Show I T THE H E J JEST EST J r ir t S r 1 RY ill r R. R TR TO On Only three ae of or the Uio company conc concern n ua 8 loo Massey fa ey was the light light- comedIan com corn edian married to live Eve dEstelle Estelle the thol soubrette And Ancl C Cyril Atherton he was the baritone the baritone the lover the lover the member or of the ino company who most ambitiously strove s- s to look unlike e nn an actor to n assume as ns- sumo sume the appearance of an En English country gentleman The GIll I rest st of oC the till email Light Opera Touring Company are oro of r no o consequence They he lived JIved in third rate lodging hOIl houses ps In the towns owns which the they vl visual I They traveled third ela class and played nap nal for te points lOi n ts t hot Hint hn t col coincided wll with h their I salaries There was wag no effort on their r part to 10 conceal the obviousness of or their Clon Th They talked about their parts pails and their theil opportunities s In hi nil all public houses houses man Co for I himself r each woman for herself elf lh There were nil all the little petty jealousies all the thc little tragedies of t depreciating looks that are to b be found In any such com com- 4 It of TJI pv pio They rhey were no dif dlf- ferent forent nt train from any other r company and therefore do 10 not concern us t They had hod Just h began an n a week at nt Fordham Ford Ford- ham six ham six Ix nights and n a matinee limo Tho r acl p hills bills had hOI announced the crew Lydia Opera Olra Company direct from rm a ar r t London theatre and the names of Joe 1 Massey fl Eve dEstelle stell and Cyril y Ather- Ather i tun ni were pi printed lined In large Jargo red characters charac- charac tors about the town Xo No o one in Fordham Ford Ford- v ham barn had ever heard of them before hut but largo large characters go o a lon long way woy t to snaking making a well-known well actor In hi th the l provinces I Yet let what Fordham thought of them then whether Fordham am lau laughed hed at Joe Mas Massey's us- us sey's scy worn time-worn whimsicalities looked I. I with envious eyes at Eve Ee e s pretty poses or 01 fell in love lo with Cyril Cyr Atherton's tons ton's manly pr presence and thrill thrill- in ill voice is l 1 neither here nor there I It Is Is- what these three felt among them them- wives selves that is interesting Joes Joe's whim whim- s were t I often on the tho outcome o or of t sorrowful or m passionate thoughts Eves Eve pretty tty IIO poses s were nearly always made mad painful h by tightly laced lacell clothes ant anti and Atherton's manly presence could all b be hung upon one peg in the tho dressing dressing- room Nothing Is real ical on the stage stageS stage tage- S that I Is to Na say nothing that we see sec Itt I It t Is behind the scenes that one ono comes to lo the rhe realities And it Is behind the scenes that this story is is- laid The two men shared a n dressing ing room mom That hat In lI Itself t IC was WIS a luxury Man Many times during the tour they had bad had as man many as five In one ohe room Five with two dressing tables is too many mallY r even en among the most unselfish actors It was waR the third night ht of their w week p at nt I Ath Atherton seated at hi his r iT dressing table during on one of his waits traits a W was S writing a Ie letter Joe was on the stage and the tho call boy his only admirer ad admirer ad- ad In the company was waR holding his sides s In the tho wings and laughing at S Joes faces Joe had nry n to come como onto the stage so his wife had said when th they were first married and the whole audience would bo ho in coul convulsions lons But during the last two years cars that praise of him was not spoken or it was forgotten for for- gotten altogether When hen he hc did make 4 i his appearance c that inimitably hUmor humorous humorous hum hUm- or orous us expression of his disgusted hery her y r She saw star no humor mot in it and and though i i t the people laughed she site would whisper into his car Joe for Gods God's sake sale dont don't make malc such a a. ghastly fool foot of or yourI yourself your your- I I 1 self I t But the whisper was accompanied I i gored k with a dainty smile and a pretty pose j and the thc audience was delighted with the excellence of h her r dumb show I. I Just such a little lilt scene Mene as this had taken talen place on the third night of or tho the week at Fordham and though thought the humorous humorous humorous hu hu- expression had not disappear disappear- disappeared I ed from his face as he left the stage followed by hy shouts of laughter and applause applause ap ap- yet et the words she had used S had cut him deeply deeper than either of or them Imagined f Toiling wearily up the draughty draught r stone stairs to his dressing room he heI art I sighed in more more re than once Outside the thedoor I loot door he stopped It was open H He i ii i could see seo inside He could see 17 Atherton sitting at his dressing table M t j Writing For one moment and with wilh r n no no cons conscious lous Intention he paused and in that moment Atherton looked up at nt the photograph that hun hung on the pink washed wall und under r the caged m g. g rr c gas jet s He not nol only looked up up-he up he hissed his hand to it IL m 1 Moo Joe held y his breath