Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

8138 ‘““ How does it look, Terry?” he asked. His smaller companion paused and lis- tened as Burke replied. “Tt don’t look like anything yet,” Burke replied. “ Of course it’s not quite time for the audience to come. There’s a few boys hanging around outside the theater,’ he added hopefully. He then turned away and strolled back to a row of little dressing rooms, and, with- out knocking, opened one of the doors and walked in. An expansive woman of forty or more was in the room making up in front of a cracked and wavy mirror. She was wearing nothing but lingerie, and her ap- pearance was grotesque and somewhat re- pellent. Her. plump cheeks had been well whited, and in the right places liberally daubed with rouge. Her nair had been blondined, and it contrasted oddly with the snapping black eyes that she turned on Burke. “Well?” she exclaimed, after he had closed the door behind him. Then, after staring at him somewhat contemptuously for a moment, she added: ‘‘ What do you want now?” “JT just came back, dear,” he told her placatingly, “to see if everything is all right.” “To see if everything’s all right?” she mimicked sarcastically. ‘‘ Why, of course everything’s all right. Here we are, nearly stranded out where there’s nothing but hicks and hills, and you come back to see if everything’s all right! “All right!” she exclaimed again. “Why I ever married you, I don’t know. You were going to make a great actress out of me, and all that. And look where I am. Lawd! If I ever see Broadway again Vl know better than to ever go more than a block away from it. G’wan, now! Beat it out of my dressing room and lemme alone!” “But, my dear!” protested Terence Burke. “ You know I’m doing the best that I can.” “ Then try doing your worst for a little while!” shouted the woman, irately stamp- ing her foot on the floor and shaking a pudgy fist at him. ‘“ The more you try to do your best, the worse off we get!” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Hush, now, Lily,” the old Thespian pleaded. ‘“ Every one will hear you carry- ing on this way.” ‘Hush nothing!” cried Lily. ‘ What do I care what every one knows? G’wan out of here, and for Heaven’s sake lemme alone before I throw something at you.” “ All right, Lily, all right!” Burke said placatingly, retiring toward the exit and keeping his eyes on her while he fumbled for the doorknob behind him. Finding it, he opened the door quickly, and whirled around and found refuge out in the corridor. “Gosh, they’re at it again!” exclaimed one of the two girls who were making up in an adjoining dressing room, “ It’s kind of a shame the way Lily picks on Terry all the time. He’s a good old guy, but some- how he don’t seem to get the breaks.” The young woman who expressed her sympathy for old Burke was a buxom, vivacious-appearing girl who was scantily attired in tights and a very abbreviated ballet skirt. She was sitting in a chair, and, reaching over to the dressing table, she picked up a pair of gaudy red garters. “Gee!” she added. “I hope Terry’s got enough dough to buy some more garters to throw out to the hicks. There’s only a few pairs left in stock.” She slipped them up over her knees, and then looked at the other girl, who had maintained a moody silence. “Hey, there, Betty,” she said good- naturedly, ‘“‘ cheer up! Smile a little! The show isn’t dead yet; so there’s no use of the ingénue going into mourning.” A faint smile came to the face of the -Ingénue, who was a decidedly pretty girl with real blond hair, and blue eyes that just then seemed a little weary. ‘“T’m so sick of it all, Cherry,” replied Betty dejectedly. “I wish I had never got stage-struck. I wish I had never seen New York.” “ Maybe you never will again,” laughed Cherry. “ We’re a long way from Broad- way, kid, and the walking ain’t any too good.” The younger girl was silent for a mo- ment, in spite of the infectious good nature of her companion. There was a suspicion Gomichooks (E(0)