Show Horseshoes Great Fun for Rainy Day Days DayIs I Is s Strange Name Chase BlUr lly Rose 1 Somewhere on the the- isle of Mana Man- Man the of or name by a man tun Itna Szymon t On the same Island live Jive HYacinth Hyacinth Hyacinth Hya Hya- M u c k 1 e SI Veda Yap Igna Wank John T T. de Blois Wack Vade A A. A R Rc c e n i e t e lla Ua Hatzala Hatza- Hatza la Ja and a R agent agent gent named Frank Ix I If you think j I Rose Roe Im I'm k Ie kidding i d d din i n g. g open the New York City telephone c directory and check up on me And while youre you're at it look sharp and you may spot one of thes these awesome rs yourself If It you do extract a drop of blood from your thumb dip your pen in it and letter the name out on a apiece apiece apiece piece of thin tissue You will then be a full fledged member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Cognomen Collectors Name collecting I hasten to add has la al always s 's been the noblest of hobbies Some benighted souls Rouls collect paintings stamps match boxes and pieces of string shing- but the prince of oC collectors is h he e who stalks and snares snares the Unbelievable unbelievable unbelievable un un- believable examples of hum human an handles Viz Viz the name Kooky Looky Looky I 1 admit that the venerable artof art artof artof of name collecting isa a. a vanishing g art but dont don't let Jet ct that disturb you The practitioners of it the keepers of oC the faith are a loyal and enthusiastic enthusiastic enthusiastic en en- group When one of nf If them returns from a field trip which generally consists of trekking trekking trek trek- king through phone books and cotillion rosters he will spend J weeks exhibiting his specimens to brother connoisseurs and basking in the warmth of their and An expert I know has been dining out for the past six months months' sim simply l because somewhere in the fastness of th the African veldt he had based oni OI of the rarest specimens sped tens mens of all aU time Sump Esq Like Uke all arts name name collecting has its tall tales tale and legends which are told wherever where the Ira fra fraternity ra gathers g My favorite ha has hasto hasto to 10 do with one of the most indefatigable indefatigable inde Inde- fatigable of oC the directory browsers browsers browsers brow brow- sers a magazine writer with the unlikely name of oC Joe S Smith Several months ago a Hollywood Hollywood Holly Holly- wood studio brought Joe out to work on a scenario based on one of his stories He was given an office a desk a phone and you and you guessed it It-a It a telephone directory of greater Io Los Angeles Temptation Wins jn For two d days vs Joe worked de determinedly de- de at his typewriter con conscious conscious conscious con con- of his responsibilities and of the bl big salary he hc- hc was receiving But try as he would his eye kept straying to the plump pro promising ising volume on the window sill On I the third day he took the phone off the hook hoot lowered the window windo shade sank into an easy chair placed the book on his eager knees and opened it And the first name which caught his eye was Gisella IVer- IVer pun This I cant can't believe he said to himself Even in Hollywood such a name is impossible But Joe was wrong It so happens that there really is a Gisella in Lo LoAn Los An Angeles Before the war she was wasa a character actress of considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able repute in Austria and at that time her name was simply Gisella Subsequently she married a restaurateur named Herr and when Mr Hitler took over she and her spouse fled to Hollywood Here because because because be be- cause of her heavy heavy accent this talented actress has had to content content content con con- tent herself with playing bit parts mostly maids which dont don't even rate screen credit So He Dialed maled Joe Smith of course knew none of off this He stared at the name for a long time rolling its rich succulent syllables on his tongue Then suddenly and with resolution resolution resolution tion he picked up th the phone and dialed the number Hello he said in a tremulous voice Is this uh Gisella Yah a pleasant voice answered an an- Gisella Yah das iss she Joe didn't know what to say next Gisella he ad this is an old friend of yours The and C l' l b 1 a s t Sump I used to go to the University University University Uni Uni- of Wisconsin with you re remember remember remember re- re member said the voice Vass Vas neUer in the ledding alone the ool Im terribly sorry said the writer I r must have the wrong Gisella And now if you ou dont don't mind scholars Ill I'll bring bring- this column to toa a close Yesterday I was riffling through the phone book and I happened to notice that Babette and Zebede are listed next to each other Excuse me wont won't you ou Ive I've got to make a phone call Copyright 1948 by Billy Rose |