The Washington herald., 1920-11-10
THIRD INsTALLMENr.

And she does 1t. And there's no
fake blank cartridges or assistants
pulling strings. Helen fires. 1ae
bullet the actual bullet - goes
through the face of the photograph
and then strikes the hidden spring
of the sliding panel in the wall
and 10! the panel slides, and there
is the missing ss47. 900 in convincing
stacks of currency and bags of gold.
It's great. You know how it is.
Cherry practiced for two months at
a target on the roof of her boarding
house. 1t took good shooting. In
the sketch she had to hit a brass
disk only three inches in diameter.
covered by wall paper in the panel;
and she had to stand in exactly the
same spot every night, and the
photo had to be in exactly the same
spot. and she had to shoot steady
and true every time.
OF course old "Arapahoe" had
tucked the funds away there in the
secret place; and. OF course. Jack
hadn't taken anything except his
salary (Which really might have
come under the head of obtaining
money UNDER" but that Is neither
here nor there): and, of course. the
New York girl was really engaged
to a concrete house contractor in the
Bronx; and. necessarily, Jack and
Helen ended in a half-Nelsun--1nd
there you are.
After Hart and Cherry had gotten
Mice Will Play" fiawless, they had
a try-out at a vaudeville house that
accommodates. The sketch was a
house wrecker. 1t was one of those
rare strokes OF talent that mandates
a theater from the roof down. The
gallery wept: and the orchestra
seats, being dressed for 1t, swan
in tears.
After the show the booking agents
signed blank checks and pressed
fountain pens upon Hart and Cherry.
Five hundred dollars a week was
what it panned out.
That night at 1880 Bob Hart TOOK
off his hat and bade Cherry good
night at her clearinghouse door.
Mr.. Hart" said she thoughtruty.
come inside just a few minutes.
We've got our chance now to make
good and to make money. What
we want to do is to cut expenses
every cent We can, and save all we
cam"
Right" said Bob. Its business
with me. You've got your scneme
for banking yours; and l dream
every night of that bungalow with
the Jap cook and nobody around to
raise trouble. Anything to enlarge
the net receipts will engage my at
tention."
Come inside just a few minutes"
repeated Cherry, deeply thoughtful.
1--WE got a proposition to make to
you that will reduce our expenses a
lot and help you work out your own
future and help me to work out
mine-and all on business princi-
pies"
Mice will Play had a tremen-
dously successful run in New York
for ten weeks-rather neat for a
vaudeville sketch - and then Ii
started on the circuits. without
following it, it may be said that 1t
was a solid drawing card for two
years without a sign Of abated pop
ularity.
Sam Packard. manager of one of
Keetor's New York houses, said of
Hart and Cherry:
"As square and high-toned little
team as ever came over the circuit.
It's a pleasure to read their names
on the booking list. Quiet, hard
workers, no Johnny and Mabel non
sense, on the job to the minute.
straight home after their act, and
each of 'em as gentlemanlike as a
lady. I don't expect to handle any
attractions that give me less trou-
BILE or more respect for the profess
sion"
And now. after so much cracking
Of a nutshell, here is the kernel Of
the story:
At the end of its second season
Mice Will Play" came back to New
York for another run at the roof
gardens and summer theaters.
There was. never any trouble In
booking 1t at the top.notch price.
! /.