Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 16, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 March 1936 — Page 19

MARCH 30, 1936_

-Todcr/t True Story LADY WITH DOG By Charles McGuirk

SHE walked with difficulty along the little triangular clearing which lies Just north of 43d-st on Broadway. The difficult;’ was caused by the fact that she was carrying a “dog compartment" in one hand and leading Its occupant on a leash with the other. The “compartment” wasn’t a very good one. It looked something like a suitcase except that its top v/as gabled. It had two little wire windows in it. It had sprung open and the lady couldn’t stop to close it until she had worked herself into some eddy out of the traffic swirl. Once she had been a “natural,” but age and the viscisitudes and demands of show business had forced her to the bottle, the dye bottle. The hair was a little stringy because she had just climbed out of bed at this unearthly hour of 10:30 because she had a date with a booker. a a a THE occupant of the “compartment,” now moving along on his leash with all the boredom of a Broadway “ham” actor, was a foxterrier in middle life. He had a long white body, because his mother had at one time encouraged the attentions of a beagle hound. There were three large black spots on him, one near his bobbed tail, one in the form of a saddle, and the third masking his face and one ear in darkness. These two were Delores Fenton and Toby, her vaudeville partner. Once, three years before, they had been three. Then they were billed in the “six-a-day” as “Douglas Fenton & Cos., Refined Entertainers” but now Douglas was not with them. He had disappeared three years before and the act was now known in what there was left of the vaudeville w r orld as “Lady With Dog.” “Come on, Toby!” She insisted and gave a slight tug on the leash. “We’re late.” They walked along a noiseless corridor past open doors through which could be seen ladies, mostly blonde, sitting in chairs, on couches and on tables, all with a carefully careless display of hosiery which often went above the hosiery line. These were all actresses. Neither Dolores nor Toby paid these any attention. They stopped before a door marked “Lesscwich Theatrical Enterprises” and entered. THIS office was a replica of all the others. It was filled with ladies, all wearing silk stockings and all showing them, and gentlemen who looked as if they never had been prosperous nor ever would. A short, dumpy girl who had turned red-headed after starting out in life as a brunet, raised cold eyes at the opening of the door, plugged in on the small switch-board and murmured: “Lady with dog is in, Mr. Lessewich.” She listened a second, then took out the plug, looked up at the lady and said, “Mr. Lessewich’ll see you now, Miss Fenton. You’re late. H'y, Toby.” Toby ignored her as he, Delores and his traveling house passed into an inner office. There they saw’ a short, dark, fat man sitting straight up. his legs spread to give a rather large abdomen freedom to rest on the dege of the chair. “H’y Dolo,” he greeted. “Hey. Toby.” Toby wagged his tail just enough to acknowledge the greeting. You couldnt high-hat this guy because he was a booker. “Listen, Dolo. I got you a split w-eek in Franklin Furnace. You and two other acts go in with the picture, ‘Errin’ Wives.’ It’s six-a-day and I got you six bits.” “My God! Dolores raised her eyes to the ceiling and brought them down again. “Franklin Furnace! If Douglas was only here! se’d rather have starved than see his wifeand dog go into that burg ” “Yeh?” Jake smiled. “Well, even as good as you three was, you’d still be lucky to get into Franklin Furnace or any place else today. Count all the vaudeville houses doin’ capacity business on Broadway. What’s the Palace doin'? It's practically dark. It's in pictures. You sot two units playin’ movie houses all the way down the Main Stem. Two. Get me? Listen, Dolo.” His face darkened under a flood of irritation. “If you don't want the bookin’, I got nine million acts that I can throw in there for half a yard and get my cu besides. There's no cu on you.” ana Jake!” Dolores’ eyes swam Vy in a sudden rush of unshed tears. “You’re swell! I'm acting like a ham. I’m sorry. Only I’m so damn tired I’m getting a temperament like a primma donna.” “Yeh, I know.” Jake agreed soothingly. “You get tired worry in’. Don’t you think I know’? Look at this office and remember the one I used to have. Listen. The reason I booked you into Franklin Furnace is because that’s where Douglas came from. Remember? Remember how he used to get sore when we used to kid him about cornin’ out of a small burg? He always wanted people to think he was bom on Park Avenue, New York.” “That's right!” Dolores agreed. “I forget. Jake do you—do you think I might run into Doug up there? Gee, it* been so long since he bea—disappeared. And even if I saw him up there, maybe he wouldn’t w’ant me. God, Jake, I’m tired. I’m tired and I’m licked. Tired and licked. Care if I ait down?” , . . / ,

