THE CAPITAL JOURNAL. SAI.KM. OKKCON
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 16. 1929
THE LUXURY
HUSBAND
J3 JQ f
Chapter 41
BEHIND THE SCENES
Opening night lor "The Knave
of Jazz!"
The state of tension In the audi
ence was as nothing compared with
that which had prevailed behind
the scenes since early afternoon.
Hopes and emotions ran riot.
Chorus girls flustered and giggled
over their make-up; and producer
bustled hither and thither; all and
sundry dead sure the show would
flop.
Kay moved about like an auto
maton, tils face white, his eyes
glassy, not hearing even the en
couragement of Pete Anheim.
RiLa had been apportioned a lit
tle cupboard of a dressing room all
to herself. Red and white Ameri
can Beauty roses stood in a long
pitcher on the floor. Across one
corner of the room was a faded
Japanese screen.
Behind this sat Barbara Bar
bara in such a high state of ner
vous tension that she kept locking
and unlocking her fingers inces
santly. Rita, powdering her long
slim arms before the mirror, alone
seemed calm.
Now, bending near the mirror,
sne tnrew out over her shoulder:
"Do you think you've got the
steps down pat?"
"Yes .... But really. Rita, I
oon t mm we had better go
through with It. Don't you ; think
we wnoie idea is rather crazy?"
"Sure it's crazy, But if It
werne't for the crazy things of life
we'd alt commit suicide. Bay, while
you're dancing don't forget to keep
your hands going at the same time
as your feet. You've simply got to
put the New Yorker across, Bar
bara." Barbara swallowed twice, chewing
the paint from her underlfp.
'- koow. You're all sorts of a
sport to have given me this chance,
Rita. But do you honestly think
It wfH do me any good?"
You mean with Ray?"
Barbara nodded.
"Sure! Do you think I would
have gone to the bother of coach
ing you tf I hadn't? I tell you.
you've got to do something drastic
to show him that you are now one
of us."
Barbara's rueful smile was by
way of confirmation. Rita, as she
turned her attention to her hair,
mentally reviewed the scheme she
had put Into motion for the recon
ciliation of Ray and his wire.
As to marrying Ray herself that
dream had foundered the moment
she had identified Barbara as the
sad-eyed, wistful little girl she had
so often seen sitting alone in the
booth at the club. That proved
without question that the girl was
still in love with Ray. Also, that
she regretted the impending di
vorce. From that moment to this
It had never occurred to Rita to
take her own happiness at Bar
bara's expense.
The very fact that she should be
the means of bringing them to
gether wns comic In itself. Regard
ing the scheme she had devised for
furthering this end Barbara had
been right' in denoting it as crazy.
Too, It was theatrical In the ex
treme. But Rita, trained to the
stage, saw everything in terms of
the theatrical.
Ray had always made a point of
stressing the unsympathetic atti
tude his wife had adopted towards
his work.
Chiefly with the Idea of overcom
ing this had Rita planned the
whole thing. Towards the end of
the la:;t act she was to Introduce a
new dance, the New Yorker. Dur
ing this number Ray was to step
onto the stage playing his saxo
phone. Rita's idea was that Bar
bara, instead of herself should take
her place on the opening night and
go through the dunce. This should
give Ray sufficient proof that Bar
bara's snobbish ideas had changed.
At the same time her appearance
In this rwiir the core of which
assurance that sne was now at one
with him In his profession.
Having made herself up to ner
complete sa urn act ton, Rita thought
it time to go above. The five min
utes warning had already sounded.
"Cheer up, old girl, and wish me
luck." she said, squeezing Bar
bara's arm as she passed out of the
door.
Barbara found the suspense of
the first act unbearable. Anything
she would have given to have been
out In front How was the audi
ence reacting to it? Tbey must be
enjoying It they must The mere
thought of failure appalled her.
She knew the dregs of disillusion
that would then be Ray's.
She could see Ray standing before
tlie public at the final curtain keep
ing a stiff upper lip while his soul
rocked In agony. It must be a
success! Too, added to her fear
for him was the sure and sickening
knowledge that with the success or
failure of "The Knave of Jazz" lay
the rise and fall of her own hopes.
Crushed, defeated. Irretrievably she
would lose him.
Suddenly she found herst-lf pray
ing, a strangled sort of prayer.
"Make them like this show.
Please, please .... Otherwise it
will break Ray's heart ..."
Bhe paused abruptly Faintly at
first, growing louder, she heard the
din of applause tremendous ap
plause. Bhe wrung her hands and
cried, "Thank God, thank God,"
without being In the least aware
that tears were streaming down her
cheeks.
The next moment Rita had burst
Into the 'dressing room. Rita.
springing about, shouting In her
excitement and throwing an absurd
golliwog mascot from one end ol
the dressing room to another.
"It s a success 1 It's a success. A
huge, roaring, howling success. Did
you bear the hand? The first act's
our weakest. If that's gone across
so big the next Is going to be a
riot. You wait and see . . "
Half laughing, half crying In her
excitement, she dashed once more
for the door.
"I'm off to see them all."
Along the corridor she rushed,
bumping into men and girls.
Now she had found Ray. a
siunnea. aazed Kay, as though too
much good fortune had turned his
brain. She put up her arms and
shook him by the shoulders.
"It's a success, Ray we've put it
across I We ve put It across!
They were In each others arms,
rocking to and fro la an ecstasy
of Joy.
"Rita I've got you to thank for It
all every bit of it. But oh, girl,
to think that we've actually put It
across."
She closed her eyes, something
was swelling In his tlu-oat, instinc
tively her arms tightened about
him. She wanted so badly to feel
him close to her . . .for the last
time . . .for the last time.
Oh! the temptation in the mo
ment to forget the little wife in
the dressing room. Why should
she sacrifice her happiness for any
girl? Why should (he?
If only sine could forget Barbara
. . . forget that somewhere down
deep In his heart Ray loved the
poor little rich wife lie had de
serted.
For one moment longer she clung
to him, her grease paint rubbing
off against his shoulder. Then, fel
ting her teeth, she wrenched her
self free from him.
"So long, Ray, I want to find
Pete."
While to herself she muttered as
she continued her headlong way:
"You've got to be a sport, darn
you. You've got to go through with
it now!"
(To be Continued)
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Bclty Endeavors To Save Tommy
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AND BETTY ARE
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217
WE'RE LICKED. T&i
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DUMB DORA
The Janitor's Assistant
By Chirk Young
CAN "toO IMAGINE TVW GUfi'
'TAvtiMG TUe JOB A'S JAb4"fof?
, OUST TO BE. AROUMO
DORA.? tJANllTOR
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VNOW
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f HE UO&ES ALUTHESOOO f -GivJE-THEM A GooO ty-ZL- "NVTwX
F.RTNfJING UP FATHER By George McMurur"
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fa A -S Jill -ooci BROTHER f J) Jl 9UWOMMEI,-V I TM5 X'b STATlOM- r-1-Kl-X.
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KUTT AND JEFF Two Simon-I'ures Compare Salaries By Bud Fisher
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