American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-01-10
Stumps and
= tumpS
M
BY CAMERON NEW
Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)

Jean Ward, dragging two tired and
~llstless legs up the narrow iron stair
ease, passed down the tier of dress
Ing rooms, hot as a jail in the sultry
August air, and, with a sudden, burst
Of energy, flung herself into the last
room in the tier and slammed the door.
AS she kicked two damp slippers from
her slender, tired feet, a noisy chorus
greeted her from the adjoining 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. BE
ms we hogged tn only room with a
window, guess y don't mind leaving
fhis door open, do w Flo's head
appeared In the doorway between the
two rooms, and with 1t a cloud OF
cigarette smoke. Jean ~shuddered
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 1t did on the narrow
back alley, with a ~fifty-foot well be-
yond.
"Oh, 70, l don't mind" she an
swered listlessly, then drew a deep
breath of the thick, tobacco-laden air.
"Only-please-dOn't smoke. It's hot
enough already"
"Dl mi !" came the hooking re-
Spouse, as Jean turned to draw off
her moist costume, and to escape the
cloud of offensive smoke that came
with 1t she drew her chair near the
window and fell into q dlscontented
reverle.
What was the matter with Bart
Fendall, her dancing partner2 she
unused. Why did he insist on her do
ing this three-a-day summer season?
She remembered his promise, before
they left Salisbury, to start IN their
road to fame-he had promised a va
cation In July. 1t would be hot then,
he had told her, and they would need
a rest-back among the shady willows
away from the white llghts-with
fresh country vegetables, pure cool
milk, and-here they tarried, in a hot,
Il sunny ththANit tNNib NOph9S
, back-drop every line of "Down Home"
the rural sketch that preceded them
> on the bill, fairly shrleklng to them
, the call of the wild. And Bart had
been growing so dlffereRt of late-so
I silent, so u~nresponsive, so different
: from the good old friend he had beer
, down home. Maybe, thought she, he
v,nvoIy rnAnnfoI hap nxUn Ynnn1 Gha
! was feeling jaded, she was looking
sallow, In fact, so different from
n Mabel Woods, the new coincidence or
4 the bill, Bart had been fawninl
around her a lot lately, was the next
discomfortlng thought. How, won
4 dered Jean, could she keep that fresl
o appearance, that creamy white com
f plexlon? Maybe that was why Bar
was hanging on-and keeping hel
working, too, she angrily added t
n herself.
n She raised herself to her feet ant
stared in the mirror. Her face wa.
O red from the heat, her eyes a trih,
bleary-somethlng fell on the dress
a Ing table before her, and she pickej
o 1t up glngerly and stared at 1t wrath
fully, then flung It out the window.
please" she called to the Darretts
d In the next room, don't throw thos,
" lighted stumps 10 here. Something
b might catch fire."
o "In that case," came the answer
with Flo's cackllng laugh, here
/: something to put 1t out with" An,
close to jeans head, with cattls'
v venom back of 1t, hurtled a small bot
tie, landing on her pink hat, an
I. splitting a little of its amber fluid OF
IS the pink perfumed brlm. Jean too
W the bottle of liquor and hurled it re
d sentfully out of the window, the
turned and slammed shut the connect
It ing door and pushed her trunk agains
10 II. She hurried into her stage co,
d tune and went downstairs, her fac
red with anger.
Meanwhile, in the back alley, And
NJ Scobell, the Olympla's property maj
sprang up from his chair with a or
und flung a lighted cigarette STUN
from his trousers.
"What tn -" he yelled upwar
at the window above, and counted II
relative position so as to place Its o,
u eupant. Why, it's j"
whats tn row. AndyT' chimed |
a bass voice and Andy turned an
faced Bart Fendall.
: "She's smokin'.' gurgled Andy. no
ly, gesticulating madly at the upp,
!, window. ayr partner, and it's again,
y III ru-"
A bottle fell between them, an
II Bart, STOPPING, picked It up aud sniffe
In horror at the contents.
IT'S whisky" he muttered, dazedl
!. and hen turned a Mortified glanC
above him. "Jeanr' he called, but \
% head appeared at the window.
4 "She's havin' n party" growle
Amy. Fine lii country kid VI
with"
But Bart, entering the stage door
a sort OF stupor, missed Seobell
= mo,Gfng leer W0S this Ieon ri