Show Dance Little Lady I Te Telegram i Fiction Ftc t t 0 11 I By 1 AR AltA WEBB VED SYNOPSIS After months of at trouping about abou J the countr country Dancing a stage show unit is but a week away from rom New York and every in inthe n the unit is excited at the o of reaching their final destination none more so than Jan Da Day who has hop hopes s of at some day being a celebrated cele dancer Her work has improved improved improved im im- im- im proved considerably since the day the unit set out from Los Angeles for she has been working a alot lot with Ted Barry who shares with Jan similar ambitions regarding dancing He is also in love with Jan Jan receives re- re receives re a letter from Hunter Barclay with whom she had bad a romantic interlude in in- when the unit was playing in Kansas Kansa He wanted Jan to marry him but she decided to continue her career carcar The letter renews Hunters Hunter's Hunters Hunter's Hunters Hunter's Hun Hun- ter's proposal of marriage and Jan feels leeis sad But not for long for on the morrow the unit is reaching New NewYork York CHAPTER 20 There ought to be a law prohibiting lUng persons coming to to New York for the first time from arriving by railroad Not that the railroads dont don't get those persons into the cit city in very good shape its it's not that Butto But Butto Butto to the person making his first fir visit there is liable to be a terrific let let- down New York fails to measure up to his expectations If he comes from the south or southwest he is brought in through the Jersey meadows unsightly and into a long underground tunnel and when that person steps out of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania station he is liable to ask himself Just where is this famous skyline Ive I've seen so often orten in newsreels news newsreels newsreels reels and in pictures Its It's just as bad i if the visitor comes In from the north or northwest A little perhaps His IDs train caries carries car car- ries ies him swiftly through the outlying outly outly- ing sections of New York across the Harlem ship canal at street pauses briefly at street str then makes its way along an elevated platform platform platform plat plat- form which affords the visitor an excellent view of dilapidated tenement tene tene- ment merit houses with housewives leaning leaning lean lean- ing out of at windows of washing hung out on short clothes lines on the roofs of these buildings then sud sudS suddenly denly the train dives underground and for fifty blocks runs along in darkness until it comes into its berth berthat at Grand Central Again the visitor is is' apt to be pretty much let down Now this law prohibiting first visitors visItors visitors vis vis- vis- vis s from coming in b by train tr so that it would not deprive the railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads of their just revenue should have a clause in it whereby these visitors by train should be taken to toa toa toa a small smalL port port a few miles from New NewYork NewYork NewYork York City and there placed upon a boat so that they would come into New York by water For if a person person person per per- son Is let down upon entering NewYork New NewYork NewYork York by train the contrary is true of at the person coming into New York by boat The boat steams up through the narrows and on the right is Coney inland iland itself boasting a hotel of considerable proportions or so the traveler thinks for a few minutes until lower Manhattan comes into view its buildings dwarfing by comparison comparison com parison the building just passed Lying off elf quarantine may be the Majestic the Bremen the lie TIe de deFrance deFrance France or the Rex floating palaces stilled for the moment The visitor I is more than impressed but his time is not for these boats boat magnificent cent as IS the sight they present may be No he is ahead He HeI Heis Heis I is on the starboard side well forward forward forward for for- ward that he may catch a glimpse of th the famous skyline as soon as possible The New York Skyline Through a misty haze appears the outlines of the buildings that stand like guards of lower Manhattan They can be seen but vaguely Then suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly the boat plows through this veil of mist or the veil lifts magically magically magic magic- ally aUy and all at once overpowering In its immensity there lies straight ahead this magic city To the left standing with great dignity dignity dignity dig dig- holding high her torch is the Statue of Liberty But the visitor has but little time for the goddess The boat is nearer now and farther up the island the midtown skyline comes into view with its Empire State building its Chrysler building its Channing building its Radio City It is almost too much It is hard to believe The visitor sees NewYork New NewYork NewYork York all aU at once He sees it in its entirety not so the visitor by train He may never get this view during his stay He sees New York from rom New York and that is no way to see ee the city One never gets a grasp graspo o of its tremendous size that way One sees parts of ot it at a time No there ought to be a law Jan excited Jan J felt this letdown when hen she and Doris came out of Penns Pennsylvania station into New Yorks York's Seventh avenue The train