| Show I f 4 kt fU f U Itz Copyright 1913 1915 J Continued from Yc Yesterday I CHAPTER STAtED STAGED UNDER FIRE TIRE T days ns n.'s after the inci incident ent just related relate our company was relieved e from the front line an and carried carrie out r stayed in reserve billets for about two weeks when we received the welcome news that our division back of the line H to to rest billets AVe Ye would remain in the these e billets for at least two months this in order i t I restored to our full strength by ly drafts of recruits from Blighty ht 1 t I 1 1 Everyone Everyone- was happy happ and contented I at these tidings tiding fI all you could hear around the billets Was wan whistling and I singing The day after ater the receipt of ot the order we hiked for five fl days making maltIng malt male Ing an art average a of f about twelve kilos pOI per da day until we e arrived t at th the small smalltown smalltown town of or O OIt O 0 It tool took us tie about three throe days to get et Ct settled ant and from then on our cushy cush time started e We e would parade from In the morning until 1 12 noon Then except for an tn occasional billet hUlet or brigade bri bri- gade guard vcr on our own o For Forthe Forthe Forthe the first four our or five lye afternoons I spent In my time In brin bringing ln up lip to date m my neglected nc correspondence Tommy loves lo to be and being hebig be he- big ing a Yank th t they y turned to mo rae for something new ne In iii this line I taught I them how ho hoto to pitch horseshoes and this game made a n great rat hit for about ten tea days Then Tomm Tommy turned to America for 01 a new diversion I 1 was up In Ill the theair theair air until a happy thou thought ht came to me I Why h not write a sketch and break Tomm Tommy in a 1111 an actor One evening c after Lights out when you ou are not sUppo supposed ed to talk taUe I I Imparted 4 Im- parted m my scheme in whispers to thu tho section They eagerly accepted th th Idea of forming a stock tock company compan and could hardly wait walt until the morning for tor further r details After Arter parade the next afternoon I Iwa Iwas Iwas was wa almost t mobbed Everyone In the section wanted anh a n part In the tho propos proposed sketch When hen I Informed them that It would take tRIte at least ten days lae o of hat hard work to write the plot the they were bitterly bitterly bit bit- telI terly dl disappointed I 1 Immediately got busy made a desk out of or biscuit tins I In III the corner of or the tho 1 billet antI and put up a sign Wallace allace Theatrical Co About twenty of th the section upon I reading this sl sign n. n Immediately applied for the position of or office boy I accepted accepted ac Be- ac- ac the twenty applicants and sent them on scouting parties throughout the deserted French lIla village e. e These par par- tics ties wore were to search nil all the attics fo to 0 discarded civilian clothes and an anything that we e could use In the props prODs of ot our proposed company compan About 5 that night the they returned covered with grime and dust but loaded down with a miscellaneous a as assortment assortment as- as of or everything under the sun Thc They must have thought that I was wa to start a department store I judging from the different things the they brought back from their pillage After Arter eight d days days' constant writing I completed td a two act t farce comedy which I called The Diamond Palace Saloon Upon the suggestion of or one of or the boys bos In the section I sent a proof prooro o of the pro program ram to a printing house In London TAndon Then I T assigned the different different differ differ- ent parts and started rehearsing Daid Daid David Da Da- Da- Da id vid Belasco would have e thrown up UI hi hid hands In despair at the material which t I 1 had harl to use Just Imagine trying to teach tench a Tommy with a stron strong cockney accent to Impersonate onate a Bower Bowery tough or Jr a n southern negro Adjacent to our billet was wa an open field neill We e got bus busy bus busat at one end of ot It and constructed a stage We secured the lumber for rOl the stage stag by hy demolishing demolish demolish- ing IlIg an ln old wooden shack In the rear Icar of our billet I IThe The first scene was sas supposed to represent represent rep rep- re resent ent a street treet on the tho Bower Bowery In New