The Washington times., 1931-02-04
CHAPTER 9

dexterity. He knew that I was
out of luck so far as the others
of the company were concerned
because I would tolerate no
lovers. He knew that I was
already disgusted with the road.
The late hours and the ter
rible jumps had me almost
frantic. Frequently we would
get off the train at S in the
morning. Not yet daylight.
Four or five hours sleep at the
most. And it seemed to me it
was always raining.
Then getting settled in our
hotel. Unpacking our baggage.
An snack of breakfast and then
we would have to hurry to the
theater to rehearse. Likely as
not we would have to dress in
the alley, in back of the stage.
Only the principals had dress
ing rooms in some of those
sorry, smalltown theaters.
If I was late to rehearsal
I would get a terrible repri-
mand. Some of the assistants
had the vocabulary of the pro-
verbal deep sea sailor. And
how they could use it, especial
ly on the girls.
Often in Tears
It seemed to me that I was
in tears about half the time.
The other half I spent washing
and powdering them away.
My father and mother had
seldom scolded me, and only
once that I can remember was
I ever spanked. That occurred
one day when I was about IL,
when my mother had gone out
to work some place, leaving me
with father, who was barely
able to walk around.
I did something that he
didn't like and he rebuked me.
I became fresh and made some
nasty remark. He lost his
temper, the only occasion upon
which I ever saw this happen.
He seized me, threw me
across his knee, and spanked
me lightly once or twice.
I screamed blue murder!
"Oh, you brute!" I cried.
Father. You're beating me.
You're beating me. You're
killing mel"
Then I tainted. With one
eye open.
A Pathetic Figure
Father was terribly upset.
Tears were rolling from his
eyes. He hobbled up and down
the room in the most pathetic
manner. Every few turns he
would stop and feel if my heart
was beating. I tried to make
it stand still.
"Oh, by golly, I've killed her"
he moaned. "Oh, why did I do
It? And I was only fooling,
too. --ch! My poor, poor
baby"
stood it as long as I could.
His suffering was unbearable
and I was so ashamed of my
self, I didn't know what to do.
Cagily, I moved an arm. Then
a leg. He ran up to me and I
sat up.
Baby! You're all right" he
cried gleefully. Baby. I'm so
glad. I'll never strike you again.
BY golly, it is promise. I'll buy
you anything you want, If you
won't tell mama I struck you"
This last was more than 1 had
bargained for. must have been
a little mercenary, because I
took him at his word.
will you buy me that gold
tooth?" I quickly asked him be-
fore he could change his mind.
The tooth in question was a
needed replacement for one
which a quack dentist had
pulled through an error. My
mother had insisted on having
a porcelain one put in, 9ut I
had held out for a gold one.
Anyhow, father promised me
the gold tooth; he kept his
word, and I did not mention the
beating to my mother.
Awaits His Time
But, to get back to Tony"
He knew of my extremely scnsi.
tive nature and patiently
awaited his time to take full ad-
vantage of this knowledge. His
opportunity came the day we
hit Fresno.
was late at rehearsal ard
he gave me a terrible baWling
out. I managed to stick it out,
but as soon as we had finished,
I dashed to my hotel room.
where I cried and cried and
cried, trying to make up my
mind whether to quit the show
or not.
My sister didn't know that
was in town. I hadn't called her
because I wanted to surprise
her. I wanted to send her a
couple N tickets at the last
moment, so our first meeting
since had become an actress
would be over the footlights.
TONY" came up to my room.
He knocked at the door and I
let him in. ! was frantically
Gs,,,t,aar ta hidn the traces nf NV