South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-05-06
By o. Henry

I Wise. the deacon's daughter. in the
great Cunwritten) New England
drama not yet entitled anything.
Il know your act. Mr.. Hart" she
said after she had looked over his
card carefully. What did you wish
90 see me about?"
Il saw you work last night" said
Hart. i've written a sketch that I've
been saving up. It's for two: and 1
think you can do the other part.
thought I'd see you about it,"
Come in the parlor." said Miss
: Cherry. i've been wishing for some
thing Of the sort. think I'd like TO
act instead OF doing turns"
Bob Hart drew his cherished
Mice VIII Play" from his pocket,
and read II TO her.
I Read it against. please" said Miss
Cherry.
And then she pointed out to HIM
| how 60 could be improved by intro
ducing a messenger instead OF tele-
phone call. and cutting the dialogue
| Just before the climax while they
were struggling with the pistol, and
/ by completely changing the lines and
business Of Helen Grimes at the
! point where her jealousy overcomes
! her. Hart yielded TO all her stric-
lures without argument. She had
| at once put her finger on the sketch's
weaker points. That was her wO-
mans intuition that he had lacked.
At the end Of their talk Hart was
willing TO stake the jud sment. eX-
perience and savings of his four
years Of vaudeville that Mice VIII
/ Play would blossom into a perennial
/ flower in the garden Of the circuits.
/ Miss Cherry was slower TO decide.
After many puckerings Of her
smooth young brow and tappings on
her small white teeth with the end
OF a lead pencil she gave out her
dictum
Mr.. Hart" said she. II believe
your sketch is going 10 win out That
| Crimes part fits me like a shrinkable
/ flannel after its first trip 10 hand
| less hand laundry. / can make it
stand out like the colonel of the
Forty-fourth Regiment at a Little
Mothers Bazaar. And I've seen you
work 1 know what you can do with
| the other part. But business is bust
ness. How much do you get a week
| for the stunt you do nOw?"
1.-TWO hundred" answered Hart.
81 get one hundred for mine" said
/ Cherry. That's about the natural
discount for a woman. But 1 live on
| il and put a few simoleons every
week under the loose brick in the
old kitchen hearth. The stage is all
right I love it; but there's some
/ thing else love better-that's little
| country home. some day. with Ply
mouth Rock chickens and six ducks
wandering around the yard.
Now. let me tell you. Mr.. Hart, I
am strictly business. If you want
me to play the opposite part in your
sketch, I'll do it, And 1 believe we
can make it go. And there's some
thing else want to say; There's no
nonsense in my make-up-I'm on
the level. and I'm on the stage for
what il pays me, Just as other girls
work in stores and offices. I'm going
4 20 save my money to keep me when
! I'm past doing my stunts. No old
I ladies' home or retreat for imprudent
actresses for me.
IF you want TO make this a bust
ness partnership, Mr. Hart. with all
nonsense cut out of il. I'm in on ii.
| I know something about vaudeville
| teams in general; but this would
have 10 be one in particular. 1 want
YOU TO know that I'm on the stage
for what l can cart away from It
every payday in a little manila en-
veIope with nicotine stains on it,
where the cashier has licked tsc
flap. It's kind Of a hobby of mine to
want TO cravenette myself for plenty
Of rainy days in the future. I want
YOU TO know just how / am. 1 don't
know what an all-night restaurant
looks like. l drink only weak tea; l
never spoke to a man at a stage en-
| trance in my life, and I've got money
in five savings banks"
Miss Cherry" said Bob Hart in
his smooth. serious tones. you're in
on your own terms. I've got strictly
business pasted in my hat and stem
ciled on my makeup box. When
|
room bungalow on the north shore
| of Long Island. with a Jap cooking
| clam broth and duckling in the
| kitchen. and me with the title deeds
TO the place in my pongee coat
pocket. swinging in a hammock on
the side porch. reading SANKEY'S Elk
plorations Into Africa And nobody
else around. You never was inter-
ested in Africa, was you. Miss
| Cherry"
Not any" said Cherry. What
I'm going to do with my money is to
bank it. You can get four per cent
on deposits. Even at the salary I've
been earning. I've figured out that in
! 1 0 years I'd have an income OF about
/ $50 a month just from the interest
alone. Well. I might invest some OF
/ the principal in a little business
\ say, trimming hats or a beauty par
Tor. and make more"
We'll" said Hart. you've got the
! proper idea all right. all right. any
how. There are mighty few actors
/ that amount 10 anything at all who
/ couldn't fix themselves for the wet
I days 10 come If they'd save their
money instead OF blowing il. I'm
glad you've got the correct business
/ idea about IL, Miss Cherry. 1 think
/ the same way; and I believe this
sketch will more than double what
| both OF us earn when we get il
: shaped up"
The subsequent history OF mice
win Play is the history Of all sue
/ cessful writings for the stage. Hart
& Cherry cut It. pieced it. remodeled
II. performed surgical operations on
the dialogue and business. changed
| the lines. restored EN-. added more.
I cat far,, ont refq med n rrava a. Ia -