“So you ain’t a trooper!” He sneered. “Dolores Fenton, the best assistant a magician ever bad, the girl with the swellest pair of legs in vaudeville, is turnin’ yellow!” “Not yellow, Jake.” She smiled through her tears. “Just tired. I really ain’t licked. I’m just tired. Jake, do you think I might see Douglas? Do you think he’s—he’s alive? You know. He disappeared so sudden And he wasn’t drunk because I checked every speakeasy in the Forties. Maybe somebody knocked him off.” a a a “T7ORGET it!” Jake barked. “NoA body would knock him off. He was too good in his act. No. He disappeared because he was the victim of as—asofeti—no, asphasia. That’s a pretty good one on me. I always get them two words mixed up.” “Yeh. That’s what Douglas was suffering. Asphasia or amnesia. You remember how he acted just before he disappeared? Sort of absentminded. And worrying. When does my time start, Jake?” “Tomorrow,” Jake told her. “Hey, Dolores. You got any nut? Got anything left in your grouch bag? Because if you ain’t I can let you have an advance on this bookin’, or on a couple of bookin’s. “Jake!” Dolores got up and gave a little tug on the bored Toby’s leash. “Why are you so decent to me? You’re always coming through with bookings. And that’s the fiftieth time you’ve offered me money. Advances! You know I got one chance in a million of getting any kind of a booking. Why do you do it?” “Dolo,” he said, “I do it because I like you. I do it because Douglas was one of the best friends I ever had. When I was just a scared little Jew boy, tryin’ to break into show business, he taught me the ropes. He gave me my first commission. He let me book him Him, one of the highest paid acts on the Big Apple.” He stopped and his grin widened. “Or maybe it’s because of some of those meals you used to cook. Boy, Dolo, you sure can cook.” a a a DOLORES looked at him. She bent down and kissed him. She w’alked out with Toby without a look behind. She w’as working at 2 next afternoon. She looked much better on the stage than she did in street clothes. She w’ore a velvet suit with very short shorts and, as Jake had reminded her, she had a spretty a pair of legs as vaudeville could boast. Toby looked better, top. He was washed and whitened. He had the great actor's temperament, which swells when it gets in front of an audience. He was a talking dog. His routine consisted of answering questions, all having to do with numbers. He gave them corectly by barking the required number of times. , Franklin Furnace was no Broadway and the theater was no Palace. It was the merest frame for a moving picture frame, lit by a small row of footlights. But Dolores didn’t care. She was working and in Douglas’ home town. She put Toby through his routine in a voice which she fondly imagined was like Lady Vere de Vere’s. But her soul was not in her task. It was out there in the audience, searching for hehusband. Three years since she had seen him! Sometimes, in the night, in some cheap theatrical hotel, she would wake up shaking, her head over on the pillow, seeking Douglas’ head. Sometimes, working like she w’as working now, she would hear his sharp, petulant voice. “Snap that up!” He'd grate “you, Toby! Up on your hind legs. Bark loud!” Sometimes, like yesterday, u wave of tiredness would sw’eep over her body and her mind and she would want to lie right down and die. What was the use of living when her man was gone? She'd give the rest of her life for another day with Douglas. a a a AND sometimes, like today, she would feel Douglass. She would feel he was still somewhere in the world, even after his mysterious and tragic disappearance three years ago. Yes, she could feel Douglas. She could almost see him. The feeling was so strong and sharp that she stopped her act dead in the middle, leaving Toby standing on his hind legs. He sank back on his haunches while Dolores stared frantically into the halfdarkened theater. Then. “Snap that up!” She heard. “You, Toby! Up on your hind legs.” Bark loud! How long since you've seen me, Toby?” “Woof!” Toby roared, springing upon his legs and then falling as his wildly w’agging tail threw him. "Woof! Woof!” “Douglas!” Dolores wailed and made as if to leap over the footlights.” “On with your act, Baby. Up, Toby!” She saw a tall, dark man striding down the aisle toward her. She was suddenly tired. She slumped to the floor as he stepped across the lights and took her in his arms. I “Curtain!” he ordered into the wings. “God, what an act! Maybe we can routine it.” “Woof!” barked Toby as the curtain dropped. „ THE END. l

