The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-12
Topeka Girl Tells of Funny
Incidents at q Theater.
HAVE NO FAITH IN SIGNS
People Won't Believe There Are
No Seats in House.
Women Always Losing Parts
of Wearing Apparel.
BY FRANCES JONES.

BY FRANCES JONES,
Don't you have any more seats at
all, lady? Couldn't possibly get one
in the front row or even in the bal
cony? I've just got to be home at Q
o'clock"
These questions were breathlessly
looking man who gazed at the No
Seats sign hung over the window at a
local movie house. When convinced
by the ticket seller that there were
really no more. he turned with & sigh
toward home and the wife he obeyed
by getting in at 8 o'clock.
Now, see," said the ticket pusher
to bystander. that's just the kind of
foolish questions the general public
totes down town to ask me all after
noon and evening. 1 can't make them
understand that the signs we put up
around here are put there to read.
the spoken word, only the travelling
men, and they read and see everything
in sight One woman told me the
other evening that she really did not
believe that I knew what I was talk
ing about when I said-we had no
seats"
Lady how do you sell your pic
lures out front there?" interrupted a
tall rough-looking chap, breaking into
the monologue. IT want to take one
home to my little girl out west for a
souvenir"
Wanted to Be Awakened?
"Can you beat it." said the girl in
the box office when the stranger had
been started toward an art store. Eyes,
sir. they come in here and ask every
thing from what we are going to have
on the program on Christmas day and
when Bill Hart comes next. to what
the managers salary is and hSw many
the house holds. One day woman
came in and asked US IL we would
kindly send an usher in to her when
the program was over, to tell her that
the show was out. Another woman
who evidently was very thrifty and
had the trading stamp habit, wanted
to know if we didn't give thrift stamps
with our tickets one woman who
presumably wanted an excuse for
breaking Lent, asked II the picture had
any Catholic sentiment in 1t. One
evening at 1880 a man came in who
was not acquaintedswith the meaning
of the word matinee, for he asked if
the matinee was out yet; another cha D
following him wanted to know IL we
ever sold tickets any more two for a
quarter.
There is always something happen
ing around the box office of a theater.
Inc otner nlgnt q soldier who had
been thinking in terms of the army,
asked if we had any seats left in the
front rank and a woman called over
the phone to see what time the even
ing circle began. What did she mean ?
Well, I don't know. Following her
came a man calling in to reserve two
seats with cushions on them and a
woman inquiring at the window for
war licenses on a pass
He Had a Whole Dollar,
During the fair a countrified boy
came to the window and asked for a
ticket. saying that he had bill to
change and that if I could not change
1t he would go out on the street and
get it changed. I insisted on knowing
how much it was, before I could tell
him whether it would be changed or
not but he still politely insisted that
he could go out and get me the
change. Finally getting cross I asked
him what it was and he proudly dis
played dollar bill.
"A theater," rambled on the infor.
mant, who was wound up and intend
ed to keep on talking, has a number
or patrons who come regularly and
while the employees do not know their
names they know them for their Pc
culiarities. For instance. there is a
woman who always wants to know If