The enterprise., 1914-08-20

the bet" and he wrote it down.
They all breathed sigh of relief
when Dillon had gone.
I'D have had the st. Vitus twostep
in ten minutes if that man had stayed
here" announced Blacl<ie. HE re-
minds me of one of those quiyering
frog toys that you hold in your hands
to see if your nerves are steady"
Hell end in a sanatorium," observ-
ed Wallingford. "If he ever succeeds
in building his solid block retail store
he'll make a quicker failure than the
full dress cafe or the New theater."
"No. Do you think so?" inquired
sickels eagerly. He wants to buy my
theatcr It's the only important build
ing in the block he wants to tear down
for the site of his new store"
MIR. Siclsels is the owner of the
Avon theater where Violet Bonnie
made her first big hit" explained
Blackie.
''The Avon!' returned Walingford.
II should think youd be glad to get
good offer for that, Mr.. Sickels. 1t
hasn't been doing a paying business
for years. has it?" ....
II should say not" confessed Sickels.
1T was dark all last season. But ]
don't feel like selling it for $2O0,OOO
in the stock of company that's likely
to swell up and burst. Ten years ago
/ was offered 100000 cash and
wouldn't take it. Now it keeps me so
broke that I'm rich man and take a
holiday if have 81 in my pocket
why didn't you sell?" was Walling,
ford's natural inquiry.
II was making more money and
scattering it the full length Of the Rue
de MaZuma."
"You were wishing awhile ago that
you We're broke. jim" Baclie remind
ed him. you ought to try Dams
stunt. He wouldn't sell his house OF
hits to either the syndicate or the in
dependents. SO they made an object
lesson of him with rotten bookings.
Would Dams Irish blood stand for
that? No. He leased the house to in
dividual producers and put over eleven
straight fiyvers. Now it's the hoo
dooed Avon. and it can't even put a
moving picture show across"
A boy came through the bar just
then. paging Mr.. Daw. and that gen
tleman. after hurrying to the telephone.
came back laughing. YOU'RE to come
out to the house for dinner. JIM" he
advised Wallingford. "l'annie's there.
and Violet won't let her go home"
"Give my regards to Violet Bonnie
won't you?" begged sickels. "The hit
she made in The Pink Canary was
what put the Avon on it's feet, and
never had star in the house that
made so little trouble or was such an
all around good fellow"
"After you get past the age for mash
notes the mail brings you nothing but
trouble" complained Violet Bonnie as
she returned to the library Of the new
Daw residence, where Mrs. Wallng-
ford wandered idly from case to case
inspecting the shining new backs of
standard books which never had been
opened and which probably never
would be- "Why, Fannie, right after
| made my first big hit in The Pink
Canary they had to give ME six pi-
geonholes in the stage entrance mail
box. and | had to hire a secretary to
open my mail and send the presents
back. Now if l get a letter it's either
from a dressmaker or an old time
chllm who wants me to steer her
daughter on to the stage or warn her
away from it,
Mrs. Wallingford smiled quietly. II
don't see why either class of letters
should annoy you," she observed.
You have good dressmakers, and you
don't object to paying the bills, and l
should think it would be pleasant
task to encourage budding genius or
to warn weak girls away from the
stage"
Il don't know why in either case
should nurse and bottle feed and bring
up by hand crouch against the
stage" retorted Violet, massaging her
trace of an extra chin. ut brought
tlic Soll!C llCiACSCly 6ooN huooAAAA9 w
sides Blackie. Say, l hate my old
chums anyhow"
you're making your nose red, VII
warned Mrs Wallingford, with hilari-
GUS laugh.
"Honest, am II" and Violet hurried
to the mirror II am too fat to gel
mad" she confessed, 'sbut it certainly
does get my Angora for girls l usee
to know to write me that they have
grown up daughters. 1t makes MT
feel so old, and won't be old!'
"That's it, is it? Who has been re
minding you Of your only enemy?"
Martha Tripp," snapped Violet Bon
ME. Martha was my schoolteachel
up in Squamosett. She wore corkscreW
curls on both sides of her face, but she
ought to have worn 'em in front, fol
she was so ugly that she had to get ur
in the middle Of the night to rest from
If. II remember her Melissa. sht