Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-07-17

boys voice again. And Dixie had tt
hold her eyes very wide open to keer
i the tears she couldn't control from
spelling her make up. She dabbeC
carefully at the corners. Couldn't put
On a new one this late.
: And then it happened. A frightful
clatter on the iron stairs. But ii
wasn't Moe. It was a call boy.
"Hey! Dixie Mason! Moe wants
you down stairs right now! Hurry!
He's tearing his hair!"
Dixie almost cried out in her re-
lief. That could only mean one thing.
Automatically she scooped up her
make up, threw it into her battered
make up box, and turned to the door.
ooh! Obi" commented a wise-eyed
chlorine. $50 you knew it all the
time. Well, good hunting, trouper.
You'll need it."
Oh, why did she have to give her.
self away by grabbing up her make
up? That wasn't necessary. Ada's
make up would be all spread out.
She could have used that for fresh
ening up between acts. Grabbing that
makeup box had been a dead give
away. She could never alibi out of it
all now.
Down the stairs she went, as fast
as she could go. And that was fast.
Chorus girls can get up and down
five or six flights of narrow, spiral
iron stairs faster than anything alive.
Why not? There were eleven changes
in that show. That meant eleven
trips up and down.
And there on the back stage was
Moe. Hat off. Eyes wild. Hair
standing on end.
He grabbed her by one bare arm
and almost flung her into Ada's dress
ing room.
"Dress!" he shouted, pointing. Ada's
dresser stood waiting, with Ada's first
act dress in her hands. "Ada's dis
Her telephone doesn't
answer. You've got to go on! And
you've got to make good. There's a
Hollywood scout out there tonight!
You've got to get away with it and
get away with it right"
Moe was almost jibbering in his
frenzy Of despair. He hadn't the
slightest idea that Dixie could carry
the show. 1t was one thing to stick
her in the part for rehearsals and
quite another to jeopardize his chance
of selling the piece to pictures by let
ting her sing on an important night
like this.
"What I'll do to Ada for this!" he
raved on, walking the floor, paying no
to Dixie's scrambling out of
the scanty chorus costume. ''I'll fine
her months pay! I'll have her up
before Equity! PHI"
He wouldn't give Ada her notice
though, thought Dixie, trying to
steady her nerves. Ada's name was
too much of a drawing card. And
Moe had told Dixie once that he
didn't need big name for the lead
and look at him now.
This certainly served Moe right, she
thought with something like malicious
satisfaction. He didn't think she was
good enough to sing the lead, did
he? Well, now she had to sing the
lead and he was darned glad she
could. She'd show him. She'd sing
it as we'll as Ada ever did. Wouldn't
she though? With Blinn out there to
hear her?
Oh, Blinn! Blinn! I'll get myself into
an awful jam for this, but don't care.
I told you 1 was singing the lead
and Pm going to. For you!
"Lift your arms, Miss Mason" the
dresser told her, and she obeyed
MISUNDERSTANDING her voice as she
stood waiting to be hooked up.
Hurry! Hurry" jibbered Moe.
Were ten minutes late already! And
Lord knows how much you'll slow up
the show. You put this across for
me, Dixie, and Pm your friend for life.
Ill star you in my next piece! Cross
my heart l will! But if you flop to-
night, I'll run you out of the show
business, I swear it,"
''T won't f1on" Dixia told him co
berly, absent-mindedly. She was so
busy going over that first act in her
mind that she almost forgot her ner-
vousness.
Ready" Moe demanded before she
was half hooked up. Hurry! Hurry"
And then when she went to the
dressing table to see if her make up
had been potted or streaked by con-