Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 November 1936 — Page 26

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| aR —_— "Iii. i» EDEN | Ee TE £79" i ia © 20 rR" | BY ROBERT DICKSON ward and addressed the players who) do the Julia part to perfection,” 7 . 3 (Copyright, 1936, NEA Service, Inc.) were her audience. said Dorothy. “She has had such | 2; BEGIN HERE TODAY “Two parts remain,” she said.| recent and excellent experience ad > Marcia Canfield, daughter of wealthy | «Ong is Julia, who, as you prob-| in—how did Miss Sellers put it? : Philip Canfield, knows that the neigh- ably know, is the heroine of ‘Half-| —the rocky path of love. Just : borhood is buzzing with gossip over the in Eden’ Julia finds the path | = sudden disappearance of Frank Ken- Acre . made for the part, don’t you " drick, whose engagement to Marcia has | Of love a very rocky path, indeed.| think?”

: Since his disappearance, a shortage in © Kendriek’s business accounts has been ~~ discovered, © ~ Refusing to let others know how ~ deeply she has been hurt, Marcia, whe Es is interested in amateur dramaties, goes to the tryouts of the Stagecraft Guild = te try for a part in the mew play. . NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY

CHAPTER TWO HE Stagecraft Guild's casting committee awaited the ambi- ~ tious talent of the village in Bobbs = Neck Community Auditorium. A few early seekers of roles were seata ed, in various conditions of nervous- : ness, through the auditorium itself, while the seven members of the committee had withdrawn to a privote room to pass the time until 8:15 o'clock, when tryouts were to

n. One committee had chosen the play; the casting committee would - people it; another committee had the task of selecting, also from the membership, an amateur director; still another would create the scenery and costumes. Such was the democracy of the Guild. Annual elections were intended to keep the committees fresh. With four plays a year scheduled, a member of the Guild might well be in turn an actor, director, stagehand and designer in one twelve-month. Mike Bradford, who worked for a2 New York newspaper and had few gods, addressed his six fellow members of the casting committee after finding by his watch that 10 minutes must pass before the evening’s labors could begin. “There are 27 parts in this cheese of a show,” he said, “counting clear down to the brat in the third act who says ‘Yes, father,’ twice and

‘No, father,” once. I'll laugh raucously if only 26 people show up tonight.”

There was no response, but Mike needed none. “I figure,” he continued “that 98 per cent of all contestants in this sort of bilge are 100 per cent rotten actors to siart with, and since the by-laws allow the casting committee only this one evening to finish off the job, there won’t be much selectivity involved. The only work in any event will be sponging off our self-respect afterward.” Miss Sellers, the chairman, who taught English in the high school, volunteered a defense of the dignity of the Guild's aims. Miss Sellers continually volunteered for a variety of endeavor in Bobbs Neck. “Why, Mr. Bradford,” she said, smiling with some coyness to cloak the scolding she intended to give this agnostics “you don’t really feel that way about it, of course! If you did, you wouldn't have be‘come a member of the Guild in the first place, or have permitted yourself to be elected to our committee in the second place.”

# » #

«“yT'S these family -memberships that did me wrong,” sighed Bradford. “Dues, 5 bucks a head, 10 for the family. My wife took a family membership and she put my name on the application. That ‘made me a member. And since I suppose everybody dodges these idiotic committee jobs, some one picked on me and put my name on the ballot at the last election, and here I am, while Joan, the cause of it all, sits at home in comfort. Pardon me! Forgot I was speaking to ~ the members of the committee.” “I just know you're teasing!” said Miss Sellers, who knew that he

said Bradford.

“Yes, ma'am,” Let's get

“Well, come on, judges. out there and get it over with. My

dear Joan, how I'd love to smack

you right on the jaw!”

= Two hours sufficed for an elimi-

' nation review of the talents of the 41 candidates who had appeared for the tryouts, with Miss Sellers on the stage giving them lines to : say and actions to perform, while = the other members of the com- = mittee, scattered “out front,” graded them. Two hours, and then the grades were tallied, the chosen were announced and the luckless departed, and the committee and the selected persons assembled anew for the definite assignment of roles. For this purpose the members = of the committee gathered on the s stage and compared notes, occaE sionally calling some person up for "a further tryout. It was decided = immediately and unanimously that 3 the part of Bully McGuire should go to Ralph Hanson Jr., whose fa- © ther had trotted home from the . station in an inadequate overcoat = a few hours before. Ralph Jr. was known favorably to his contem-

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ier, a very jealous and acid sort of woman—truly a remarkable opportunity for some very fine acting. The committee wishes Miss Osborn and Miss Canfield to come up on the stage again before making a final decision. Miss Osborn, will you come first, please?” Dorothy went forward and again paraded her histrionic abilities as they were suggested by Miss Sellers. A murmur of polite applause rewarded her. “Now, Miss Canfield.” FJ » " ARCIA went to the stage, read I a few lines, struck a few poses, walked in this manner and that manner, as Miss Sellers prompted. Again a murmur of applause. The committee members bent their heads to confer. Marcia started back to her seat. In the silence which awaited the decision, Dorothy Osborn spoke to a girl seated beside her, and her voice. carried

“The committee assigns Miss Canfield to the part of Julia,” she announced. “Miss Osborn will play

