The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-07-29
(Continued.l
sx oEoRdH RANDoLpH cHEsTER
Copyright, 1918. by the Bobbs- nr---sl1 ca-.- !
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green "Cheer up,'' he begged, with d feeble imitation of his usual fippant heartiness and patted her autonna ttca1- fly upon the shoulder. Cheer up, vi. Say, for the love Of Mike seheei. up or I'll go dippy myseIfy' And he looked about him wildly for some place to pit down. for Violet was no bantam, and she was leaning her full weight against him
 s'The Lama's Goat, might have come to q premature demise. there and then, had not the distracted stage manager invigorated Violet by burst ing upon them at that moment
 Now the devil is to payr' he bawled out sLawrence's boots for the second net have just come in, and they're an inch too short. What in Texas are we going to do about it7''
 saw his toes offI'' ordered Violet, turning aercely upon him.
 But"- protested the stage man aeer.
 s-shut upI'' she cried. 1T told you what to do; go and do itIf And if you bother me any more I'll drop the as bestos curtain drum on you. say, get outl BIackie, lick him!''
 Sure accepted Blackie, glad for any relief from his own surcharged feelings, and he made a dash for the stage manager, who. beat him up the stairs by two lengths and locked him self in Lawrencess dressing room. Blaekie returned apologetically. "He rot away from me- he explained in nome shame, but I'll watch at the foot of the stairs till he comes out if 1t takes all night
 Violet looked af him and suddenly laughed Honest, Blackie,S wouldn't 1.eS widow again for $1.O00,OO0 ali mony, she confessed. You needn't watch at the foot of the stairs. though, for I've got a better job for you. You've got to go on tonight and play the Lama
 BIackie laughed at her. "shoy me my best friends baby and tell me to murder 1t and I'll do 1t, but I refuse to step into your aeroplane- Where are you taking me7''
 eTb Delancy's dressing room, ,'F she firmly replied, pushing him ahead of her by one elbow, like a country sher- iH taking his first local malefactor to the lookup, and, as 1nexorable as unre lenfinz fate. she pushed him up the stairs and into the star con1edian's dressing room, where the grand lama's costumes hung upon their hooks in Gaudy array, and Delancy's own mus sy assortment of grease paints lay spread out upon a sJpseph's coat of chamols slin-
 But look here. yi,'' persisted Black ie, genuinely panic strickeni you don't know what you're running me up against I can't''-
 Take on your coat and vest and col lar and tie and shirt, and rub that cold cream ali over your face" she ordered. s.Pn be back as soon as I've seen whether Melissa Tripp is having its or only the ague.''
 s'Just one moment" commanded Blackie holding lip a compelling hand. Are you on the dead level about this ?"
 Why, certainly I am. You'relexact- ly Dslancy's size You know all the lines, business and cues, and you know the words and music of every song. You play the Grand Lama tonightl''
 But sing like a pig under barbed wire fence.7 still objected Blaclxie. who, however, had already removed his coat and vest and was now tug ging at his collar.
 Violet disdained to answer that fool ish objection and started out the door, but BIackie recalled her.
 "'You win he gave in, "but want a case of s1eO proof rye up here in five minutes"
 Violet turned and contemplated him ehoughtfully q believe that is a no ble little idea" she agreed. "I'lI send for 1t right away but you must let me feed 1t to you. There's nobody in this world4 not even. you yourself, can tell as good as I can when you've got just the right edge on"
 Somebody repeated Blaclie's first cue to him three times a little later on and pushed him on the stage. He ut tered the well remembered first line in a dazed air to no one in particular, and out in front evefybody laughed As one in a dream Blackie went through the part of the Grand Lama in pre- cisely the manner in which for a month he had been urging Delaney to play it. When the curtain rang down on the first act Miss DevOe hated him for life, for the recalls were all for him. Violet Bonnie threw her arms around him with gurgles of joy.
 '4This is the proudest minute of my lffei' she exclaimed.
 Give me a goblet of rye" begged BlaclKie huskily-
 ~chearF' yelled the stage manager to the pro tenn star comedian and his wife.
 "Get out of the road. yodr' snapped a grip man as he slammed past them with a set of marble steps on his shoulder.
 The next Blackie remembered was having his costume torn off him in the dressing room and another one thrust upon him
 You'd better step out and tell then that Delancy's sick and that an under study was put on at a moments no tdce,'' he suggested in his only lucid in ferra1.
 Somebody laughed at tha.. It sound ed like his wife. Then he was on tho stage again and great peals of laughter were rolling up to him and over hin from out that vast yawning pit of din -------. --..l.-.l...-.- a..Ilc..nad hin