UR BOARDING HOUSE

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FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS—

(Ji ( IT’S THAT COOK BWAGAIM? \No "TELLING! I ' fW WONDER WHAT HE'S BEEN ) ALWAYS KNEW

WASHINGTON TUBBS II

f (W BE A GUN *) / YEAH, SOMEBODY^)(i BET IT WON’T/ WAL,I DUNNO. THE K/nOTHER WILL ll

ALLEY OOP

NOW,GO LAY DOWN AN' BEHAVE YERSELF, V'BIG TANARUS) ‘ fcYA THINK YEP BIG REPTILIAN gil HORN-HEADED YAP -AN’ CUT OUT TORMENTIN' /\ CLOWN WILL REALLY OBEX f/} WIZER, / YEH-VOUVE CAUSED A W SURE/HE \ DOWN ?A? V HEAR ?j US TROUBLE ENOUGH/ A . f KNOWS WHAT ' ALLEY OOP, BY RESORTING TO HARSH MEASURES, (A CLOUT OU THE SNOUT') FINALLY PREVAILED ON * —t HIS DINOSAUR TO LAY OFF THE GRAND WI7ER L r V- ...

BOOTS AND HER BUDDIES

SO THNTS \T 11INFLL ALL BE SWE V/OAS PUMMVMG AWAY FROM OARMEOI K>o VOONOEP YWSTEP. X 1 i OOm KWOW ANYTH\NG AEOOT ' - WAS ACTED LWKE A VLG\T\NE .AMO fM WEP SWE MOST BE A SVJEETVi.r.T .TO 00 t .0.. .0 wi T o’O

THE TARZAN TWINS

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Ukundo’s advice to take to the trees to avoid the approaching lion was of little value to Dick and Doc, for in the pitch darkness of the jungle night they could see no trees. They groped aimlessly about them, but their searching fingers found no tangible thing.

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THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

IT Y3U LEFT _ u X r I WAS EXCITED... MY ) fwELL, MAYBE THE JUDGE* THAT MONEY A 1 GUESS oL a -nwv twrfar 1 MOTHER WAS SICK... AMD WILL GIVE YOU ABOUT OW THE COUNT- J I CANT coo that FIFTY- < MAYBE I LEFT THE MONEY THREE YEARS IN A ER, WHAT j ANSWER v ' rpur ’Dicrr cun- ) SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE REFORM SCHOOL..t -that J something

“Hurry!” urged Ukundo; “lion come*. He is starving!” Now the boys received their first confirmation of the pygmy’s keen hearing. A huge body crashed through the fffiderbrush. Then Doc’s eager groping hands came in contact with the bole of a large tree.

—By Ahem

HO.W.ITHENi VSWEFE 1 VJERE 60Km THE ONC\<LEMS APE I DROP YOU OFF

"Here, Dick!” he called; "here’s a tree. This way!” A moment later Dick answered: “All right. I’ve found it Climb! Hurry up!” The noise in the underbrush seemed very close now. Doc attempted to scramble up the giant trunk, but his arms could nek span it

OUT OUR WAY

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f : v UNDERWORLD CHALLENGES 1 Y ' ' LULU BELLE TO BATTLE/ LULU ; **' t. m. Reg. u. s. pat. off U shgnfl j IgfHOIISANPS MORE ARE ON THEIR WW FROM NEIGHBORING "' 1 . M r '~y

—By Edgar Rice Burroughs

When Dick, too, failed to get a hold, the boys reached up through the darkness for a branch by which they might raise trfemselves above the rushing lion, but they found none. A hideous growl sounded almost in their ears. Dick realized the beast was upon him!

COMIC FAOI

—By Williams

—By Blossef

—By Crane

—By Hamlin

—By Martin