Evening star., 1923-02-04

the four linousines and the squad OF
chauffeurs. Besides. my fiivver waits
without. So long, George. Best Of
luck"
And with a parting smirk and a
| swagger of the wide shoulders he
left US.
| stared after him, a deep furrow
showing between his his heavy eye
brows. Then he threw up his chin
and INDUCED in an unconvincing
chuckle. Poor old Gerald" says he.
There's case, Miss Dodge, of a man
who has hypnotized himself into be-
lieving that failure is a success"
We'll" says I, ''he seems to have
made thorough Job OF it,
Quite" agrees G. Hanson. poor
devil! He makes q good front with
| 'em for the occasion. 1t would be
just like him to spend his last dollar
to make such a splurge as this. and
tomorrow stand off some boarding.
house landlady for weeks room
rent. I wish I'd made him tell more
about himself. I'd like to know. just
as a matter Of curiosity, how he's
| really making a living"
y u y ::
\ ND at intervals during the rest
"A OF my stay at Meadow Lea
Manor. I found myself mulling over
the same question. For Gerald Parks
not only held the eye while he was
present, but he had a personality
which stuck to the mind, something
as burr sticks to your skirt hem.
Anyway, I kept thinking OF him as
l watched his plutocratic brother
play the part-a bit self-consciousiy
of a lavish host. But / noticed that
e. Hanson made no mention of his
forenoon caller at the dinner table
or afterward. In fact. up to the time
/ left for town on Monday morning
he hadn't referred to him again.
Just as 1 was being slowed in a
luxurious closed car, however, G.
Hanson remarked. as IL very casu-
ally: ''Oh. by the way. Miss Dodge:
you're good at trailing down mys-
teries, aren't you?"
"Oh, am I-really" I asked
AT least" says he. you're keen
witted, young woman. Well-er-if
you should run across anything about
hear II. 1t would be a satisfaction,
you see, to know exactly what sort
OF a blufr he was throwing"
II see," says l. We'll, I'm some
what curious myself. Perhaps I will
do little scouting around"
And did. Not that the case need
ed any deep stuff. / simply went
through the dramatic ads of Sunday
paper until I came across the name
of Dixie" Parks. 1t wasn't very
prominent, to be sure, for it was
tucked into the two-inch box ad at
the bottom in rather small print. But
II was there. And what is your
guess? Well, the musical offering
with which he was connected turned
out to be a minstrel show. No less.
Webb & Wayland's original oidtime
minstrels. an evening Of fun and
melody, with an aggregation OF ar
lists. including the best black-face
soft-shoe dancers, eccentric musical
acts, and an olio unsurpassed, con-
Quoted by that prince OF interlocutors
and famous baritone soloist, the great
Dixie" Parks himself. This week
only. Popular prices.
OF course. the theater where this
aggregation Of talent was to be
turned loose was far up in the Bronx,
and while the announcement didn't
say as much. knew that here was
a road company which had strayed
| in from the one-night stands for a
welcome two or three weeks book
ing on the subway circuit. From
Bronxville they might fit over to
Newark, then back to Fordham, and
possibly get as near Times Square
Is l25th street Then out on the
! road again they would go. north or
south or west, until they piled up
on the rocks Of poor business. or
,lse finished out the season trium-
,hant with no deputy sheriffs sitting
IN their trunks.
* X 4
20 gathered in Inez and Barry
Platt and Uncle Nels and gave a
| 7arty. It was lucky I'd phoned for
orchestra seats. for they're stron 6
on minstrel shows in the Bronx and
the house was packed. I hadn't told
my friends the whole story about
Dixie" Parks. but had merely men
ri he
and was anxious to see him do his
stuff. Naturally. I was all braced to
be more or less bored.
But you never can tell can you?
| Honestly, I don't know when I've
been so thoroughly amused and en-
tertained. Mainly by the great
| Dixie" Parks himself. AS for the
rest Of the performers. they were
just about the average old-fashion-
ed minstrels. But the moment the
curtain rose and in the midst of that
black face circle I saw enthroned the
| famous Dixie" his abundant and
noble form squeezed into a white
satin knickerbocker suit, his mighty
calves glistening in white silk stock
ing jauntily on the thin curls. Well
just knew he was going to be good
But at that couldn't possibly guess
how good. For when he lifted his
stubby fingers to signal for an encore
| of the opening chorus it was with a
| truly regal air. And when he made
| his announcements of the various
numbers it was as If he pronounced