An expression lon t far from humorous distorted his face J i That ph photograph was one of ot his wife wire f v. taken w with th the Intention of or advance advertisement Sho had given en that copy to fourteen months before 3 and c he carried carried It with him wherever where he went For a little while longer he watched as Atherton continued with will his letter then the old old humorous look 1001 was assumed and antI he came into th the room hastU hastily put the letter Int Into 1118 hi up male box and commenced t to retouch fills rac face JO Joe J looked down clown at al him and laughed la At l It iL again lies hes lId aid At what That Chat perfect face H JJ Ile bowed i In mock mork homage Wh Why paint the lily lily lily- why retouch the rase Perfection should alwn always be left alone Not in this profession m my dear dea chap and then ho sang m In that the 11 voice of or his M My ty face Is In my fortune sir he Ire said ahl II 11 He e IO rose 1050 O from rom the table dropping a simpering simp Bring ering to Joe Toc Once an actor actor- always nn an actor you OU know Inow Joe TOt turned awn awa away with repulsion This Iris I In is th the I first time Ive I've seen th tin necessity for the tho Income tax he lie said suld 1 Atherton herton t tried to understand you ou mt mean How low necessary To 10 prevent too Inan many people making makins fortunes he hf laughed Inu hed It Is a n fact that It Is bad form to 10 laugh at your our own jokes joke but hut when you 1 0 aran ar aT an nn actor when actor when you make malm your our hived lt Jj hood h by your our jesting then Jesting then If no on 1111 laughs nt ot your johes joles you must laugh l yourself You Yon would ouM go marl mad If vo yo VOt II Laughter Laughter- Is your our Justification Plow How about the People eople i flint can only onU make their fortune fortuno by cracking si I 11 H jol jokes jokes' Does Docs the Income tax l. l Ia n them out not of th time the question ht r Mainly Mainly oli oh yes Oh Olt yes 9 Oh does Oh does it Docs It U And wi wh why why- So tow few mal make l' l fortunes Its It's tint not litH s 0 easy to be he a fl fool root You dont don't seem to find It very verv uhf tilt OculI Joe Joo smiled 11 mechanically leally I I 1 suppose you OU think with the tilt r s n-s st of or them he said that That Im I'm never s serious that I shall put on a n wr wry face and aud tr try to get a n laugh lauh when It ll comes comes comei to kicking the lie bucket Ho Tie paused for his answer but Atherton was engaged In spraying hl his throat But nut you Oll all ull wrong he hr went on You none of or you know anything anything any any- thing about It lu Im I'm a tl little chap Im I'm Im I'm not built for or that looks so so- lous t If I T were to 10 show fight to tu anyone any anyone one ono of or you'd hold sides you your our laughing Atherton began to look 1001 at nt him In ht surprise surprise sur sur- prise hats this about he asked askell Do you want to lo play Hamlet There re was a n. loud knock knoek on the door The call hO boy had lirou brought ht their beer two beer two ugly black bottles and two thick glasses on a 1 cheap japanned tray har lIe He laid them just lust In inside the room cast one ono i glance glanc In In Joe's Joes y direction then appeared Atherton sauntered s toward his portion I open opened ell the tho bottle filled his glass Joe Jot did lid did the same The They both tool took an affectionate affectionate Interest In it it was so bright so sparkling so IO cheery After the first draught Atherton lost his Ironical tone Do Do you ou ever er use this stuff with s ilk your our up make-up ho he said holding up a little bottle for 01 Joe to see seo Its joll Jolly good What hat for Cor Even Evert a n twinkle has returned to Joes Joe's eye ye Mixing with paint grease It It it-It It sort of preserves the tho skit skin from Injurious Ious aftereffect after aCtor effect of make makeup Deadly you poison poison you can an can only u use e a drop at a time tune A sort of safe deposit for Cor the tho fortune for for- tune He lie waited a moment to see If IC Atherton would catch the point of his joke then burst out laughing himself Stage Mr 11 Atherton It was the call cnn boys boy's voice olce Atherton laid aid down his half-finished half glass of beer heel straightened himself sang sotto sotto oc through trough a scale coughed and then turned to o tho the door doat- As he opened It turned he-turned round cund I The mo most t tragic trag-ic moment In the light comedians comedian's life he said In his most refined refined re- re fined ned fined voice is when he begins to be the only one who laughs at his own jokes Then he departed The twinkle left Joes Joe's eyes Dyes es again and ho aid laid down his glass lass of beer That was what they thy thought of him Was it because he was not so funny tunny ashe as ashe asic he ic used to be or simply because the they hat had ad got tired tiled of ot his jokes The public still sUlI lall laughed hed Yes the public still laughed 13 The They had been holding their heir sides Ides only a few moments moment before It mu must t be e because every one In the company was tired Ired of him They had seen his Jesting sa often too too often orten And yet et tired as n. ashey they hey the were wele of or it It thc they would never lot him