Show ANITA CORTEZ it was young morgans first appearance ance on any stage the city editor wanted a two column article on sirs mrs bluebeard from behind the scenes and morgan was given the assignment the press agent introduced him to the stage manager who grunted a response and then turned his attention to weightier matters the stage was dirty looking some scenery enery gc backed up against the wall appeared garish and cheap not at all so 0 o soft and beautiful as when seen from the front A chorus girl brushed past morgan she was plastered with rouge and had two heavy black lines painted under her eyes iler her lashes were thick with some black stuff and yet from his seat eat in the parquet the other night dight he had thought her beautiful beyond compare the play had already com commenced men ced a and nd the comedian was capering around the stage with the soubrette A crowd of men incased encased in brass armor leaned against a stone painted wall while some borne chorus girls gowned Us as peasants were chatting and laughing laug liing a few feet fee away what the devil tire are you girls gills padding gadding about over there ther er came the voice of the stage manager ive told you a hundred times to stand land in III that second entrance and ami wait your cur tre there ill fine the whole crowd of you it if I 1 lave havo to tell you again the girls gills moved in a matter of fact sort of way to the entrance designated one of the girls gills a halrid little thing stuck her tongue out when the stage managers link bak was cripps is nn an old crank blie said the other girls laughed young morgan organ uok took a long breath lie ile was accustomed accustom cil to pro profanity faulty down at the office but their hen there were no women there A burst of music rind the gills gh Is tripped on the stage just lis as the comedian panting arid and per string came t tumbling off im going to cut that d dance ance tomorrow night crapps its too much exertion for a warm night cut your whole business for all I 1 care answered cripps its not ul kiy y reputation youre making the whole blooming show can go to the devil as far as 01 I 1 am concer concerned ried the comedian yawned dawned oot got lem cm again cripps Crl was all ho br said six girls came jostling olf off the stage one of them stumbled against ft a bit of projecting scenery arid and turo tore a rent real in her ber gown chos got a pin pill dybos got it a pit pin she shouted crapps heard lier her tore your dress did you cost you a dollar help you not to be so careless too take the dress drens to mrs ward after tills scene and tell her to mend it 1 I help it mr COPPS I 1 hurt my side against the scene too ive got ot enough to put up with N without be being lug fined cant help belp how the devil you did it was cripps unfeeling rejoinder you girls come off that scene like a pack of I 1 frightened sheep take your time no blodys chasing you hero gadsby mind min d your lights quick now out lights down with that drop shove that wing around more soso hoso so ho so enough dont take all night with that table that Is a quick change not a funeral get out of the way you fool reporter report erl push that chair on the stage now up lights up lights for the love of heaven and be quick about it and up went the lights as aa suddenly as they went out and morgan heard a burst of applause from the front as the exterior of the kings palace gave way in fifteen seconds to A room in blue beards castle the girls were rushing up the narrow wooden stairs for a chango change of costume armored knights were running past him toward the stage the orchestra was playing a N w lid ild fanfare the stage manager was looking at his bis watch and grinning triumph antly made the change in four seconds quicken time than lust last night lie he said bald have you a pin 11 morgan morean turned it was the girl with a tear in her gown the reporter gave gare her a pin abb 1 stage manager Is no gracious tonight to night he said same as usual she answered he change much ills his daughter over there and she swept her arm vaguely toward a cron crowd 0 of girls t r 1 s who cd edg were sitting on a flight 0 r red e a steps t e p 8 the one with a pink ribbon lit in her hair halac asked morgan no the comedians wife mrs ira winters the ho girl with the yellow tights Is minute minnie cripps she and the comedians wife are thick as thieves they dont love me and I 1 dont love them some day ill got get even with them mrs winters first though youre spanish abood morgan looking at her lustrous hair nud and her dark spanish eyes yen yea my name Is anita cortez 1 I remember you now cow you do a spanish dance around a dagger stuck lu in the stage yes art and if it tor for that lance dance mrs winters and I 1 oh well ill tell you after the lie show going anywhere after the show noa no well the cur min drops at 1054 find and it takes nie about twenty Inin minutes tiles to get out ill meet you in the indies saloon at the cafe around the coiner at 1120 oI ock I 1 have to go up tip stairs rind and dresa for the second act now when I 1 come down ill show you my dagger its a beauty full of jewels and I 1 can throw it fifty feet and hit a bulls ee there goes the curtain town down on oil the first act im late inte arid and slie she darted up tip the stairs then there was pushing arid and shoving and hauling and hoisting as the coatless scene shifters began setting the scenes for the second act the orchestra leader came through a little doer door that led up from under the stage stag cripps caught sight ot of hini him dont give an encore for the opening chorus tonight to night bott erton were four minutes late now on the first act its twenty one of ten AR all right answered the orchestra leader theres a flue fine house out front then their after a pause say cripps I 1 dont want to interfere but that cortez woman Is flirting with every man in ili the house again ashes got my first N violin john daft he made two discords just because he be cant keep his eyes off hor her 1 I 1 warned that cortez minx two weeks ago that id ore fire her the two weeks are up tonight to night and she goes I 1 guess she knox knows s it too for ashes been looking ugly confound her ile he pulled out his watell watch were ready for you betterton and as the orchestra lender leader disappeared through the little door cripps called upstairs all down for the second act A few minutes later the curtain went up on the second act cripps crapps was swearing as usual and a sensitive chorus girl was crying because he had merely called her a waddling