Xe NewYork NewYork York While the scene cene of the th second act l was 38 the Interior of or the Diamond Palace saloon al also o on the lh Rower flowery In the pia play I took the part of oC Abe Switch a farmer who vito had come from ln Center Tenn fenn to make his first visit to New Ne' York Vork In the first scene Abe Abc Switch meets the proprietor of oC the Diamond Dimond Palace saloon a ramshackle affair which to the owner was a. a financial lo loss s The proprietors proprietor's name was Tom Torn his bartender being named Up tp After Atter meeting Abe Tom Tom and 1 l i Tommys Tommy's Dictionary of I I the Trenches Ia Pa IaK Something Tommy I Is always touching you Oll for In Arm Army Issue of generally on Sunda Sunday Various arlous kinds of or work I done h by Tommy Tomm while he Is resting rest lug Ing ing I Fesl Keil up DI Disgusted got ot enough h of or I I it It-as It as the rich Mr I used to say Sufficiency I I Kit Field Bandages eR Issued to toI I I soldiers for rOI first aid when wound wound- I crt ed fhe They use them toe for handkerchiefs I chiefs and to clean their rifles I FirM Pout Ot A card on which I Tommy Tomm is allowed 1110 to tell his hie I larni family and friends that he Is alive I iI I If H he I Is dead the thear war ar office sends I II I a card sometimes I II I Field FicIci Official name miame I for lIn a man on a aI I Umber limber wheel two hours a day for or ori t twenty one days day Ills His rations I i consist of oC bully 4 beef eef water and I biscuits Tommy Tomm calls calIs this punI punishment pun pun- I Crucifixion especially if iC h lie f has undergone one it a. Still another of oC I ours OUTS shell phell weighs weigh tit fifteen teen pounds I Used for tor killing rats on the German Gerr Ger Ger- GerI I 1 r man parapets I I the Ascertaining I by hy Instrument b trial shots or by b I II I the time distance from rom rota an all enemy ob obI ob- ob obI I I e I II t I A night bombard bombard- ment 1 Up Cp persuaded him to bu buy the place praising it to the skies and telling wondrous ondrous tales of or the mon money taken over o the bar While tho they are arc talking an old Jew nam named d Ike Ikey comes along and amid Abe engages him for tor cashier Aftel After After Aft Aft- er el ensa engaging ike Ikey the they meet an old southern negro called Sambo and upon the suggestion of oC Ikey he is Ie engaged as porter Then the three o of or them arm armIn In hi arm ann leave to take possession of oC this wonderful palace which Abo Abe had Just I paid for or Curtain In the second act the curtain rises s son on the Interior of oC th the Diamond Palace saloon and the time audience gets gota its Us first 1 shock The saloon looks hooks like a pigpen pigpen pig pig- pen two tramps lying Iring drunk on the floor loor and the bartender in a i dirty shirt with his sleeves sleeve rolled roBed up asleep with ll hl his head on the bar Enter Abe Ahe Sambo and Ike Ikey and the therUn fun rUn commences One of or the tile characters In the second act was WM named Broadway Kate and I had an awful Job to break In him one of or orthe the Tommies to act and amid talk like a woman 0 all Another character was Alkali Ike a an Arizona cowboy who Just before the close chose of the pia play comes Into nto the time saloon and wrecks It with his revolver el We had eleven three-hour three rehearsals before I 1 thought It advisable ad to present present pre ire sent the time sketch to the public The whole brigade was craz crazy to wItness witness wit wIt- ness nes the first performance This performance performance performance per per- was waR scheduled for Frida Friday night and everyone one was full ull of or anticipation anticipation antici antici- I pation lation when ban hang bang orders came through that the thc brigade would move at 2 that afternoon Cursing and blinding blind blind- I In ing Uig was the order of things s upon the receipt of or this order oreter but we moved rno That night we reached the little village village vil vil- vil lage lase of oC S S- S Sand and amid again went Into rest I billets We Ve were to be there two weeks Our company compan Immediately golbus got gol bus busy and scoured the village for a n suitable suitable suitable suit suit- able place In which to present our pro- pro received another Then Timen we shock 4 A rival rl company was va already established In the