“My, how I do run on!  Here I got to sell a couple more seats for the festival, for it is coming off a week from this coming Thursday, and I want to have all the other girls faded.  What, must you go?  Say, party, take it from me—­break open your bank and count your pennies, for it’s the chance of a lifetime.  Da-da.”

She discusses the advisability of chorus girls charging time for their company like a taxicab.  She goes for a sail on the river and the party meets with several accidents before finally having a wreck.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Gee, Kid, I can scarce restrain myself,” remarked Sabrina, the Show Girl, as we met her on the street.

“The big show comes off Thursday afternoon, and me!  Why, I’ll be there dressed up like a circus.  Take it from me, it’s a bet you don’t want to overlook.  I seen a guy go up to the managers and wave $10,000 in their faces for the box office receipts, and all he got was the cold, cruel laugh of scorn.

“The clubhouse had its official opening last night, and as yet none of those that were in attendance have appeared upon the scene.  I ain’t saying a word, but I bet they had an awful time.

“Them Friars are great people.  I been the busy little bee all week trying to get some tickets, but I guess they are all sold out.  All of the out-of-town guys are clamoring for gallery seats behind posts.  And anything less than $50 for one of the seats is considered as car fare.

“Wilbur went to the opening of the new clubhouse last night, and I got a ’phone from him this morning saying he was going home and get some sleep.

“Say, party, was you up to the Friars’ Convention last Sunday?  Talk about fun, this sixty laughs in sixty minutes stunt looked like a Methodist watch meeting.

“Honest, I felt sorry for Miss Piatt of ‘The Merry Widow’ bunch.  She was elected to represent that outfit by the whole company Saturday night and then none of the girls showed up to vote for her.  The funny thing of the whole works was that Miss Sara Spotted-Weazel from the Bill Show nearly won at that.  Gee, did you hearken to the cadenza she turned loose?  Indian comic opera.  Fine business.  I am glad Josephine Cohan got it, ’cause she’s a nice girl, though Louise Dresser is all right at that.

“Beban was the foxy guy; every time anybody didn’t show up from any company he would claim that he was the delegate and put the thing through.  Wasn’t Al Davis the busy party!  Corbett thought the thing all out and Davis did the hard work, and then every Friar for miles around put in their little gab and told Davis how it should be done.

“Did you ever notice that the party inside the taxi knows more about running it than the chauffeur?  Al was wise.  He paid no attention to their words of advice and that’s why the thing was a success.  Too many chefs spoil the cheese sandwich.  Them’s my words and they go as they lay.  Hank Green got sore ’cause I spoke to him, so I won’t do it any more.