bearing bearing bear bear- ing the Dancing Gayeties unit had left Philadelphia early in the morn morn- ing lug The be show was to open at the thc New York Premier that afternoon Doris wanted to take a cab to th the thc hotel but not Jan She wanted to tolee lee ice New York She had traveled thousands of miles for tor this sight and dl didn't tnt intend putting it of off a minute longer than necessary She wanted among the first things to ride in a subway She told Doris this I Okeh darling Doris said Your J Wish shall shan be granted but Im I'm going I I to remind you of af this a couple o of I II months from now By then you'll be beick belick lick ick of subways Come on Doris led lid Jan through the underground underground underground under under- ground channels channel of Penn station to the subway but still Jan wasn't sat sat- Dont we have to go outside to get to the subway she asked Doris shook her head I I Well couldn't we Jan persisted i 4 Sure Sur if it you want to Why t I Why Why why I just wanted t 19 to see 1 New NewYork York Jan said II Okeh but Ive I've never yet heard of any tourist rushing down to this thi I P. P particular t part of at town to see th the sights Come on though I The two girls climbed the stairs to I the street meet catching on their way a j I generous part of a sweeping which I a a colored porter was performing o othe on J the stairs stair But Jan didn't mind She Sh She Sher r didn't even notice it Doris did an and gave the porter a glare lare that showed showe t 1 i her to be a typical New Yorker And now now said Doris as the they emerged onto the street I give yo you New Wew York Take a look J Jan looked She looked to th the i right to the left She looked up an and 1 she he he looked down And she saw rr Innumerable taxicabs all colors o othe of r the She saw tall buildings building 1 but none taller taUer than those she he had hac hadr k r I seen in Los Angeles or Chicago Shaw She Sh Shei i aw w a very dirty street and she waa was wa ij i i a bewildered Dy by it She wondered won won won- dered what those funny little carts r. with what looked like fUr furs fur on them J J might be The They were pushed by smal small men utterly indifferent to the that hat pressed in on them Ulem Jostled b by Crowd Jan was jostled by the passing crowd cr Among the crowd were several sev eral erat men some quite old with flowing flow ing ng whiskers who carried on what whal looked like wire hoops more mor-e furs And about the whole district there ther existed a most peculiar odor like lik nothing Jan had ever smelled before Doris was looking at Jan and smiling Well how do you OU like it Jan shook her head I dont don't know its t's not exactly what I 1 expected 1 I II I It It never is But for your benefit bene benc- fit it Ill I'll say that there are higher build build- ings If you want to walk up a block to o Thirty fourth street you can see sec seele seethe the le Empire e State building Its It's pretty large arge But this particular section of ol town own is known as ns the fur tur district That's hats where that funny smell comes from rom These There Th c people you ou see pushing push push- ing ng carts car by spend a good portion of th their ir lives working like slaves making a fortune just so the they can sink that fortune in in a show v usually a i flop then come back and do it all allver allover allover over ver again Doris paused See Sec that lat man over there she pointed The one who needs a haircut so sadly adly Well some day hell he'll probably put ut up the money for for- forthe the show in which Inch you'll be starred Jan laughed No kidding There are more angels angels angels' in this particular section or orather orather ather rather more angels come out of this section than anywhere else in the thc world orld These people just love to sink their heir dough in a show They had walked north across Thirty fourth street On the opposite side de ide Doris stopped Now look that way ay vay she pointed east cast and you'll see ee ec the largest building in ill the world Jan looked and ahead of her rear rear- ing ng g stories skyward was the Emire Emre Em Em- pire ire re State Stat building lOG Gosh ash what a building It is big all right Yeah said Doris Come on Do you ou rou want to walk on up to Times square or shall we take the subway ts t's s 's only one stop About eight loCkS blocks Jan didn't know She wanted to toay stay ay in the open so she could see seethe the he ic sights yet et she wanted to ride riden in n the subway Doris decided Come Comen on n well we'll take the subway I 1 might as Ls well show you how to get in now get lost anyway the first time you ou rou go into it alone They descended to the subway evel their nickels clicked trough through the turnstiles and waited for or r a train Trains roared to stop I md nd roared away again The noise I was as terrifying People stood along alonge the he e platforms reading newspapers I with ith no concern at all for the trains that hat at came in and almost so it ap ap- appeared eared to Jan brushed the waiting rider der ider of the platform Doors rider der ider off of the platform Doors shut Come on Doris shouted Heres urs ours At Times Square short that The ride was short short so so ran Jan an formed no impression save that of f terrific noise that seemed to surround