Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-08-28
PETER
THE
GREAT

::::-:.:
By FANNIE HURST

tC) by mcclure newspaper bynulCdIo.l
(WNU Service.l
-HE thing that broke Peter Tar
bells spirit was ringing blow
across the right cheek, admins
tered to him, within full view of
crowded back-stage, by an extrava-
ganza queen then in the full glory of
her monarchistlc reign.
AS doorkeeper and general guardian
of the constant runnel of traffic Of one
sort or another through the small Of
flee that led to the wings of the thea
ter, Peter constituted one-headed
cerberus who stood guard against
claimants for the attention of the
high-handed musical comedy despot of
the moment, Hllda Taypay.
A riot Of colorful naughtinesses,
temperamental outbursts, generosities,
tempers, affabilities and nonsense Of
brand that had captlvated Broadway,
to be In her troupe or associated In
any way with her In the theater, was
to be victim Of her despotisms as well
as recipient of her repentant favors.
Those who played with her, how
ever, feared her more than they loved
her, and 1t could not be said, even in
the indulgent mood of widest charity,
that Hilda was kind to the lesser peo-
pie about her. Impressed by great
ness, she was capable of paying con-
slant homage to those whose profess
sional rank lowered above hers. Lit
tie people she despised because, ap-
parently, to be able to express her
contempt emphasized her sense of
power.
Thus It happened that on a spring
morning during a rehearsal, Peter, ad-
hitting to the wings young man
whom he had been instructed by the
great Taypay never to deny admission,
found himself suddenly the public VIC
tim of her great wrath.
"How dare you," she screamed at
Peter, hurting distaff which she had
been carrying in dance number at
him-"how dare you admit that swine
to my presenter never want to see
him again p and there in the full view
Of the assembled company, swung out
an arm, full width, and let her hand
bang resoundlngly against the young
doorkeeper's cheek.
It was one Of those events that can
come to a sleeper during nightmare !;
It was public humiliation Of sort that
can cause the throat to close and the
eyes to flash into blindness. There, In
the presence OF ut least sixty people,
many of the stage hands his personal
friends, woman, without the slight
est just provocation, had slapped him
In the face
For an instant his impulse had
been to leap at her and crush his
fingers into her ornamental throat,
but that impulse died almost as 1t was
born. Aside from the impregnable SOL
idity Of her throne, and the power of
her slightest word, there was only fur
Their indignlty and humiliation and
reimbursement to be gained by letting
go of his wrath.
Peter Tarbell, then thirty, well sal
arled, ambitious, eager for advance
ment, turned without a word on his
heel and walked out, while to the
strain Of the interrupted melody, ex-
travaganza's darling, pranclng dlstaff
In hand, resumed rehearsal Of the
dance number she had been practlc-
ing.
There were fifty dollars for half
months wages due Peter, which he
never claimed. There we're personal
objects, books, papers, small baggage
lying about the office which he never
returned to collect. The one Idea was
to get away securely, permanently,
quickly from the scene Of his humill-
alton, to forget, II possible, the 1end-
ish onslaught against his dignity and
his peace Of mind.
The theater and everything pertain
ing to It became anathema to the
quiet-faced, unobtruslve young man,
who from that day, for many year
to come, was to carry the sting from
woman's hand across his face and
heart, and whose fingers, throughout
the years, were to itch to throttle the
white neck Of Hllda Taypay.
It is, Of course, difficult to hypOthe-
cate what would have been the destiny
of Peter Tarbell had he remained in
the atmosphere of the theater. II Is,
however, fair to assume he had been
on the way to higher position, since
his rise had been steady from call-boy
to general manager OF affairs Of rear
stage.
BE that as 1t may, from the day Pc
ter walked out, his destiny fell along
lesser lines. At forty he was superin-
tendent Of huge apartment house on
the residential upper west side Of
New York. Eleven men worked I'M
der him, electricians, jnDltors, eleya-
tor boys and furnace-room men, but
in reality, Peters position, while the
salary was practically that Of the
stage-dOor regime, was little above
that of a managing Janltor. His Jobs
were chiefly mental chores. Locks to
be repaired on apartment doors; foy-
crs and elevators to be kept In show
state; vacant apartments to be shown
to prospective tenants and alterca-
lions Of one sort or another to be nd
lusted between HE help.
There were compensntlOns, OF
course. He had married, meanwhile,
quiet, enormously strong and quite
personable girl who had been en-
Eloyed as housemaid In one OF the
apartments Of the building IN which