Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-19
EVER, EVER GREEN
By FANNIE HURST

ing but doll mint you got nothing
but Sawdust inside of you? Amt you
got no feelings. no nothing. no heart
Feel ii beating, way down Ill my
wrist
Cant you learn that life amt just
one long ha. bal Can't you learn that
when n fellows been eating out his
heart and soul and vitals the whole
six months he's been playing in the
show with you, that it amt no laugh
ing matter? Can't you learn that,
girl?"
She retrcating pouting TO her corner,
her richly curved lips quivering.
"you can't talk to me like that! !
know what's eating you. You're sore
about last night. But you can't talk
to me like that !"
He leaned to her in immediate con-
triton.
40, I didn't mean it, only some-
times with your cutting up like you
didn't care. you drive me crazy, that s
all ] amt said nothing to you about
last night, have /? Amt ] been keep
ing it inside of me? Only sometimes
you drive me crazy; you drive me
crazy. :"
''Leggo my wrists.
II tell you when see you cutting
up from the swing with him down there
in the wings and nearly forgetting TO
hurl the bar to me, | get to seeing
things so black that-that it's wonder
l don't miss the bar and break my
neck-brcak my neck
"Lcggo my wrists"
You got me started on last night (;
I never started it; I was keeping it
boiling inside of me.
''Leggo my wrists.
81 tell you il makes n crazy man
out of mo to see you cutting up with
him. ] see black. see black, ! tell
you | get dizzy with blackncss.
Where the length of his arm rested
against hers she could feel the con-
traction Of his great whipcord muscles.
but her eyes when she turned toward
were banked with the red Goals of
scorn.
Gee, the way you keep raving for
fear l won't swing that bar straight !!
Don't be afraid, little boy. been
getting it to you somehow for couple
of hundred performances, amt |?
Don't be scared, Al; I'll take care of
you"
A slow red spread to his ears and
down into his collar, but his voice
remained carefully below the rumble
of the train.
''You wouldn't dare talk that way
to me. 10, if it was me instead OF
your friend who was directing the
show. You know pretty well you gotta
be Us careful each time you swing that
bar out to me as if you d never done
it before. You don't want me to land
with broken back, do you?"
4 told you Id take care of you,
little boy"
You cant tantalize me that way
You know that amt what's eating me.
/ wasn't with Reno's star acrobat act
for four years to be bluffed off by a
little extravaganza speciality act that
that ] could do in my Sleep
"Weli, if you amt scared, you hol-
Ter enough"
.I didn't open Rigley's vaudeville
bill with Il solo trapezc act for two
| years not to learn how to grab bar
that swung out to me by girl shat s
| too busy flirting with the stage director
down in the. wings. to watch out wha,
she's doing"
1T didn't even swerve half an inch
last night; you said so yoarself.'
"Lordy, the nerve of little kid
ike you! Afraid, am 1! Say, I wa,
an expert acrobat already when was
turning somersaults in the orphan
asylum's backyard aud you was max
ing fake flowers in a Twenty THIRD
street loft. Nc, afraid of a bar act
! could do that turn in my sleep if /
got the right kind of a feeder"
She burrowed into her handkerchief
her little travel stained figure bunchej
and abject.
~ wish was dead"
''Aw, now, 10 darling, L"
- 1t just seems like nothing | do
Cont suit Eobody."
"Lo, darling, just to show you how
you suit me, let's do what l been beg :
ging YOU to, Let's quit. Then we
won't have nobody to suit but ourselves.