The Washington herald., 1917-03-18
TYPES
by SARA MOORE.
WORK VS., LUCK.

Tum-tum-te-tum. Tum-tum-te-tum,
Tum-Tum, te tum, te tum, tum tah-"
Five times had the orchestra played
the "til ready cue. Five times had the
director turned expectantly to the r en-
trance.
"Tum-tum tie tum-''
As he gave the signal for a sixth repe-
titfon every musician in the orchestra
lifted one eye inquiringly. At the
seventh all eyes were devoted to observ-
ing his panic. His men did not dare
glance to r. They were too far sunken
into the pit to glimpse anything that
might be wrong in the wings, anyway,
But they could see the bewildered baton
futteFing vaguely as the leader tried to
make up his mind to abandon the It'll
ready motive and risk one plunge into
the body of the melody to avoid arous-
ing the suspicion Of the audience by
everlastingly repeating the monotonous
'Tum-tum-te-tum-''
Vainly he strained for a signal from
the stage director. the electrician at the
switchboard just back of the entrance
anyone. He could feel the audience
rustic with growing consciousness that
Tor some reason the show had reached an
awkward pause.
Programs f1uttered. There was light
enough for the orchestra chairs and boxes
to see that the next number was to fea-
ture two dancing men, probably mere
filters, hired to hold attention while q
Dig spectacle was preparing behind the
heavy drop curtain. Musical comedies
are full of many such acts. Their mis-
sion In life Is to give the public eye a
chance to rest while the chorus rushes
from black into pink tights
Back stage panic had grown SO gen.
eral that even the stage director forgot
the probable embarrassment of the or
ehestra. At the third repetition of the
Itumming his sixth sense had told him
that something had happened to his fill
ers, One or both OF them must be dead.
On his mad way to their top-tier dress
lng=room he hoped that it would only be
Une. Which one he did not care. One had
good tenor voice. The other owned a
pair OF legs that, like Anna Held's eyes,
were never subject to deeoreus behavior.
As he jumped the landings and flowed I'D
the steps between them he was already
planning acts. One in case the tenor was
the only survivor. one for the chap with
legs Being an expert direeter he knew
without thinking that any of the prin-
cipals who had brains enough to jump in
ana NIL gap were in such a state Of
wardrobe changing that they would not
be available at the moment
In the dressing-room he found one
suit one. partially dress-suited. sprawl
ed Imply in a chair. A half dozen
frantic principals and chorus men stood
round making lunatic efforts to bring
him back to consciousness.
Hes In heaven, all right" muttered
the dress-suited youth. looking de-
spairingly at the stage manager.
'Desd"'
Drunk"
There was a pause.
Tenor OF legs?'
"Eh" gasped the youth.
Sing or dance" snapped the older
man.
''Oh. he's the dancer" gasped the
youth.
At that point the chronicler of these
events was put out of the dressing
room. There is language that not even
Newspaper girl or a soubrette can be
permitted to hear
Later one of the chorus men sup-
piled the rest of the scene He said
that the director swore, without paus-
Ing for breath, for two and three
quarter minutes by his stop watch.
From below came the frst strains Of
the tenof's FIRST song, The orchestra had
decided To abandon the qua music and