Show TODAY'S TODA YS Y'S SHORT STORY IF Fiction by Americas America's ra le Greatest esl W Writers T e lh I X A. Horary Ca TWO PEEPS AT SHAKESPEARE By Frank M. M OBrien OBren A lono lone man at leisure In 11 a strange ctt city does head feather things If It he Is very e sensitive to solitude ho he engulfs the beakers beaker's crimson tide If 1 ho Is a mere sentimentalist he pur pursues ues a n lithe fleeting veiled half hal romantic shadow shadon until sho she disappears Into a R scullery I went to see ee The Tho Merry erl Wives of or Windsor In New York all al the tho steam Windsor I winches of ot all an the tho contra contractors tors on the f j fI I general committee of ot Tammany Hall hail could not have warped mo me into a a theatre theatre theatre the the- I atre to listen to a n Shakespearean com com- ed edy I But In Ohio I T felt feU the I call cal of ot the drama realized that ones one's onesI I real Intellectual life Is developed only i I 98 S per cent if It he confines himself to toG toI I G G. M. M Cohan and after supper supper supper-supper upp supper r-supper supper is SR the tho word vord in tn Muskingum county county- theatre strolled down n do to the But at the tho door I almost for forgot ot otA A Avons Avon's yon fa favorite favorito orte son on for tor I camp camo cao upon Pete ete Henderson Helder on as great reat a n press agent a elt eltAR as AR ever er mimeographed a n mummers mummer's merits The alliteration is a mild mUd imitation imitation imi imi- ta tation ton of Petes Pete's own on literary literary- style He Ho Holed led me In silence to the nearest tY t y- y palace and let the bubbles die In pala hi gin fizz fizz- fizz I assured him that dew York Tork was wae still sti In its regular position po- po et- et and likely to endure until his r return turn I told him eve everything that should interest a minded broad minded brad citizen temporarily absent from his dear metropolis metropolis me me- that Denn Benny was still sti dealing bank in Lone Lna that the high cost of fT r at a quart In the themore themore themore more refined places place that three new cabaret shows hows had open opened d and closed cosed In as many weeks week and that his lots lot Inthe in inthe inthe the Bronx would be benefited h by the thc Brooklyn subway extension I T did not t tell 1 him that our export of or blan mange blanc mange had fallen flen off of horribly Inthe in inthe inthe the last quarter quartet T I could not bear to to and anel besides he did not ask Rk me t It 1 ItAas was Aas one of the warmest e evenings s so o nt that fall fal and the fizzes were excel excel- It was 10 o'clock when Pete Pele eked whither I had ha been bound when I crossed his bows I was bound I 1 confessed toward the very verv theatre from which you OU merged emerged It I was m my notion noton to see N Falstaff strutting In and swinging s It it It Then said sid Pole Pete you 0 had better wrap yourself around two more fizzes wrap nap your our notion noton around round your our brain and RO go 10 to your our hotel and dream of Mr 11 Why h not Dot see your our Frederic Fenton Fenton Fen- Fen ton lOl I queried Is JR he lie not In your our own words Hacketts Hackett's only legitimate successor He Is In my own words said sid Pete but not R otherwise Fenton Is fat and nd so EO was Falstaff Falstaf There the resemblance begins and ends Frederic Fenton the hand handsome ome the prince of or players players play play- ers er the acme of actors the peerless performer has net not In his solemn head the faintest notion noton of or what Falstaff was is or should be F Fenton as Falstaff Is a pa page pace e adfor adfor ad ail for a a Methodist t seminary In the Police Gazette or trying to make a Harlem Harlem- Ite He understand why hy people live lve In iq Brooklyn Utterly useless I guess he thinks his fatness covers the whole character How Ho Hodo do you do lo enough business to keep Item him fat tat I a asked ked the awful part of H I. I lt said Mid Pete Hes got ot mone money money barrels barrels of or It It- It that his wife made In the cosmetic trade and he ho will wi be a Falstaff forever forever for for- ev ever r. r even If he has to hire audiences tor Unless he pets gets thin I suggested That would stop him I suppose scald said sid Pete But as ns It would also ahoo stop m my w salary I lets let's pray against such a calamity Thus stern ter necessity kicks art In the fac face Even at that W we went to tho the theatre in time for tor part of or the last act Ct Pete had not slandered Frederic Federic Fenton Fen Fen- ton It was as a sour crabbed Falstaff f I J saw Ills His Ils speeches to Mistress Ford were as amorous as an undertakers undertaker's undertakers undertaker's window H He was as two hundred and fifty fifty t ty pounds of or gloom with words to 10 re re- re cite Yet he ho did make mo me laugh lauh once How could I otherwise when I 1 heard hear him solemnly say Heavens defend me mo from that Welsh tal fairy lest ho transform me irie to a a piece of cheese Shakespeare manages somehow to keep cep himself up to date Goodbye said sid Peto Veto to mo Inc an hour later We le are heating beating It I at dawn At I B 6 1 o'clock next winter if w we WI are luck lucky I will wi sec fee you OU at Rectors Rector's bar I will wil l sitting at a n table 1 said wishing to be more specific Ask the waiter walter with wills wih the bla black k suit for me e The one with wih tho the whito tic tc aRk asked cd I Pete Yes 1 answered and the flat tint feet foot I kept Inept m my engagement but Pete did not The Tho ho waiter brought his excuses however howe r- r The They were ere printed In a 1 lower corner corner corner- of an nn Inside pa page e of or an evening paper that January da day under undera a White River Junction date line lne Cold CoM ns as it was ns on Broadway I knew that New York was as a Port Said In comparison comparison comparison com com- town In Vermont Ver Ver- parison with wih the tho to n montI mont I have ha a sly sl- sl belief that the mercury mercury mercury mer mer- cury reaches what the tho scientists call 01 absolute zero In tn White River Junction but that tho the chamber of ot commerce there suppresses all weather news s ne after 95 below Is recorded Whenever r you see a White River Rivet Junction heading In Ina Ina ina a newspaper skip it unless it-unless unless you OU want to read about cold coM weather This was Petes Pete's excuse for heln being absent White While River nl cr Junction Vermont anuar January 20 All O.