Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

102 small, dark man rose up from behind a piano to respond. He was nearly bald and had a hooked nose and unpleasantly red lips. After attending to what was wanted, he caught sight of Amy and hurried over to her, while some of the girls nudged each other, and Leslie Allison coughed in a fash- ion designed to attract attention to the incident. “ How’s your ankle?’’ the little dark man asked in a confidential whisper. “ Quite all right this morning,”’ Amy re- plied. | “JT went around to your place about seven o’clock last evening, but you were out. Let me know if you want any coke. I’ve got some with me.” He tapped a waistcoat-pocket and winked solemnly and significantly. Amy nodded, but said nothing. She had not the least idea what he meant. It were kinder to draw a veil over her experiences of the actual rehearsal. Once Mr. Punter roared at her: “ Any- body ’d think you’d never seen a stage be- fore in your life!” All the girls tittered, and Leslie Allison broke into a noisy laugh. The humiliation and misery of it were in- describable. Poor Amy would have done much better could she have acknowledged herself an absolute novice. There was so much they took for granted that she knew. So she blundered on and on, blinded by tears half the time, completely submerged in confusion. In no time the word had gone around that she was a dope fiend, and now she knew what it meant. She caught whispers to the effect that “ Punter was sweet on her,” but he’d “‘ have to scrap her or hoodoo the show.” In a gasping, breathless interval he came over to her again, perspiration pouring down his face. ‘What in time’s the matter with you?” he pleaded. ‘‘ You’ve overdone it, my girl. I always warned you not to let coke be your master. You're absolutely groggy this morning.” Amy burst into tears, and he led her behind a piece of scenery while he further admonished her, but not unkindly. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “‘T know your ankle gives you hell, and you’ve got your living to make, but for God’s sake pull up. The old man doesn’t stand for favorites, and if he twigs it you’re in the show just because I want you here he’ll sack the both of us. You don’t want to lose me my job, do you?” “I—IT’ll go,” Amy sobbed. “I’m no good, and I know it. Oh, why did I ever take it on?” ‘Now, that’s no way to talk, after all I’ve done for you. Look here; I’ll come around and coach you this evening. It’s just the dope. You’re loaded with it.” “I’m not!’ she flashed back. “I’ve never touched such things—” She was going to add “ in my life,” but caught her- self up in time. The little hook-nosed man drew down the comers of his mouth and laughed. “ You don’t need to lie to me,” he said contemp- tuously, and walked off. All day long the torture went on. There was half an hour allowed for lunch, but Amy made use of an empty dressing-room in which to munch a-sandwich and puzzle over the baffling music of the score she had. And then, quite suddenly, toward the end she began to get a grasp of the things which were expected of her. Fortunately she was not the only awkward ome of the flock, There were several others, and Mr. Punter made the most of them. Leslie Al- lison, however, slipped into her work with the ease of long practise and perfect self- confidence. She was picked at once for the quintet and various other specialties, and it was most apparent from her manner that Amy was supposed to be jealous of her. But poor Amy had no time that day to indulge in the emotion of jealousy, although she could not help being rather envious of Miss Allison’s proficiency. At the end Si- mon Punter’s hand dropped familiarly to her shoulder and he whispered in her ear: “‘'You’re getting on all right now, kid. You lost your nerve this morning, that’s all. I'll be around at eight, and you might have something for me to eat.” Amy was an absolute wreck when she got back to Lawrence Street. Mrs. Sponch was in the little kitchen making ready the cold supper which she always left for Lor- comiclboooks C©