The Topeka state journal., 1918-12-10
EVENING STORY
Stumps and-Stumps.
BY ARCHEY CAMERON NEW

=
energy. flung herself into the last
room in the tier and slammed the
door. AS she kicked two damp slip
pers from her slender, tired feet,
noisy chorus greeted her from the ad-
joining room.
Thanks FIR tn breeze. kid" shrilled
one voice. whom Jean recognized as
Flo barrett. of the Dancing Darretts,
a fellow act on the Olympia bill. |
'Bein's we hogged tn only room
with a window. guess v don't mind
leavingI this door open, do y'?'' Flos |
head appeared in the doorway be-
tween the two rooms, and with 1t |
cloud of cigarette smoke. Jean shud- |
dered slightly. and shook her head |
No use being angry she thought. After |
all, perhaps it was hot in those inside |
rooms. 1t was none too cool in her |
own. opening as it did on the narrow |
back alley, with a fifty-foot wall be- |
1yond.
'tOh. no. don't mind" she answer-1
ed listlessly, then drew a deep breath |
of the thick. tobacco-laden air "Only |
-please--don't smoke. It's hot
enough already"
'Dt mil" came the mocking re-
sponse. as Jean turned to draw off
her moist costume, and to escape the
cloud of offensive smoke that came
| with it she drew her chair near the
window and fell into a discontented
reverie.
What was the matter with Bart
Fendall. her dancing partner. she
mused? Why did he insist, on her
doing this three-a-day summer sea-
son? She remembered his promise,
before they left Salisbury, to start on
their road to fame-he had promised
a vacation in July. 1t would be hot
then, he had told her. and they would
need rest-back among the shady
willows-away from the white lights
with fresh country vegetables, pure
cold milk. and-here they tarried. in
a hot stuffy theater. with every wood
sy back-drop, every line of Down
Home" the rural sketch that preceded
them on the bill, fairly shrieking to
them the call of the wild. And Bart
had been growing so different of late
so silent, SO unresponsive. SO differ
ent from the good old friend he had
been down home. Maybe, thought
she, he merely reflected her own
mood. She was feeling jaded. she was
looking saIlow. in fact, so different
enne on the bill. Bart had been
fawnfng around her a lot lately was
| the next discomforting thought. How.
wondered Jean, could she keep that
complexion? Maybe that was why
Bart was hanging on-and keeping
her working, too. she angrily added
to herself.
She raised herself to her feet and
stared in the mirror. Her face was
! red from the heat her eyes a trifIe
bleary-something fell on the dress
ing table before her, and she picked
| it up gingerly and stared at it wrath
fully, then flung it out -he window.
Please she called to the Darretts,
in the next room. don't throw those
might catch fire."
| "In that case" came the answer
| with, Flo's cackling laugh. heres
som ething to put it out with. And
close to jeans head, with catfish
venom back of it, hurtled a small bot
tie, landing on her pink hat. and
spilling a little of its amber fluid on
/ the pink perfumed brim. Jean took
the bottle of liquor and hurled it re-
| sentfully out of the window, then
turned and slammed shut the con-
Meeting door and pushed her trunk
against it. She hurried into her stage
costume ami went downstairs, her face
| red with anget.
| Meanwhile, in the back alley, Andy
| Scobell the Olympia's property man.
sprang up from his chair with a cry
, and flung a lighted cigaret stump
from his trousers.
What tn - he yelled upward
at the window above. and counted it's
relative position so as to place its oc
cupant. why. it's J."
What's th' row. Andy?" chimed in
a bass voice and Andy turned and
| ldCeU enQdll.-
She's smokin'," gurgled Andy, hot
ly. gesticulating madly at the upper
window. "Y'r partner. and it's against
th' ru@
A bottle fell between them, and
Bart, STOPPING. picked it up and
shifted in horror at the contents.
| It's whisky" he muttered, dazed-
ly, and then turned a Mortified glance
above him. "Jean!" he called, but no
head appeared at the window.
Shes havin' party" growled
Andy: Fine iii country kid y're
But Bart. entering the stage door
in a sort of stupor, missed Scobells
mocking leer. Was this Jean? The
little. happy-hearted. pretty creature
he had promised to look out for He
walked toward the wings and came
upon her by surprise.
Why, Jean. 1 thought" he be-
gan, and then as his hand bent over
her hat he smelled whisky.
/ You thought-what? %. she glanced
up at him alphabetically, and caught
| his puzzled frown, for he expected to
smell tobacco in her breath, but met
the odor of violets. Worse and worse,
infamy from him.
"Oh, nothing" he growled in
a whisper. and then they tripped on
the stage.
But the strain and the heat had
taken their toll of her slender strength
and several times she nearly tripped
him as they whirled around the
stage. He was horror-strucR! She
must be intoxicated. And then, as
they bowed themselves off the jeers
OF several in the audience smote on
his ears. He hurried toward his dress
ing room.
| Bart she cried after him, "aren't
you going to take an encore!"
with you? he growled over his
shoulder as he fastened on. Never!
I'm thru
As he disappeared in the back of
the stage she gave a little cry and
ran after him. Timidly she opened
1.-THE door of dressing room p and then
Il started back, for a woman's hat and