-Al O. All the ho members of or orthe the Frederic Fenton th theatrical troupe trupe which was lost In tho the snow ano for five ti days between Woodstock and Hartland havo have rea reached hed here alive after terrible hardships hardships Tho The star Mr Fenton lost Jost nearl nearly ono one hundred l pounds In weight el ht I never cared for hot whisky but I sent the young man with tho the flat fat feet galloping to get ct one ono I drank it to the tho health of oC Pete Peto Henderson Then I forgot forgot for for- got sot him for many malt months Autumn found me mo In the West Vest cst once more and Pete Peto Henderson found me too I was waR In St St. Louis Luis standing at a abar abar bar perhaps for the tho rea reason on that m my cane was tired tred and had asked me to tc let it swing awing for a few minutes on a anice anice anice nice smooth hand rail rl A confiding I drink had fluttered into m my honest honEst freckled hand I knew Petes Pete's voice as ashe ashe ashe he slapped me on the shoulder And Ane I Idid Idid Idid did not lo look k at him even en e in the mirror If you OU have havo o ha an any sense of oC decency I said sid without turning you ou will wl not ask me to look 1001 at the place where the the tip tp oC of your our ear ar was before It was frozen off Nor do I 1 wish wih to hear how old harness haress tastes it must be like Scotch whisk whisky If I you to enter Into conversation about chop sue or direct primaries or mania or Franz Fanz Liszt or motor tires tres I will wi Join you OU in a hearted half hearted way a But Dut I will wi not listen to the sto story of or your privations privations u pr priva priva- tons in the bitter blUer North The city di director directory directory di- di rectory rector reeks with Uh Sweeneys more fitted fit fit- fit fitted ft- ft ted tel for the task No Xo doubt you ou were the noble rescuer of the and you kept the star str from eatn eating tho the leadIn leading lead lead- In ing ladys lady's dog doS Be silent on tho the subject subject sub sub- sir and tell tel the bartender what you want Pete Henderson obeyed with wih a n grin In How now Is Shakespeare I r Inquired d It I saved awl asking about Petes Pete's health which was wa evidently Menth- good or his wife's aunt or Eddie Smith or an any one of of ot that tha kind The same Eme old bo boy said Pete Hes like Mathewson and Brown he he has everything speed everything speed control curves and the noodle And nd he lasts like C Cy Young What is your our show and where I 1 asked Julius ulus Caesar and next door said Pete I r Just came In here through si I a secret t pas passage e that leads lends to one of ot the boxes The man who built this buit theatre must havo have had one special regular patron with wih a special regular thirst Come in and look on The shows show's just st starting rUn Dont Imagine Im I'm Im a Shakespeare enthusiast I said Hes Ues almost too modern for fol me I prefer the old Greek things R. R B Besides J. J C. C has ha got an awful mess of lone lon speeches hrs by b he-actors he I I Who's your our Marc are Antony Anton Mr Ir Edwin Ln Langham said sai Pete Pet and whatever his faults fauls ma may be be e. e ho he looks so much like Wee Williams ilams Jennings Bryan that we can ean play the Southwester Southwestern Southwestern South South- western wester states the thE year car round But dont don't mind him You'll Youl find the rest of or tho cast rather good We Ye slipped in another drink and through h the tho passage c. c As we entered the box hox the first shout of the Common People of or Romo Rome rang out out out-at at twenty five twentY fl cents per nl night ht per pet super I settled down Iown In a dark corner corer I know that that Brutus and Cas- Cas sius were were about to have a long anti antl- ant ant- Ca Caesar sar talk One of ot the voices seemed teemed to ring familiar on m my car Who is playing Cassius 1 I I asked ed Pete Peto Henderson The best Cassius in best m my time sid said Pete Pet and ane maybe maybo tho the best that ever happened Hes He's got ot the presence prEsence the lean and hungry look the tho cavernous cavernous cavernous caver caver- gloom Seldom he smiles and smiles in such a n sort as If It he mocked himself and scorned his spirit Shut up said Bald I and let me mo listen i Ill I'll Il II form torm m my own notions about him Cassius had the stage I could hear coul him perC perfectly ct and ane by stretching my neck I saw that he came up to the physical Ideal of or the part A gaunt trick conspirator bitter against his boss bosi Yet there them seemed something beside malice malice- in In- his tono tone when he lse came camo to say I r was born bor free as Caesar so were you ou I t tWe We both have fed as ns well and wo we can both bolh cnn Endure the winters winter's wen well a as D he There was reminiscence in tho the tone and perhaps a n touch of ot re regret et After ACer the tho theatre Pete and I had two more drinks On our way toward our hotels we e passed a bakery not far from the tho theatre A tall tal spare spare- man was wa looking in the brightly brIghty lighted window where the tawny angel food tood vied with t lUp neatly neaty varnished bread and the we ing cake raised its pure puro white spires to heaven heaven The tall taU man was licking his lips I knew him It 1 was Cassius my Cassius-my my splendid Cassius o othe of f the tho hour before k Ho He dare dare not eat whispered Pete Henderson n to me Ho must diet In agony or go o back to his hla former mediocrity medio medio- crity to crity-to to tho the days before our rigorous Vermont climate stripped Falstaff our of at his fat tot and his hla foolishness at once and made an actor ator of ot him him And Ad then h ho he called caled aloud Good Goodnight Goodnight night Mr Fenton I |