be serious Why h was that He Tic had often said things In the seriousness of his own mind he had often made passionate love to his wife and all that she sho or the they sand said was Oh for God Cod s sake stop slop your fooling F Fo rot the past few months montils he had more often felt vcr very serious than funny But Bul ho 10 was Wag In a n. groove He lie wondered whether er cr he would ever er gl pot get l out of or It If once ho loo could have made his wife cr cry for sheer pathos he Imagined that he would be hapl happy for the rest of Ills his life lire A As It was wa his greatest reward was when she laughed tl despite herself nn and called him him a funny old And Anti that conceited Atherton he thought pr precisely th the s slime mc as the rest When hen he had been serious only a n few fw momen moments Is ngo ago had hati asked hint him If ho wanted to pIn play Hamlet That DUBLIN CA CASTLE ROBBED OF JEWE JEWELLED REGALIA GALIA 5 f Nr q I C r i i t is A t te 5 SW v r VM r r t s wC it I t girl o 1 IC t 5 S. S fL r i cut shows shorts Earl Kai I of Aberdeen r n eu u lit n of r the stolen m le- le e- e S tel galia galla antI and 11 the tower t of Dublin a t ti mu ft m h th y were ab abstracted The rime Dublin castle casU sentries sweat swear tin th thy v no u. i tran er in the room from Crom which regalia was stolen n. Below Delow on the rl right ht shows I King Jing- in Edward who had hall e ex- r r peeled to use th the stolen rt regalia at the i cent visit Mt to Dublin u y 1 I was wa th they y way th they understood his se se- What hat by the way Nay ha her wondered had ha Atherton been n writing A when he lie came In InV In lie He hll had hod J lil kissed s d his hand to the time photograph of ot well Eva well he be was Vas always al alwa always al- al wa ways doing that lh The way in which tho they openly pretended to be In love with each other had often made the flood run cold through though Toes Joe's veins But what hat had he been been writing and antI wh why did he conceal It so 0 hastily In his up make box Joe crossed to tho the room dressing with a LL fixed 1 determination determination in his mind He Ire o opened the box he too took the I letter out out out-ho he began to read it In a moment his bis whole face race changed in fn 11 a n. moment t he was a different man The time to be serious had haa arrived it was a letter to Ills his wiC wife Sweetheart I It t hC began theres there there a anew anew a anew new compan company starting from Crom London In Ina In Ina Inno a no fortnight splendid parts In it for tor both joth of us us-I us 1 pounds a n week each Polka Falka and those operas I know tho the manager h he says he lie can get us parts Wo l 0 apply separately of or course And Ana then what's then what's It matter about him How lIow pouve youve stood his liis ghastly worn-out worn jokes okes for so long IonS is 18 more more- And there thero the he letter broke off So this was what It had come to Their pr pretense tense of making love had hadeen been een serious They he were going awu away She was going to leave him The he thoughts danced In his brain th they y maddened him Reason Heason was utterly out the of tho question was tie ho was enraged with jealousy jealous His Ills f features at les worked themselves them them- selves elves Into grotesque e expressions them them-I They lid did not l t. t t think k he could be They would thought so so could so-could could ui they lave have seen seem him then 1 He lie Im knew w it Jt was waN because he was a n. jester ester because she could see nothing else In him because she was tired of oft It t all But nut he ho would bo ho serious He lie would show them all that there was a deeper sense of or the reality allty of or things in n time the bottom of his heart than ever there heie could be In theirs theirs puppets puppets ts who only acted the serious side o of life Howie low How he ie hated them But Rut what could he do do hat could he do to prove C that he awns aws a clown no nn lon longer cr but Lut a man n A hundred wa ways s 's SU suggested themselves to o him He would accuse e he would chal- chal lengo Iengo ongo Atherton Yet that would be Le pro good The They would only lau laugh h at him him only think he was going oln to great lengths to o b be bo funn funny What if he Jl left ft her throw her upon her heT own resources He lie knew In n his heart that she would probably ask asit for nothing better belter He lie was as baffled e every every ry way war Ills HIM thoughts drove him to tion Of Of Or what use uso was life to him a poor weak specimen of humanity in striving to prove that he lie had a u heart and finding all alt his efforts tuned tinned to laughter or contempt contempt con eon tempt n By sudden and suM subtle Ie degrees he hf hev v worked 01 lied hIs hs mind to a n rl frenzy He lie dared to do thing things in In his mini mind at which he would have hav shuddered d hut but a few moments moments moments mo mo- ments before and having done them In his mind the thou thoughts suggested actions What hat If It he lie 1 killed this man who was about to steal ste-al his wife wife his his honor honor every every little tittle thing that held his lire life together life together What If If he hc killed him There Thero would bo be no comedy In ht that What Mint if he |