The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-11
Eoening Story
Grease Paint and Rouge Pot.
BY H. LOUIS RAYBoLD.

trooped YEARLY in from the wings and
down the stage once more This was
the ninth time they had been ordered
to for the luva Mike, try it again in
the rasping voice of that beetle-browed
Cummings who sat somewhere out in
the darkness and issued his commands
between puffs at cigar as black and
thick appearing as himself.
Where's the glamour of the stage.
Jim % Dick asked the question of the
second violin in his right.
Search me-" returned the other,
Especially when you draw a card like
Cummings for boss Outside fiction
his kind"
MY last job when I quit here is
going to be letting him Know what
think of him. retorted Dick. and
spoke more truthfully than he knew.
AT that moment the bit of business
which had been going wrong was
Strengthened out, and the music was
called for. Heaton. chin on his in
strument. arm swinging to the rhythm
of the bow. viewed the tenth entrance
Of the girls. who this time came in.
swaying in unison. one hand on hip,
the other raising aloft an imaginary
goblet.
Letter perfect as to the score. Dick
let his thoughts run on. What attrac-
ton for girls did this being on the
stage" possess? Only in such rare
cases as to be negligible did it offer
other than hard. grilling work and a
living wage. In fact, taking ,it by and
large, it was much like the makeup of
the girls. hemselves-enticing from a
distance. misunderstanding at close range.
The Empire Stock company was in
terspersing its repertoire of unadul-
terated drama with an occasion must
cal comedy. which demanded an aug
accounted l.
sic Parker's being able, thru the
friend of a friend, to get the chance
of holding down an occasional minor
part. This week. it was merely a
question of dancing in from back
stage, meeting a similarly capering
line of youths, conversing with them
for moment in animated aside, -
and making an exit rear left-alI OF
which Elsie assured herself was in
finitely preferable to standing behind
the ribbon counter of the Five and
Ten" saying. Here's your change,
Madam"
Today, Elsie let her eyes rest on the
face of the first violin, dimly visible
beyond the him of the state. 1t held no
particular personality for her, yet she
sometimes fancied its eyes were tired.
And then, one day, she discovered
the face belonged to very real and
live person.
On the very last night of Take
Care. Tracy" the youth who was Ell
sizes yis-a-yis in the goblet dance did
MT appear. And Cummings, tearing his
hair, sent for Heaton,. said he'd heard
he'd done amateur stuff and would
he, for the luva Mike, this one night
take the regular guys place? 1t was
easier to get along without one of the
violins than the sixth member of a
sextet.
And Heaton, inwardly cursing him
-1TR 4 hat
power on earth had led him to oblige
Cummings, found himself going thru
the antics of the man for whom he
was substitute, and because he had
watched the "business" for successive
nights performing lit quite satisfac-
torily. And, incidentally, Elsie Parker
found him much more interesting than
her former partner.
During the aside" supposed to con-
vey to the audience desperate flirta-
ton, Heaton asked curiously, where
do you come FROM"
Vermont" said Elsie simply, but
not forgetting the smile demanded in
the by-play.
THAT soy" said Heaton. 80 do I!
Anywhere near Doane?"
why, I'm from Bemis, Only ten
miles awayi"
And then came the cue for exit
rear left.
Three weeks later, Dick sat in his
nine by twelve bedroom, his chair with
it's one weak leg, tipped back against
the once white-enameled rail of his
bed. Near him, on the painted wash
stand insufficientIy covered with a
dingy scarf lay an open letter. He
picked it up and read its BRIEF con-
tents again.
Dear Richard-we have got to sell
the farm. Your father is getting too
old to work it. And there's nobody
too bad to let the old place 60 But
it can't be helped. The lilacs are all
- '-'O'i MOTHER"
Slowly he crushed It in his hands,
and with it he destroyed his dreams
dreams of a great violinist bowling low,
right and left, to an applauding mui.
titude. II he stayed he saw himself
for what he would always be-a sec
ond-rate player in a. second-rate thea
ter. He would go home was ne sor-
~? He wouldn't be-under certain
circumstances
That night Cummings called for e
hearsal at ten forty-five. immediately
after the evenings performance. And
because he had had a row with the
leading lady. he took it out on the rest.
and eventually landed on the least Of
fensive of them all-Elsie-
What the devil dye mean by chew
ing your WOIES Ike lAl0S was $3.50
spha getti ?"-and he went on with in
finiteIy more biting sarcasms- Elsie
alternately flushed and paled, and en-
deavored to keep back the foolish
tears
Suddenly, from somewhere behind
Cummings, came a tense, dangerously
quiet voice: Let up on Miss Parker.
YOU Internal slave driveri"
The man turned as if shot. who
the-You!" and certainly never before
had Dick appeared other than mildly
placid. But tonight it was a new Dick,
a Dick who had been patiently waiting
for the rehearsaFs end to ask a tender
query of the girl whom he had dis
covered to be. under the grease paint.
not a homely little thing, but a
quantity pretty girl with appealing
eyes under softly curling lashes.
Suddenly Cummings anger cul
minated in one last explosion. For
the Iuva NIike-the both of yer