Evening star., 1919-03-23

the number Of miles Darrow would
10 ON a gallon, narrowed down TO the
thin. straight line Of business.
"Now, don't misunderstood. Please.
We're not presuming TO dictate. Dear
{ne, no! We have always felt that the
writer should be free to express that
Which In his--ah--heart. But In the
last year we've been swamped with
these drab, realistic stories. Strong
&elentless things. you know, about
dish washers, with o lot of fine detail
kbout tho fuzz Of grease on the~rim of
the pan. Now, I'm not demanding a
happy ending. exactly. But II you
Sou1d-that is--would you-do you see
your way at all clear to giving us a
Fairly cheerful story? Not necessarily
clad, but not so darned Russian, II
You get me. Not pink, but not all gray
kttEer. Say-mauve.'
THAT was Josie Fifer's existence.
Mostly gray. with a dash of pink,
Which makes nauve.
Unless you are connected (Which
you probably are no) with the great
erm OF Hahn g. Lohman, theatrical
hf Josie Fifer.
Josie Flfer was keeper OF all the
khosts of the Arm OF Hahn & Lohman.
Not only was she present at the birth
tf a play; she offlciated at its funeral
That housed the skeletons of the firm:
when a play died Of inanition. ola
kge, or-as was sometimes the case
before 1t was born 1t was Josie Fifer
Hho laid out Its remains and followed
u to the grave.
Josle's domain was the storage
warehouse Of Hahn g. Lohman, as
kou may have guessed. If your busi.
hess lay 4sd street way, you might
have passed the building hundred
times without once giving + a seer sestt
bf the small shops. the smart crowds
md the glittering motors. It was
the. 48d lying east OF the Grand Cen.
trai sluioe gates; east .,, OF ,ia fashion,
frimed. cobwebbed and having the
look Of q cold-storage plant or 4
Aar barn fallen into disuse; dusty,
Neglected. almost eerie.
Up from the sidewalk to tho dinl
hallway; a musty-smelling passage
Wherein you are met by 4 Eenlal sign
mo admittancs. Keep out. This
theans you"
70 confirm this tho eye. p.netrat:
kreat blank metal door that SheatheS
the elevator. First noorEseeondf
Teat ~ 'front.' ut room, Ss'S unespsotediy Srieht
Ind even rosy. with its whir Of sew.
ing machines: tables, and tables. ana
fables. piled with orderly stacks Of
kvsry ksI; n sort OF .ss clothing; ana IN .h the
md again beyond that. row after row
hf high wooden cabinets stretching
fhe width OF the room, Pnd forming
{nnumerable aisles. All Of Bluebeard'a
wives could have been tucked away
least OF these, and NO one the wiser.
All grimly shut and locked, they Are,
Fhen. at the behsst Of Necsbe. or
4ometimes even sid Hahn himaelf; she
hors. what treasures hung revealed
fume and moth balls! The long
tailed electric light bulb held high
IN one hand. Josie would stand at the
There they swung, the ghosts and
the skeletons, side by side.
Dresses there are that have made
stage history.
velvet. satin. lace ana broad a4cioth-
ksd worn in Richsrd FIJI: there the
little cooked hat and the slashed jer-
Kin IN which Maude Hammond, as
Peterkins. winged her way to fame
up through tho hearts Of a million
children whose ages ranged from
seven to seventy. Brocades and ging-
hams: tailor suits and peignoirs: puff
I'd sleeves and tight-dramatio his
tory. all-they spelled failure success.
bope, despair. vanity. pride, triumph.
decay. Tragic ghosts, over which
Josie Fifer held grim swayt
Have told you that Josie Fifer,
moving nimbly about tho great store.
house, limped as she went? The LETT
leg swung as a normal leg should.
The right followed haitingly. sagging
# hip and knee. And that brings. us
where she was. And what.
Josie had been one Of those little
girls who speak pieces at chicken pie
kuppers held in the basement Of the
Presbyterian Church. Her mother had
een q silly, idle woman addicted to
Mother Hubbards and paper-backed
bowels about the house. Her ono pas.
bion was the theater. q passion that
bad very scant opportunity Tor feed
ing in Wapello, Iowa. Josie's piece
epeaking talent was evidently a direct
inheritance. Some might calf It
faint.
Any one who has ever t1vsd In Wa
pello. Iowa, or Its equivalent, remem-
bers the old opera house on the cor-
Der of Main and Elm with Schroeder's
Drug store occupying the frst floor.
Opera never came within three hum
6red miles of WANSllo unless # was