top of the maid's defenseless nob. And the way she looks on the
street compared to what she does on the stage, that makeup box must
certainly have been of some size. Of course I am not roasting the poor
creature, for it may be temperament instead of temper, but I am merely
stating what I have heard.

"But to get back to the big eat. The prima donna got too gay and when
they struck New York the home office got wise and she wouldn't stand a
cut in her salary, so they just naturally decorated her with the festive
bug and told her to take a whirl at vaudeville or something else real
mean. Say, when the news got out that she was to leave everybody was so
happy that even the chorus men went out and bought each other a beer.
What do you think of that? Well, anyway the mob got together after the
performance and decided to celebrate the event in fitting and proper
style by getting soused, and Alla kindly donated her new flat. Yes, the
Judge caught a sleeper on Wall Street and she was in strong with the cop
on the beat and the people on the floor below her had moved on account
of the noise. Selfish people. They didn't want to do anything all night
but sleep, and Alla complained that they were wearing out the steam pipe
by pounding on it.

"After the show the whole outfit cleaned all the makeup off except
behind the ears and took it on the lope for Alla's domicile. Me being
the guest of honor, I naturally kicked in late. Gee! everybody of any
importance was there, even some of the principals, and every other show
in town sent at least one representative. Say, the drum was so crowded
that some of the couples had to turn the fire escape into a
conservatory. They would crawl out there and bombard the neighborhood
with empty bottles, until the cop on the corner would rap and then for
some two or three minutes the block would be as silent as a tomb.

"Wilbur of course was there in his official capacity as press agent, to
not only add tone to the gathering, but to make sure that it reached the
night desk of all the papers, for if these society guys get a column and
a half they ought to be willing to slip us poor chorus dolls a couple of
sticks and keep it from under police news.

"I was there to see that Wilbur did not, under the influence of the
charming company, make any remarks that might be misconstrued by any of
the assembled gathering as a declaration of love. For them dolls are
always on the job and the only time they don't c