| Show I 1 I. I Dance Lit Little Lady dy I T Telegram DJ nA WEBB i Fiction l Il I CHAPTER 21 Dancing Gayeties played the NewYork New NewYork York Premier theater for tor a week j moved over to Brooklyn to pl play lh the Premier theater ter there for tor a week I then disbanded During the last week of the show a notice was posted I on the bulletin board to the thc effect I that another unit was va to be formed immediately to start a swing ving back to I the P Pacific coast and that the thc present I members of the unit would be bc given preference over all others when casting castI cast cast cast- I ing was begun I Jans Jan's original idea h had d been to go east cast with a unit then make the swing back to the thc coast But Dut she had abandoned abandoned aban the plan pIon deciding instead to remain remain in New York and try to maRca make maRc a go of ot it there She had written her parents about it U and although they objected they had biven their consent con sent The last las day of the thc show Hayes stopped Jan Hove Have you OU any plans Miss Day ITal he asked Nothing definite Mr Hayes Jan answered I thought though that Id I'd like to see i if I could land in something something some some- thing here herc in New York S How about Barry Know what his plans are arc No I j dont Well if it you ou should decide to go goback goback goback back with the unit Im I'm pretty sure you could go with us as the ballerina Miss d'Avril isn't going back out wi with h the unit unU Neither is Mr Phillips You and Barry could fit lil in pretty well velI Think it over You can let me know within a 3 few days das Ill I'll be beat beat bet at t the New York Premier offices o S awfully nice of you Jan said But I 1 dont don't think there would be any chance of my going back out I dont don't know about Ted I 1 mean Mr Barry Youre liable to find It pretty t ugh here I 1 know that But I 1 want to have haveS S try at lit it anyhow I Hayes smiled and extended his hand Well if it I dont don't hear from you I Jet let me take this opportunity to wish you Ou all the luck in the world i Thanks Jan said aid and the same mc to you rou A Depre Depressing Day DayI I The day as a Q whole had been pretty depressing There were to tobe tobe tobe be said and saying goodbye goodbe is never nevera a a. a avery very jolly affair Hayes Hayes' talk with o her ad added d to to Jans Jan's feeling o of depres sion sion although Jan felt elt depressed but 8 small part of the time New York was was still sun too much of ot a surprise to give her much time to think about Anything else Tonight hough though was the S saddest that Jan was to have For tonight she was going to say goodbye to Doris I She and Doris had snored shored a room in I Brooklyn as the they had in New York i Doris decided this principally ly because traveling from the Bronx to Brooklyn Brook Brook- lyn e every ry day dayas was as pretty much of a hardship and also because she too hated to see her relationship with Jan come to an end Doris was leaving the hotel Immediately Imme Imme- after alter the last show thus givIng ing her plenty of time to get to her home in the Bronx She Jon and Ted were gathered in the room at the hotel while Doris packed Jan was was leaving in the morning to move into e a room at Aunt Kates Kate's a theatrical theatrical the the- rooming house in the Forties Why so sad Doris ris asked Anyone Any one ne would think this was a wake Just because Im I'm going out to the Bronx doesn't Im I'm mean going to a foreign country although Ill I'll grant you that a good many people seem to be under that Impression Ive heard of the Bronx Ted said 1 ut I never knew anyone who actually actually ac- ac lived there 4 Doris made a face at him Well be seeing one another often though wont won't we we Doris Jan asked f Sure we we will darling Doris answered an an- but she knew although Jan didn't that this wasn't so Doris had lived In New York and knew that it was the hardest pla place in the world to keep a friendship alive olive unless you were working almost side by side with Wilh the particular person perron Why people people peo peo- pie who had been the best of friends who had worked together for years cars drifted apart Even though they lived but a short ride from one another another an an- other it was seldom that the friendship friend ship hip was kept going Oh yes one would see ree the particular friend once Jn a great while but that was about Ju eu come down to see me me wont won't you ou And Ill I'll be and up see you too too Jan said Of O course darling Ii 1 And well we'll probably run into o one mother another around Broadway wont won't we Jan an asked Well I dont don't know about that t Doris ris said We might b but blit t I dont don't know whether Ill I'll try to get into any ny more shows You mean youre you're going to quit dancing Ted asked Perhaps 4 What will you do Jan asked What do you think Ton Jan shook snook her head Doris looked t Ted but he too was shaking his l I 1 may get married Doris said I Of 4 Both T Ted d and Jan Jen were amazed Sure why not Im I'm not Dot so ter ter- le am I 1 11 Doris said n T No b but well well Jan hesitated You just cant can't picture me rae as a housewife Is b that It Jan didn't answer 1 II Well listen here you Ill I'll have I you know that I can throw the best meil together that you ou ever sank ronk a tooth Into Where do you get gel the idea that Im I'm not cut out to be a housewife I know this that Ill I'll make a whole lot better housewife than I ever will dancer the man Ted asked Tells About Plans A fellow Ive I've known for tor years We went to school together Our families lived in the same two Hes Hc's an engineer on one of or these tugboats you ou sec see no nosing Ing the liners around the harbor He makes good money Hes He's after me to marry him for a couple then I 1 do it of years cars I 1 couldn't see sec now She paused Why let lel me tell tel you Ou two something Ill I'll have a couple of kids in the next two years You bet I 1 like kids Ill I'll name them after you ou Ted and Jan Hows How's that Th ts t's just swell Ted said We will be f famous b by then Everybody E will be naming kids after us by then You think so so do you ou Doris said Pretty cocky arent aren't you ou You You'll 11 both probably be out bc begging ging Doris for a hand out No Im I'm just kid kid- ding I hope you ou two set et the world worldon on fire ir She paused Well I Iguess Iguess gu guess s Id I'd better be going Went Want to walk to the subway Make yourself useful Ted and carry the ladys lady's bag Will VilI you ou Sure Doris At AL the subway Jan and Doris part part- ed The good good-by was said