Bradford caught™up with Dorothy Osborn half-way to the exits, as the crowd started homeward. “You'll knock ‘em into the aisles as Emma,” he said. - “Baby, you were born to the part!” Dorothy could only glare, and Mike- Bradford thereupon continued home in such high humor that he forgot to pick another of a series of quarrels with his wife over having gotten involved in the affairs of the

By Neal

ARY BROCK, just past 16 and motherless, ran to talk with her father during lunch hour. He was policeman on the beat just two blocks from the school. “And did ya learn anything today?” he teased. “Shure they're spoilin’, . . .” He stopped, his keen eyes on a car cruising by. Four men rode in it, their caps pulled low. The car moved down the block, drew up before a building under construction. Dan Brock watched it closely. The builders had been threatened when they refused to pay for protection. Suddenly three men sprang out, ran into the building. Dan didn’t wait. “Run along, Mary,” he shouted as he ran toward the building. n ” ” UT Mary waited. She saw the man at the wheel glance around and blow a shrill blast ‘on his horn. The three men dashed out. Dan Brock’s stick came down on the

head of one of them. He turned to battle the other two. One of the men lurched aside, grabbed the door of the building for support, and reached for a gun. Mary cried out, but to no avail. There came a frightful curse and a shot. The men jumped into the car, roared away. Her father had slumped to the sidewalk. The sound of that gunman’s oath, the shot, her father so white and still, would live in Mary's memory as long as she lived. i The rest was a nightmare—the police finding unidentified fingerprints on the door of the building, asking her endless questions she should not answer. The flowers, the funeral. Then it was over. = EJ »

ARY quit school and went to work as a cigaret girl in a night club. Months later, one of the blues singers at the club failed

to appear one night. Mary offered to sing in her place. In desperation, Nick Carruzzi, the manager, told her to go ahead. The audience went wild over her, called her back again and again. Nick gave her a contract. Perhaps it was the simple, unaffected way she sang the songs, or her sweet, unspoiled face and figure standing there in the spotlight, but Mary touched the hearts of her audience, and her popularity grew. With success, her world began to right itself a little. Then one night Johnny Palum sent for her to come to his table. Nick urged her to go. Johnny, darkly handsome, was a heavy spender. Mary went. And Johnny turned on all his charm for her. When he left the club, Mary was in love for the first time in her life. The void in her heart became filled. After that, she saw a lot of Johnny. ‘a =n QT cen HENNESSEY stopped her one day. “Mary, your father'd turn over in his grave if he .c’d see the trash you're running around with: He'd....”

Mary cut him off, furious. “I'd thank you to mind your own business!” she said, and went past him with her nose in the air. That -night, when Johnny drove her home, he took her into his arms, and whispered: “Let me come up for a while, Mary.” He had never been in her little apartment.

" » FJ FJ HE drew back. “No, no, Johnny! It's too late!” But when she stepped from the car, and went in, Johnny followed he: Yp the stairs.

oath, he kicked the little animal across the room. Mary appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide. She trembled

THE OATH

Daily Short Story

‘more perfect union” is used in the

BORN THIRTY YEARS TOO SOON,

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~ M-M-M- 1 SEE~ TO KNOW IT, EH? WELL, T's QUITE A PAINFUL OPERATION, THIS ROCK SALT BUSINESS ~~ ;

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HE held open the door. The next night, Officer Hennessey was pelted with questions by Mary's neighbors. “Yes, it’s true,” he told them. “They've got the man who killed Dan Brock. Mary caught him. She brought his fingerprints down to headquarters on a whisky glass, They match the ones found when Brock was shot. “She’s a smart one, that Mary. And a queer one too. She won't touch a penny of the reward. Just |. says something crazy about it having a curse on it.” The officer shook his head, mysti-

fied, (THE END)

1936, by _ United Featurs

(Copyright, \ Syndicate, Inc.)

The characters in this story are fictitious.

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Q—Which state ranks highest in Sverage salaries paid school teachers

A—New York.

Q—What is a “mule” duck? A—A cross between rthe: common and muscovy ducks,

Q—Is it correct to use comparatives of the adjective “perfect”? A—Yes. If is universally recog-| [2 nized that mankind is incapable of achieving absolute perfection. The expression “most perfect” is correctly used just as the expression

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preamble to the Constitution of the United States.

Q—What is a “dead stick landing” of an airplane? A—A landing without propeller thrust or motive power; in this. case the propeller is called a “stick” and when it is not driven by the motor it is referred to as a “dead stick.”

Q—What does the name Marlene mean? :

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(WHOOIE! THAT WAS A NARROW SQUEEK/! I SURE THOUGHT THOSE PLESIOSAURS | HAD US, FOR A WHILE/

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GRIN AND BEAR IT

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from the Hebrew name Magdalen and means a “tower.”

Q—Who was the first Governor of the state of Mississippi? 7

A—David Holmes.

Q—Who was Persephone? / A—A character of Greek hology, daughter of Ceres and e of Pluto. She was queen of the lower regions (hades).

Q—Give the oath of personal allegiance which Adolf Hitler required of the officers and men of the German army and navy. A—“I swear by God this holy oath: That I shall be absolutely obedient to Der Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme head of the army, and |. that I will be ready as a brave soldier to give my life for this oath.”

Q—Who is the Lithuanian minister to the United States

A—It is a feminine first name | ‘4 | !

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