The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-06-11
Temperamental Freddy
A COMPLETE NOVELETTE, By James Frederick Topping

the Other things fool girls dream
about.
II was sick to death of the Yid-ani-
Wop La Reur combination, anyway.
And l was tired of being bumped
around the country, too; so when the
, show was over gave Freddy the glad
smile, as though he was my deliverer
from every earthly woe. You see, we
went to ]. P. right after the per-
formance and got married. But the
, seedy old fee-grabber hadn't hardly
interned the dollar Freddy gave him
in his jeans before all my rosy dreams
met a chilly finish.
Freddy informed me, very gentle
and very firm, that l had better stick
to the circus while longer. You see,
his father, as he explained, was
brutal and violent old party who
! would be likely to do most anything
short of murder to the person who was
guilty of Turin away his only son! He
, figured that the old man wouldn't find
, out for Q day or two where we were,
and that that he wouldt be apt to lool
, for his precious, misunderstood off
spring in the low-brow neighborhood
of a 90-foot top, and that we would be
comparatively safe. Also, it would
give him, Freddy, time to adjust his
financial affairs and get in shape to
, play angel to a continuous matrimon
ial show.
. "All these arguments hit me like
cold shower bath on the day after
) Christmas, but I was in love with
. Freddy; and when he rolled them
, tempermental eyes at me- I gave in
without word, and we went back to
J the lot where introduced my hus-
| band into the bosom of the La Reur
| family, and we all rode out over the
/ dark muddy roads to the next town,
!. which was 10 miles go and bad goin'
!, well, from then on, mister my life
; was one long day of promise! Freddy
! invented the promises, and l swal
lowed EN-! Every town we hit, he
[ was always bristlin' with ambition,
, and goin' to get on the inside of
, good thing that would make him
financially. He had more schemes
than there were fieas in the dagos
) trunk, and most of 'em called for d
t small outlay of capital. I gave him
most of my pay, and dug down in the
crouch bag that every wise actor saves
against the evil day when the show
!, goes busted; but still he hung around
| the show and turned up regular at
: meal time, until old Pat Dixon begun
, to growi and sling insultin' remarks
. about excess baggage around where
. was.
i. Zone day l gently limited to Freddy
A that he might try a little shoulder
f holdin' with the La Reur family, or
v offer to sell tickets in the kid show;
but he gave me a grieved and won
!. derin look, and asked me if l didn't
: realize that his inhulnan old father
:. would discover him Immediately #
J he was thrust into prominence, ard
!. that our dream of love would be put
!, sudden and painful end to-and
= where would our cottage be them
/. A sneakin' notion had already seepeG
I into nv head that the cottage didn't
G sem to be loomin' any nearer, SO far
: as 1. could see; but l choked it down,
and gave Freddy another five-spot 10
.. launch a finincial enterprise which
q was goin to give him his long delayed
| start in the world.
r "They was stackin' the seats when
Freddy came back that night. He had
. made a raise of new suit, very loud
{ and tempermental, so much so that
, old Pat made a remark about firm
. the band and sellin the calliope for
6 Junk, and he strutted around fashin
I this mail-order front and steppin' gin
gerly through the sawdust, until
. could see the red shown in some Oh
, the rougtnecks' eyes, and knew that
+ I'd better collect my family and re-
/ move it from the lot before there was
an outrage committed upon this ten
| der young person.
I 81 dragged Freddy back to the
hotel and timidly suggested to him
, that the bottom was out of my shoes,
and that my old wool skirts was
! .lightly passe now that the hot days
had come, but he only gave me tha5
| slow smile and said that l was always
| lovely to him, no matter what l wore.
; Women has always fell for that bunk.
, mister, and l guess they always Will;
!, so | swallowed my grievances, and
| even gave him another dollar when he
) insisted that he must go and meet
; party who was going to put him next
: to a big financial deal.
; 81 went to bed and slept sound
= When you have worked two shows,
) tumblin' and dancin besides ridin
fourteen miles in seat wagon and
: maxim parade, you don't need nc
: soothin' strip to make you sleep, mis-
, ter, | was humMin' a little lullaby
: into my pillow, everything forgot ex'
t cept that the call was for four o'clock
: ~ x1Tnx n