Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-19
CHAPTER XIV.
Puttinn One Over.
By GEORGE RANDOLPH CHESTER

N the morning Of the momentous
opening date Of The Lama's
~ Goat" Melissa Trip was
stricken with her arst attack
Df stage fright, which took the form
Of nervous chills. Dicky Dolger. his
occupation more or less gone. arose at
rosy dawn, emptied his own cellaret
and those IN the Sheraton and Art
Nouveau rooms and fell downstairs,
and ricketts, Johnson lost the conduc-
tors score Of the music. At the dnal
rehearsal that day two Of the most i'm
pOrtant chorus girls left a yawning gap
in the ranks by their failure to appear.
Miss Devoe utterly refused to 60 on
favor the allotment Of the star dress
ing room now in dispute between her.
self and Melissa Tripp. The electrician
who had rehearsed all the light effects
burned his hand. A new grip man
poked one OF the heroic sized papier
mache goats through the rear wall Of
the temple, and the stage manager had
tight with Willis Lawrence. the big
basso.
Through an these trining incidents
Violet Bonnie, though working like Z
stone crusher and meeting each death
blow as It came up with fierce energy
that should have belonged only to de-
SPAR, retained an amazing cheerful
ness, which was explained when. over
the hasty sandwich that formed her
linner, she observed to the only COM
panion who was unrufiled enough Of
disposition to remain with her through
It all:
"Blackie, it's q pipe! Never in the
history Of the Big Lane was there q
production that started OF with 20
many signs Of being winner. II
we'd had a smooth rehearsal this
morning and everything else had gone
off as gay as an election bet wine fest.
ia have been out right now ordering
a Gala lily Rock Of Ages and being
measured for my GRAPE"
At 1:15, however, she sent hurry
up call for Blackie, who was already
in the lobby with Wallingford. gloat-
ing serenely over the advance sale.
Fastening back, Blackie found Violet
Bonnie seated in a lonely state upon
the temple steps Of the gorgeous first
act set.
TITS all Over, Blackie," she said, with
sim lips which somehow stretched
and pulled and numbly hurt as she
tried to form the words. Somebody
has sure put Dutch hex on this
show" and she twisted q lace kerr
chief into rough little string
'Dbeer up," begged Blackie, respond
ing nobly, though With . sinking heart
to this new demand upon his cheerful
ness. THE fatalities may not be %
great as at first reported. Who mixed
up the switchboard this timer"
Delaney" she gulped
Delaney What's he kicking
Aboutf
"Crampsr' she walled. Cramps.
dog gone him! Just got note that
he's had three doctors and guess a
plumber, trying to take the kinks out
OF his stomach, but he can't b re-
paired In time"
How inconsiderate Of himr' num-
bled Bhclkie politely. still trying to DO
brave. why, he's the grand lamar
he exclaimed. Awakening suddenly TO
the enormity Of the blow. '-This show
can't 60 On without lama. What arc
you going to do, girir'
"Do?" she half shrieked. ''rm go
ing up 10 sQuamosett and strange
Martha Trip with her own cockscrew
curis!" And suddenly for the first
time in her life she gave way to COM
plete despair and threw her arms
around Blackie's neck and sobbed-
actually sobbed!
Blacde was scared to a pale Nile
green "Cheer up,' he begged, with
a feeble Imitation Of his usual dippant
heartiness and patted her automatical-
" upon the shoulder. Cheer up. vi.
Say. for the love of Mike, cheer up or
III 90 dippy myselfr' And he looked
about him wildly for some place to sit
down, for. Violet was NO bantam. and
she was leaning her full weight against
him.
THE Lama's Coat might have
come to . premature demise. there and
then, had not the distracted stage
EORTS OF NAMIIR RET,