethin' about you kind o gets me.
Suppose We swop stories-if you really
amt on in this act. IL you're not kiddiu'
--playin' some game.if you're here be-
cause you're stumped. why. maybe.
might put you up to somethin'-seer
Wasn't there a verse In the Bible about
lion and a mouse?"
II think the lion and the mouse were
Aesop," said Val
Never heard of the gent. But. any
how. l caught on to IL in Sunday school,
when l was a kid. I'm dead sure OF that.
and always was quoter. You amt \
New Yorker, are your
mo. I'm an Englishman,'' Loveland
answered. quickly.
Gee, but you're a swell-lookin' emf
grant! I amt a New Yorker myself-not
by birth. / was a hayseed till turned
nineteen: workin' on my stepfather's
farm-mean old skinfint, but 7 couldn't
see my way to cuttin till my mother was
gone. Then / footed II TO New York
sixty mile-chuck full OF hope and nothiu'
else unless beans
"A regular Mark TapIey." said Val
Never played the part. In private life
my names Bill Willing: some switches 10
round to Willing Bill. because I generally
do my days work without howlin':
| blew into New York without attractin'
much notice. and that's nineteen years
ago. and l haven't attracted much since.
| that's fact. But you may do better.
Don't be discouraged by a setback, IL
your games square. and bet II is. or you
wouldn't be in the dog-savfn' business.
What is your lay. anyhow?-excuse the
| liberty
Retrieving my fortune" said Val. after
moments reflection.
You can see me one better. Mines to
make yet and I'm no kid-like you. I
| won't see thirty-eight again. I'm an
artist. But New York amt woke UP to
| my talent. Maybe I've been too versatile
out was paintin' pictures. but my chance
was slow comm Had to take what I
could get on the way along-supin', sand
wichin', barkin'-
Eth, what?" broke In Loveland.
You don't savvy? Oh. supin' in the
aters. There's several, specially one in
the Bowery, wouldn't a been complete
without me for years, till got the chuck
like you did at the Waldorf. Sandwichin'
why you know what that Is. sure? You
wouldn't think how you get the cramps
shut up between the boards? The sand
wichin' was generally In the theatrical
line. too, SO I've always kind Of lowered
around the profession. though don't say
I'm proud Of my career as a barker in
the dimes-museums. you know. There
was money In the business, though. II the
| freaks hadn't caught on that I had the
| heart of soft-boiled egg-always ready
| to part II they worked the aged-mother
dodge, or the baby brother who threw
fits. 1 amt no penny-in-the-slo savings
bank. Wish l was. should be better
off now. Besides. my voice amt an auto
mobile horn, and harkin' for couple Of
seasons stove a hole In my top note.
After that, no manager would take me
with pound OF tea and chrome. but
! one Of my old COWS switched me onto a
| job paintin' freak showboards, and I'd a
been at 1t yet If freaks didn't last too
| long. Once you've put them on the
boards. there they are. At present my
! Speciality's meenoos.'
| Val looked blank. thinking Of emus.
French for grub cards. swell like
| you ought to be on to that. But I'm Just
thinkin' what there is for you. This stunt
Of mine I dropped into by luck. Twas
to you tonight
why Shakespeare Loveland cut In.
"Oh, there's IA girl I'm that story;
! actress in the theater where / suped-a
real actress, mind you, a Fascinator from
Fascinatorville. Why LII SO much as
looked at me, I don't know--but she did.
/ was near twice her age, and 'twould
have been playin' the game too low down
to try and hook onto her. though ! was
tempted-she was so pretty, SO good to
me. ! don't know what would a been the
| upshot, II the property man, who had his
eye on the gal, hadn't got me the sack
and LII an engagement on the road. She
and drifted apart / never wrote. though
she asked me to: knew twas better not,
for her. But you see why I'm nuts on the
dog. He was hers and Shakespeare was
her name for him. She loved Shake
speare's plays, and her ambition was to
act in 'em. But all that's somethin' I
wouldn't a mentioned-if you hadn't kind
of earned the right to Shakes history. J
was tellin' you about my speciality and
how Shake introduced me to 1t. We was
on our beam ends, Shake and me, our
ribs shown through the silk. One morn
in after a night out-like this, only in a
square downtown, l was circulatln'
around till blew into 18th street, and
dropped my eyes onto a new restaurant.
with good fried smell. and an idea hie
my brain like a hammer. In l walks and
offers to swop 1t with the boss for a din
ner. He wasn't takin' any just then. but
1 talked till / walked him up. showed him
what I could do in the art line, and began
to work the spot with grand new
thing in meenoos I've been at II ever
since. and though the pay don't go up by
leaps and bounds. the house has. and
lots O. the eaters say it's my works
made 1t what 1t is-brought In the public
and three dimes day out of the job,
and 1 wouldn't be sleepin' In my country
house tonight II I hadn't run scrost a
guy who needed my money more than
did. Well, it's all In the days work; and
guess there amt many swells have got
Of draughty. Your castle across the pond
Amt got a finer park. L betT'