Doris darted down the gaping mouth of or orthe the subway kiosk Dont forget to Invite me to the wedding Jan called after alter herAnd herAnd herAnd her And me too Ted called Doris Dors turned I wont won't she c called Good Good by Ted and Jan called They turned and walked back to the hotel neither one saying anything At the hotel J Jan m turned to Ted I II suppose we wont won't be seeing so much of or each other from now on on she said What do o you oU mean Of course we will Im I'm living right across the street from Irom you ou Jans Jan's face ace lighted up Arc you OU Ted That's swell Sure We ought to get Ret together two or three times a week and workout work workout workout out on our routine How about it How about it I think its it's a great Idea Ill meet you ou In the thc morning and well we'll go over together o All right Sure That's fine ine Doris 0 said Good night For the first week that Jan spent at l Aunt Kates Kate's she did nothing but loaf loal It was the first vacation she had had for tor a year and she took luxurious advantage ge of it l She slept late in the morning stayed up late at night She met Ted twice but refused refused re re- rc- rc fused his invitation to do a workout on their routine She traveled about the cit city taking on interest in the various sights which Nc New York has hasto hasto to o offer with a befitting the most unsophisticated o of tourists She got lost not ot once but several times She SUe climbed this building and that She went vent to the Statue of Liberty and climbed the winding stairs to the top She took bus rides up Fifth avenue and out Riverside drive to Grants Grant's tomb She walked through C Central park Did everything in fact that the average tourist docs does Has lias Dinner With Ted She met Tc Ted l one one night for lor dinner and they went to a show afterward It Il was the reigning musical comedy success and they both wan wanted ted to see sec seethe ee the dancing The They Ther left the show how howmore more than ever convinced o of their own particular r accomplishments Secure secure se Se- cure in the feeling that crashing the big time wouldn't be half halt so hard hardas as it had been pictured The various gents agents and md booking offices didn't share this feeling Jan soon found out After her week of or sightseeing and looting loafing she started making m the rounds She started out full o of confidence But that feeling had been sadly d I shaken b by the time she returned to her room at Aunt Kates Kales completely worn out She had entered agency after agency Always there had hed been a n roomful of or girls there for tor the same purpose Jan had come And always there had been the same answer It was Mr Smith isn't doing any casting at present But leave your our name and telephone number and well we'll gc get in touch with you ou Were those cards the secretary so carefully filed away ever looked at again Jan wondered wondered wondered won won- dered about this during the day and learned with the passing weeks that they never were At least she was never called Wh When n a producer gets r ready ady to put on a Show snow he lie announces through the News o of the Stage columns of the various newspapers that he is casting casting cast cast- ing and is sending out a call for chorus applicants to be at the sta stage e eo o of the so and theater at 9 a. a m. m promptly Jon came to watch for or these calls She went vent to several of them but wasn't chosen She didn't know wh why She thought that she was fully ully asgood asgood as asgood good looking as many who were picked But somehow she was passed over She simply didn't get geta a n break Ted was having just as hard hord a time He too went rom from call to call He too left his name and telephone telephore number at countless agencies But he got no further along than did Jan They met often oHen these days clays finding finding find find- ing some rome consolation In dancing dancin together together together to to- gether and commiserating together Neither wanted to let the long 1 layoff lay lay- a off oU they were going through soften them They danced together did steps together practiced together Both were waiting for something to turn up And still nothing did turn up Haunts Booking Offices It got to a point where Jan simply haunted the various booking offices and casting agencies She was getting getting get get- ting pretty desperate When the thc unit had disbanded Jan Jon had over which she had carefully saved against the thc possibility that she might not be able to get immediate work Not that such a possibility seemed prominent prominent prom prom- at that time Her letters home were cheerful ones Her parents didn't know o of the struggle she was going through True she told them that she wasn't doin doing anything that she hadn't secured ajob ajob a ajob job jobos as os yet ct but she always added that she expected to momentarily With her money dwindling rapidly Jan Jon decided that she could no longer afford to stay at Aunt Kates Kate's She was paying 12 a week for or her room and handing out this mm aum each week made quite a dent in the little money she had left She decided to move and one morning boarded a downtown subway for Gre Greenwich Vil Vii lage She left the train at the Christopher Christopher Christopher Chris Chris- street Sheridan Square station station station sta sta- sta- sta tion and started looking about Jan didn't know much about the village She had hod read that it was a place where struggling writers artists and dancers lived She had read some of the O. O Henr Henry stories and felt certain eer lain tain from what she read that she would be able to find a 3 small place for very little mone money But in this Jan Jon met disappointment disappoint ment Prices were if it anything higher high er than they were uptown Greenwich Greenwich Green Green- Village had changed She worked her way uptown walking walk walk- ing Lag through Washington square and stopped for lor a short time to watch the hundreds of ot Italian children at ot their various games She walked up Fifth avenue admiring the tall well kept apartment buildings all of which had two or more uniformed attendants standing outside At street she crossed Fifth avenue and walked east toward Union square On the north side of the street Jans Jan's eye was caught by bya a sign in the window of a dirty dusty looking gloomy old brownstone The sign read Dc De Carolos Studio of the Dance Jon Jan was Interested and her interest interest inter inter- est cst heightened wHen she S saw lW still another sign Apartment to Let LetOne LetOne LetOne Let Let- One Room To be Continued Tomorrow |
