Show Telegram Short Story T Tomorrow East Lynne LynneS S By William Jute Jule ule Wilbur Wright his handsome features alive with intent emotion pointed an admonishing finger Now you listen to me for a n change Keep still One more word and Ill I'll climb over that desk Wilbur chuckled grimly at the amazed expression on face Ill do th the talking now he shouted Do you hear me Ive I've waited weeks to tell you to your ugly face what I think of you ou Put me out of your our hotel will you Well I guess noil noU Hold my trunk for forback forback forback back rent will ivill you ou Tr Try it that's it-that's that's I all just try it Im I'm a rotten actor i am I How do you know You provincial penny pincher what do you know about acting Im in arrears am I So what I tried to be fair air with you Jer- Jer g n. n I tried to give you a chance but you wouldn't listen No You were only interested in mone money J. J hats That's ats at's what you ou said yourself wasn't it Well you'll youtH get your our filthy money You'll get every penn penny pen pen- n ny fly that's coming to you Im I'm not the penniless penniless' ham you thought I was Do you get me mc I can buy your hotel and use it for firewood Wilbur's eloquence assumed a soft intensity I he al almost almost al- al most hissed you dont don't know what its it's like to be broke do you Youve You've always alwa's had money mone lived in the tho lap lapat lapof lapof of at luxury but what enjoyment did you ever get out of it Did you ever experience the warm friendliness ness of a bottle of ot wine vine and congenial congenial congenial con con- genial companions Did you ever know the soft white arms around your n neck ck Why you big baboon when I first came to your hotel otel I had high hopes Who Vho wouldn't have had A first class company presenting only the finest Broad Broadway ay successes How were we to know lenow that the yokels wouldn't have sense enough to appreciate the better things in the spoken drama And the productions When have you or has anyone else ever e looked at such stage settings And you tell teU me Im I'm a rotten actor eh Did you ever er take a look at my press notices Here take a peep at some of these these see see what they think of me meIn mein mein in Joplin And look what Albert Lea Lell has to say about my perform perform- ance How do you like this notice from Chippewa Falls pretty Falls pretty bad eh h Wilbur struck n ft Napoleon-at- Napoleon cleared his throat and proceeded I 1 was always considered considered considered con con- a good actor J Why even In the tho grades I was the star reader of ot the class In high school I 1 won all aU the declamatory declamatory declama declama- tor tory and oratorical contests My elocution teacher told me I possessed possessed possessed pos pos- a dramatic talent which would some day make me mc famous I I didn't have to stay in the show business long before company managers managers managers man man- agers everywhere recognized th the tha fact that I was the most versatile juvenile on on the tho stage and stage and you tell teU me Im I'm a rotten actor What do you ou know about acting Why you d dont don't nt even know lenow how to run run a hotel So SOS you were going to put me Inc out of your hotel because I lowed loweda owed oweda a measly two weeks weeks' rent were you ou Well fix your glasses you old skin skin- and take a squint at my bank bankroll roll Kinda bowls you over eh I thought so Where did I got get all the tho money Wouldn't you lI like eto to know Well when you get your curiosity whetted up to fever pitch Ill I'll tell you that I came by it honestly Mr Shylock I happen to be the sole heir to one of the tho largest estates In America How do you like that Ive enjoyed this a lot joining a show troupe and pretending pretending pretending pre pre- tending to live on the stingy salary that's been paid Oh not that the show Dhow wasn't good good It It was The best popular priced opera in the country coun coun- try rho Tho business was bad that's all But the tho idea of ol me me-ME me ME a 11 mul mul- getting away with th the stall that I was broke You know I like to pretend Ever Eve since I was a kid Ive I've lived in th the theland theland land of ot always posing as a poor man Its It's been great fun Of course you ou wouldn't understand that you money grabber I wouldn't let Jet you you in on thi this secret if you hadn't hadn threatened to hold my trunk There Ther arc are keepsakes in that old box that tha even I couldn't buy with all m my money Boy that's a laugh Yo You holding my trunk Ive waited a long time for tor this thi moment and you'll have hav to pardon me If I seem to gloat a little over my triumph Its It's a funny thing thing- The harsh jangle of the telephone roused Wilbur from rom his meditative orator oratory Hello who Hello who Yes Mr why why no Im I'm Im I'm-I'm Im I'm sorry but I simply cant can't raise the mone money Mr No I cant can't do tha thaI that I haven't a friend or a relative i ithe In Inthe inthe the world Why Why yes yes Im I'm a all packed Ill I'll be out of or the hotel i in five minutes sir Yes Ill Til leave th the trunk trunk thank and er thank you sir Copyright for The Telegram |