tIme village Thc They called themselves The Thc Bow How Bells Bells- and amI put on a sketch entitled Blighty What hat What I Hopes The They were the I dl divisional c co cert party part g 1 We e hoped they all would be I ij Blighty to 0 give Us ii a n. chance j This Thin company charged an ami admI of or a franc per por head and that nig night oi 01 J company compan went en mae masse e to 8 t g performance It really was wa good i iI I had a n sinking sensation wh n i l- l thought ht of or running my sketch i in O position to It j In one of oC their scenes they hid had l soubrette called Flossie Th The that took this part was clever ut made a fine appearing and chic chit girL We Immediately fell tell In love lo with j j- j until two lays days nn after r while we ve vea were of o. ofa a n. march we passed Flossie with W l' her sleeves es e rolled up and the sweat swett Ing from her face unloading unloading- from Crom a motor lorry lorr 1 i As R our section pI passed ed her I rell out out- Hello lIello Flo Flossie Blighty Blighty- m Hopes Hope Her reply made our love lore i out instantly T I Ah go o to This brought Cult quite a laugh haugh frets L f marching column directed at t m me ale a t-j t I I Instantly made up my mind that t sketch letch should run i la III c o i position to Blighty What flighty What hopes Hopu J t When we returned to our billet f fr real the time march Curley Wallace my mj t partner came running over Oer it mo me and antI said he hind had found a t tsat sn s at J place in which to produce our shoy After Arter taking ot off m my equipment asT followed by the rest of tho the I ni went over to the bull building he had pl out It was waR a l monstrous barn with platform at one end which would ms nullan null make an nn Ideal stage The section got rich rhU on the tIme Job and before night had llAd t that tt place rigged out In pie apple-pie order jf i Th The next da day wa was Sunday Bunda sad and ann j church parade we w. c put all out our time sia oi si oia a dress s rehearsal and norl It went Int fine Cine H i iI I made four or five fl large sigi an- an pouncing flouncing that our OUI company compan woul oP open n up that evening c at the tue J gIm D George the Fifth Firth theatre on e r- r ner nel of or Ammo street treet and Sandbag I terrace General admission wa wu ov oi franc trane First ten rows In orchestra o oae franc and boxes two to francs fr By Wi time time- our printed programs program had hd re rt returned returned turn turned d from London and I 1 further sm an- an that on the night of or the first performance a program would be given girt I en free Cree of or charge to men holding lick lick- j etc eb costing a franc or over O lY Wv had 1111 an All orchestra of or seven neven and seven ven different Instruments Tt orchestra was as excellent while ti UI were cre not playing tt JI Th The performance was scheduled schedule start at t 6 G p. p m. m At C 15 there was 3 1 a mob In frost t V our one entrance and it looked liki a big night We c had t two o boxes cad accommodating tour four people and the th then we e Immediately sold old out Then a brU trUe llant Idea came to Ike Ikey Wh Why not use ule the overhead cj ca them boxes and charge two to fran francs f t ta to a seat t on them The only difficult Ii was waR how hon were th tIme men to reach tb these boxes but to Ikey e this was as a a me detail J He lIe got ot long ropes and tied one tri r around each rafter and th then n If lot of ot knots In the ropes rope These Thele ro roles t would take the tile place lace o of stairways stairway 1 w We figured out that the rafters would seat about fort Corl forty men and soi JOU that number of or tickets accordingly T f When hen the ticket et holders for tl tl-f tl tl boxes got ot a n glimpse of time the rafters ui 4 were Informed that tIle the they had hat to use li thi rope stairway there therea was a a howl ho of I dl but we had their money tn as told them that If It tile did not I lV le lethey e t they could coul write to the tIme litter later and their mone money 1 t be rt f. f funded but under thc f conditions I would not be allowed o C performance that night jl After a n. little grousing roll ln th they y am acceded ed ell the tho situation with the promise l-Ji l If IC the show was rotten tIle the they would let het us ims know about It during t e o 11 e. c-e. 1 tomorrow w I |
