The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-10-26
Stumbling over a coil Of rope. Helen

found herself In the dim-vaulted reg
ion behind the stage. The place was
chaotic with juting scenery, piles Of
lumber and jumbled furniture. Over
head hung a confusion OF drops In a
network Of ropes and wires.
A group of acrobats. their bullying
muscles In flesh tights, were swiftly
adjusting the glittering steel and red
velvet trappings Of their set.
With hesitating timid,ty. Helen ap.
preached hurrying stage hand.
Gould you tell me where I'll find
Miss Wilson'S dressing room?"
Right up them stairs. Anybody
up there'll tell you"
A steep, ladder-like flight led to a
low-ceilinged balcony, roughly parti-
toned into dressing rooms. Several
OF the doors were open, the occu.
pants in various stages Of their make
UPS.
Miss Wilson? The girl with the
Floyd sketch?" a woman In a Span
fish costume paused in the lacing OF
her black velvet bodice. shes In
eight
Scanning the doors with their crude
~ painted numbers, Helen knocked
at number eight. :.
"Oh. I'm glad you've come early"
was Laura's joyous greeting. I'll
have time to show you around before
our act. Where's Warren?"
Out front--he wouldn't come back.
Oh, do you have to share your dress
ing room?" for two trunks crowded
the floor space and two lay-outs OF
powder and rouge strewed the make
UP shelf.
Eyes, this Is supposed to be a dou.
BILE room Spacious, isn't 1t Those
are Miss Floyd's things on that side
She'll be here in minute"
What is she like? Tell me about
her" Helen glanced at the soiled,
tawdry stage gowns that hung on
Miss Floyd's side.
I'm very grateful to her" evasive-
ly "for offering me this part. hadn't
had days work in the pictures for
over month"
The door opened and a blondish
woman past thirty breezed in.
Gee, It's cold out! Oh, how d'you
do" carelessly, as Laura introduced
HGT. USH UlIoAiy, bio Jou oSS SHeS
dub about that curtain?"
Eyes, it'll be all right tonight. That
was a new stage hand.
Well, this always was bum
house." lighting cigarette. THE
last time l played here their fool
electrician queered my act
Having swiftly shed her street
clothes, over her pink silk tights she
now clasped a long corset, with extra
side lacings to confne the plumpness
Of her hips.
First time you've ever been back?"
giving Helen an appraising glance in
the mirror. well, this house is a
dirty hole. They're not all so bad
as this D'you mind handing me those
slippers?"
Helen gave her the soiled pink
slippers from the jumbled trunk tray.
shall we go down now?" Laura
finished her makeup with dab of
rouge paste in the corner Of each eye.
"You can see some Of the turns from
the wings"
AS they went down, a faint ap-
plause rippled from the audience, and
a team of Irish comedians come
tumbling off
Scurrying stage hands cleared their
set; castle drop was lowered; the
orchestra struck up q lively air, and
the Spanish dancer waltzed on.
For a few minutes they watched
her from the wings, but Helen was
much more interested in the prepare
lions for the next act. A long mar
now canvas was being securely
stretched and braced.
That's a trampeline," explained
Laura. That's the one who does the
turn" as a grotesque clown tested
the canvas by bouncing upon it.
Farther back was the paraphernalia
of still another set. 1.-The Musical
Moores" was the gilt lettering on a
blue plush banner.
Would you like to see the prop
room?" asked Laura. TITS back
here"
In the crowded storeroom was
bewildering clutter Of props
thing from a plaster bust to fake
bottles of champagne. Dummy tele-
phones, andirons, kitchen utensils.
dishes, bucket Of coal, faded SILK
lamp shades, artificial plants-even
bird cage with stuffed canary.
Everything was covered with dust and
more or less battered.
Curled up on a pile OF rugs was a
big gray cat, which resented Helen's
caress with an impatient twitching OF
notched ear. j,
Our acts the next after this-l
must go up now and finish dressing.
Wouldn't you like to stay here and
look around?'
Left alone, Helen forgot her self
consciousness in the absorbing inter.
cts of the place. She was examining
a cardboard strip painted to repre-
sent row of books when gray
haired man in q plum-colored dress
suit came in
Pardon me, MISS" with strongly
foreign accent, did you see any iodine
around here?" He was holding his
hand in a soiled handkerchief.
With quick sympathy that over
come her diffidence, Helen scanned
some bottles on crowded shelf.
Iodine" read a brown-stained label.
"Oh. let me help you." impulsively.
as with the cork he clumsily touched
up a raw abrasion on his palm.
Discarding the cork as too harsh,
Helen brushed on the iodine with a
twisted corner of her handkerchief.
Its from that hand plate! Did you
see our turn? Well, | hold up my
partner on a spinning ladder-but the
padding slipped"
"And Won held such weight with