sur- sur round her no matter whether she was vas as on the street or beneath it They got ot out at Times square Coming to the he ic street there was unfolded before Jan Ian an a sight which was more like that which she he had conjured up in her rain brain There Ther-e were the huge theater buildings the many advertising signs linking inking with electric lights even though hough ough it was broad daylight Each numbered street running off of Broadway Broad- Broad way vay ay had its quota of theaters on the marquees of which were the names o f the shows playing therein Theres the Premier Doris said poi pointing minting g- g with witha a a nod of her ler head And its it's some house Ive I've played it before be- be fore ore No stairway leading to the stage I should say not That isn't nearly Iy ritzy enough Theres There's an elevator from om rom the dressing room to the stage proper Just which one o of these streets is Broadway Jan Doris pointed it out You see d darling Broadway has a way of just running all over this island Only a few blocks down Broadway Br is on onic the ic other side of ot Fifth Firth avenue But here her lere Filth Fifth avenue is two blocks over that way from Broadway Doris pointed eastward You see right here c acre Doris continued Broadway Br decides it would like to see what its it's like ce west of or Seventh avenue avenue up up to of it so it-so it now ow it has stayed east so crosses rosses Seventh thus forming Times square And dont don't ask me why its it's called ailed Times square Well why is it called Times square quare Jan asked Darned if I know and Ive I've lived here all my life I 1 always thought it was because th the T Times building was here but a couple of 01 years ago somene some some- someone it has one ne pulled a gag about why this his name and the answer was something some some- thing hing about there being so many clocks clacks around Darned if I think so though though-do hough do you Jan looked around I see a couple Theres There's one on top of the Paramount building And one up at the other nd of the square And I see that its it's 1030 What time are arc we due at atle atthe I the le theater Eleven Doris answered We Vc better etter g get t a move one Well We'll stay at atI I hotel for a week until the unit disbands Then Then well well well we'll wait then hen and see what happens kid I Doris' Doris Home Town There was an unusual tone in Doris Doris' voice oice during her last remark that thai caused aused Jan to wonder Why what do o you mean Doris Jan asked Well you see darling dar this is my home lome town Ive I've got a mother anc and father ather and a couple of brothers and sisters living up in the Bronx I usually live with them And that tha means mean means means- That means means Jan finished the remark re reo mark that mark that we will no longer live together Right right kid Oh Jan said They walked along aloni in n silence Jan so upset by the real real- realization that she and Doris ha had come to iOU o the the parting of their ways that she failed to notice what was going on about her Living without Doris Dori wouldn't seem right It had been almost a year now since Jan h hd left eft home Almost a year wherein she and Doris had always shared a hotel room or an apartment together They had taken almost all their meals meal together Jan just couldn't picture life without Doris somewhere in th the offing Here we are Jan Doris said They entered a small unpretentious hotel in the Forties off oU ies Times square Well just have time to register an and throw our bags into the room then the well we'll have to hurry to the theater The Premier theater was a pretty lavish affair The dressing room was much more complete and designed de do signed much more more for the comfort comfor of those using it than a any Jan Jm ha had hadI I s seen n in coming across the country She and Doris got into their their- practice costumes and with the other girls went out and crowded into a small elevator which lowered them to the stage You know were we're not the whole works in this theater like we were on the road We just fill rill in the gaps between the headliners They always al- al always always al al- ways have three or four big Broadway Broadway Broad Broad- way names in the sta stage e shows here and the show Is much longer longer almost almost twice wice as long They got out of the elevator and started to the stage Jan saw Ted and nd waved to him She also saw Hal Phillips who nodded Then the rehearsal began Hayes was nervous more so than the members member of the unit themselves But despite Hayes Hayes' fears tears the first show went of off with never a hitch During the wait walt between numbers Jan an as well as most of the rest of the he unit stood in the wings to watch the he headliners work These were the people Jan had heard of or but had them never ever seen She watched eagerly eager and decided to herself of course ourse th that t they weren't so hot hoL hoLAt At the conclusion of the last eve eve- ing ning performance Jan received a note from rom Hal Phillips It read lead If It youre you're oure youre not going back with the unit unito to o the coast and haven't got anything In mind look me up My offer still stands lands Jan folded the note wondering won- won dering if s she hc might have to accept Hals Hal's offer |