hog and had threatened to fine her it if she walk with her let head up in the air and not down on oil her chest as ii it she was rooting for walnuts the act was halt half over when morgan saw anita cortez coming down tho the wooden steps at the foot of the steps stood the comedians wife ilay hay winters her back was toward anita in a second the dancer had drawn a dagger from her belt belt another second rind and she tool took a quick look around no one but morgan mora g a it ob observed arved her bior she saw that lie he was looking at her arid and so ao she threw a kiss at him then like a hash the dagger how flow through the air and burled buried itself to the hilt in may winters back kiniel laneous with her shriek came a cry from froin the daner as she deliberately tumbled down the lie steps landing on top of the wounded woman with the qui quickness kness of lightning slie she pulled the digger dagger from the sniveling flesh aud arld spra ug to her f fert aut my M y god bhe cried my illy god clipps tome ouie here my foot on oil the alie stairs arid and the dagger lew flew out of my hands wounding Nouli ding may winters and oh ell my foots brained pra ined and theres my idy one cue and with ith a limp she bounded on m the alie stage arid and throwing the dagger 99 dripping with blood point dom downward nivard she danced around it like a vi wild ild thing while the audience moved by her tron freu zy rose and checked clie cred again and again at her arid and ille entrance behind the lie scenes it a different dalli part was being played the wounded woman was vias carried into a nearby diefin dic room and thi ali stage carpenter had sped up the for a doctor winters the comedian was blanching tile lie flow of blood with his cap the woman was unconscious she did it on purpose said crapps that fall of hers was vas it a regular stage fall you cant fool me do 1 I dont think it AN was anas as done purposely mild winters unsteadily ile he bent ills head and the tears tars slowly rolled donn don tits ills checks rind and fell on oil the pink tights of the me hurt woman cripps walked softly to the door and went out lie he whistled softly to himself the doctor arrived just as ceiplis came to the door again hurry up winters your one cue by heavens crippa I 1 cant sing sida a topical song now its your bread and butter out front theio your cifes in that room you cant licup her by staying better look after your broad bread and butter Wi winters liters dug ills his nalla nails into the palms of ills hia lands hands cripps hulf half led halt half puah bubli ed cd LIM him toward the stage your hands full of blood wipe milic it on the wings as you go past he said quietly and so winters went capering on tile the stage and sang rind and laughed and made the audience almost wild with delight and the doctor in the dressing room looked brave and tried to stop the flow of blood after lie he had sung throe three verses he darted from the stage and was in the dressing room anita cortez was helping tile the doctor im very sorry about the accident I 1 sir mr winters said bald the dancing girl calmly ive lost my position by it cripps has discharged me winters looked nt at her and set his teeth she looked at him and smiled accidents will happen you know and she sighed can I 1 be of any further assistance doctor 1 I think not lie he answered she walked to the door goodby good by winters she said NIt without bout turning her head noiselessly she opened the door Wi winters titers dropped on hla his knees beside tits ills wife well ile he interrogated looking up at tile the doctor unless theres an 1111 internal liamor rhnee ashes nil all right I 1 think though shell pull through have some one ring for an ambulance shell be better at a hospital than at home 0 young morgan walked into the ladies cafe at the saloon around the corner anita cortez was sitting at a table she looked handsomer off than on the stage youre late she said yes lie he answered the manager kept me hero here making me promise not to use the story it would hurt hint the abow and so I 1 promised though the city editor would kill me it if lie he knew I 1 had the story arid and use it what will you have to drink im not hungry she answered another thing I 1 ask you here to eat arid and drink I 1 want to toll tell you a story once upon it a time the way all nice stories begin you know oh but this n R nice story at all so it must login begin differently once there was a lancer dancer and she joined a burlesque buti buri company there was a man mail I 1 in a it a comedian whom she knew some years roars before but they had bad certain reasons for not allowing other people to know tills this so he treated her as coolly as she treated him that la 19 when anyone was looking ah I 1 see now said morgan 1 no you dont my dear boy let me continue tills this comedian was married to one ot of the chorus girls had been married recently too tills this hurt the other womans comans pride for the man had bad sworn his bia love for her long before lie he had met the pretty blonde but she want the man now she was too proud and she had also outgrown her liking or loving call it what you will see that table by the door well three days ago the comedian came in here after the matinee theother the other woman well viell I 1 was the other woman was sitting at that table alone no one else eise was in the room lie ile came over to me and begged me to leave the company ills his wife was jealous of me women grow jealous intuitively I 1 refused to leave the company ile he got on his knees to bog beg me just then entered ills his wife she marched up to the table called me every vile name in the calendar and before I 1 had bad an inkling of what she intended to do she slapped my face I 1 was vias on my feet in an instant but win came between us and got liis his wife e downstairs I 1 swore id be even with her and I 1 have been but said morgan if pardon me saying so 80 dont you think she was ivas justified Ju stifled in slapping your face 0 anita cortez laughed what a guileless boy you are she said ill tell aou ou another story a shorter one suppose a man marries a woman and in six months tires of her arid and loaves leaves her to starve then suppose lie he marries another woman a ear orso or so afterward wife no 2 finds find her husband with inith wife no I 1 and slaps no Is face now legally it if there was any slapping to be done the first wife should have the right F slie ile well the first wife slap lap she stabbed will you kindly help me on with my iny cloak 1 1 footlights |