Evening star., 1921-10-16

caller. "Darned game little girl!
Awf'lly nice of you to kid her along
D'you think. SEEM were standard
act. n everything. mebbe they'd let
You bet" assured the boss I'm
| wiring to keep her over the last half
SO she can be near you"
Eff1e wanted to stay with her hus-
hand: but the team couldn't AFFORD
to remain idle.
She wrote him every day. And he
invariably answered. telling her not
to worry il she died on the boobs"-
| he was feeling fine and would join her
| in week or so.
Then there was a three-day inter-
val. She wrote frantically and added
an extra ten-spot to her usual money
order. Finally she telegraphed. AT
! last his answer came.
| think you're getting away with any
! way? Last Sunday 1 saw that piece
i in the Clipper. I guess there is
| mistake somewhere. I never gave
you no authority to change our rou-
tine. only use the vamp bit and the
bum out Of me with the house man.
| ager here. He says you got Juliet
| and Elsie Janis backed of the lot.
| which, If true. and he amt loco. 1
suppose you've already kissed me
goodbye; But I think you Nigh.
OF p ,n!s s p1s'eoeSshi goe the bathrobe t and the
| tenner. Should I thank you or does
it let me down easy? Don't send
no more telegrams: II I'm croaked'
! Effle read the letter in her dressing
Of it She suddenly recollected that
! Eddie was a sick man. lonely. no
! doubt. and blue. She sat down at
Il
| Dear Grouchy Boy."-she wrote
, him-"Tve just received your letter
| and it's made me feel pretty bad.
| Leaving you or breaking up the act
! is the last thing I've thought Of
don't know what that was in the
awful blurb. I'm sorry about the i'm
! presentations. dear. but I had to do
| something to fill out the time. I'm
perfectly willing to go back to the
old routine, if you'll only hurry up
| route. Will you join me Sunday? Or
! shall we lay off a week in some quiet
! place till you're all set? Answer at
| once or I'll telegraph! Here's kissing
you-but not goodbye. Lovingly.
| Effie."
| She posted the letter and cried her
self to sleep. But when she made
| her next jump there was no mail
and no Eddie. A frantic week inter-
vened. Finally she got the Okla
homa house manager on the tele;
from the hospital three days prvious
and had left town.
She bought one Of the trade papers
and was framing a personal that
wouldn't reveal too much. when her
eye fell on an item under caption:
Engagements.
Fiddle La Rock,"-it reported
with Violet Harter and Jazz Band.
La Rock is reputed a nifty stopper
and will strengthen the dancing end
J of the turn. Routed west over the
Orpheum time
Ef1e finally understood that her
blond boy had abandoned her. There
was nothing to do but forget him
as If she ever could forget him!
then-Eddie was big-time material.
and all this while she had been hold
| ing him back.
| X X X X
A MONTH later she opened in a
"a Chicago neighborhood house, un-
aware that the eyes Of vaudeville
were upon her in the person of a
small man who chewed black cigar
in the rear of box party Of his
| wifes relatives. After her turn. he
sent for her, and within a week Eme
| was rendered a contract. She came
| into New York via a Sunday night
| concert. It was an ordeal by fire. be-
| fore vast sea Of blase, dare-you-to-
| please-me faces. But next morning
| the news Of a new mimic spread like
wildfire, and an army of press
agents encamped on her humble Hotel
| Marques doorstep.
| After four weeks around Manhattan
| she closed in June, booked solid the
next season over the big time.