Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-20

is all cut and dried. I'll wager that
fellow who calls EN- off is a sort of
agent who furnishes these people for
The night That right?" turning to
the waiter. who was now serving
their planked steak.
Yes, sir; that's right. He brings
down a whole bunch of EN- every
Thursday night
But he pays them, doesn't hep"
asked Helen. "They get something
besides what's thrown at them?"
Il don't know, maam. Some Of 'em
gets a lot of money on the platform.
A girl here last week got a five dollar
bill. It's just owing to the crowd
we've got and the way she strikes
EN-. Would you like some chill sauce
With your steak, sir?"
Then came a girl who played on a
harmonica, and who, like the singers,
plainly faxed the amateur" After
his the manager announced a recess
Of ten minutes. The bored looking
musicians left their instruments and
retired to a table back of the plat
form, where one of the walters
brought them some beer.
Not Shy.
The place was filing up now. Two
tables had just been put together for
a party of eight. The hum of voices,
laughter and cigarette smoke-it was
a typical New York restaurant scene.
The intermission over the must
clans left their empty beer glasses
and came back to their Instruments
Again the manager mounted the
stage.
He announced a Miss Tessie Will
llams" as some songbird."
The diners were now in a more gen.
eroLs mood, for as Miss Tessie"
sang her black skirt was pelted with
small coins. Suddenly a dollar bill
tell at her feet, and she sang more
Justify than ever. She was Younger
than any of the others. and would
nave been pretty had il not been for
the hideous black dress. which evil
IDENTIFY all amateurs" must wear.
But there was no shyness nor tim
ldlty in her manner to suggest that
this was her first appearance, for
when the second dollar bill fell before
her she left the platform and came
down singing among the tables. star
ing boldly at the men and shrilling
loudly.
She'll want to come here again
next week, all right" laughed the
manager when he emptied the plate
with the two dollar bills and the
many small coins into her hands. The
girl took 1t greedily and ran off.
Then a board was placed over the
red-carpeted platform, and "Mr. VIII
liam Murphy" a 'clog dancer" was
announced
oh, that poor old mani" exclaimed
Heien. Surely he's not going to
dance!"
For the man who now came I'D to
shuttle about on the board was white
haired and shabby, and his clog dane
Ing was most pathetic. The diners
were IN no mood for so aged an en-
tertalner, and Helen saw only three
dimes fall on the platform,
oh, deari DO throw him some
thing! I'm sure he doesn't belong to
the others. It's too pathetic. Throw
him a quarter
Warren felt in his pocket. Here's
the quarter-dO your own throwing.
I'm not going to encourage such i'm
becilty."
Helen threw the coin with such bad
aim that it fell on the piano. and at
first no one seemed to notice ii. Her
heart sank. He would not get it after
all But waiter pointed it out to the
pianist. and it was finally lodged In
the plate at the old mans feet.
The party Of eight who were drink
ing freely of champagne and who had
been tossing coins at all the other
singers, had not thrown this poor old
man a cent.
Why should they? They came here
to be entertained" declared Warren.
mot to have their feelings narrowed.
This is no place for that old piker.
And I'm not so sure that he's not a
fake with the rest of them.
Very Hard.
At times Warren could be very
hard. He was not uncharitabie. but
he resented any unexpected demand
on his sympathies, while Helen was
always emotionally sympathetic. Al
ready her imagination was tracing
signs of refinement in this old mans
face. What had brought him to this?
Then she thought of how difficult it
was for an old man to get work She
knew that the bread lines were made
up of just such men. It was certain
~ better to do a shuffiing clog dance
for few cents than to stand in line
for half a loaf of bread and a cup of
coffee.
His dance finished, the old man now
took the few coins and shuffled off the
platform in a sort of shame faced
way that made Helen feel that at
least his act was genuine.
The next number was pert. up
pish, tough looking youth of about II.
with a striped shirt, a red necktie and
a sham diamond pin. With his hands
in his pockets, he sang in a horrible
imitation Of Harry Lauder.
"Oh, he's AWFUL" shuddered Hell
en- as he strutted about with a self
satisfied leer, while the diners show
cred him with coins.
When this youth had depared with
his money. the manager stepped to
the front OF the platform with a final
announcements:
Ladies and gentlemen, this ends
the amateur performance for this
evening I thank you for your atten-
ton. We hope to see you all back
next Thursday night. We shall have
an entirely new set Of amateurs 20
entertain you
"AMATEURS!" scoffed Warren
We'll. he needn't to have announced
the new bunch for next week.
think anybody here would
want to come again. One dose Of this
ought to be enough"