Part 18 (1/2)
Three people coming twice during the week, in 50 cent seats, come FREE Sunday
A PURELY VOLUNTARY COLLECTION will be taken up and divided between The a.s.sociated Charities The Starving Children of Belgium _and_ The Chinese Famine Fund This Sunday
THE SWORDMAKER'S SON--an absorbing drama of Biblical days Next Sunday BEN-HUR, in seven reels
NO ADMISSION FEE BEING CHARGED, AND ALL VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS BEING DEVOTED TO CHARITY, THIS ENTERTAINMENT DOES _NOT_ FALL WITHIN ANY CITY ORDINANCE PROHIBITING SUNDAY PERFORMANCES
THE ORPHEUM Motion Pictures
Mr. Mix, goggle-eyed, jumped for the telephone, and called the City Hall, but as soon as the Mayor was on the wire, Mr. Mix wrestled down his excitement, and spoke in his emba.s.sy voice. ”h.e.l.lo--Rowland? This is Mix. I want to ask you if you've seen an ad of the Orpheum Theatre in this morning's paper?... Well, what do you propose to do about it?”
The Mayor answered him in a single word: Mr. Mix started, and gripped the receiver more tightly. ”_Nothing!_... Why, I don't quite get you on that.... It's an open and shut proposition--No, I most certainly am _not_ trying to make a pun; I'm calling you up in my official capacity. That's the most flagrant, barefaced attempt to evade a law--Why, an _idiot_ could see it! It's to drive the crowd into the Orpheum during the week, so that--”
He listened, with increasing consternation. ”_Who_ says it isn't a violation? Who? The City Attorney?” Mr. Mix was pale; and this was quite as uncommon as for his fiancee to blush. ”When did he say so?...
What's that? What's his grounds?... Repeat it, if you don't mind--Practically a charitable performance by _invitation_--”
”Why, sure,” said the Mayor. He realized perfectly that Mr. Mix had the League and another thousand people of small discernment behind him, but the Mayor didn't want to be re-elected, and did want to retire from politics. ”The Orpheum doesn't say a fellow that comes Sunday has got to prove _he_ spent the money for the tickets, does it?
Anybody that's got the stubs can come. They're just as much invitations as if they were engraved cards sent around in swell envelopes. If you've got one--whether you paid for the _invitation_ or not, or if you got it in the mail or picked it up on the street, you can go on in. And as long's no money's taken in over the counter, the City Attorney says it's O.K. Of course, you can pet.i.tion the Council, if you want to.”
Mr. Mix was licking his lips feverishly. ”I'm obliged to you for your advice. We _will_ pet.i.tion the Council--I'll have it signed, sealed and delivered by noon today.... And if that don't do, we'll apply for an injunction.... And we'll carry this to the _Governor_ before we're done with it, Rowland, and you know what state laws we've got to _compel_ a Mayor of an incorporated city to do his duty!... This is where we part company, Rowland. You'll hear from me later!” He slammed down the receiver, rattled the hook impetuously, and called Mirabelle's number.
”Mirabelle ... good-morning; have you ... No, I'm not cross at you, but--Oh! Good-morning, _dear_.... This is important. Have you seen the Orpheum's ad in the _Herald_? Isn't that the most barefaced thing you ever _saw_? Don't we want to rush in and--”
She interrupted him. ”Why, no, not when it's for charity, do we?”
Mr. Mix nearly dropped the receiver. ”Charity! Charity your grandmother! It's a cheap trick to attract people during the week, so they'll have a show on Sunday in _spite_ of the law!”
”Oh, I don't doubt there's _some_ catch in it. That's Henry all over.
But if the League went out and interfered with an educational and sort of religious program with a collection for charity, we'd----”
”Yes, but my dear woman, would we sanction a _dance_ for charity? A poker-party? A wine-supper? We----”
”But there won't be any dancing or drinking or card-playing at the Orpheum, will there?”
He lost his temper. ”What's the matter with you? Can't you _see_--?”
”No, but I can hear pretty well,” said Mirabelle. ”I'm not deaf. And seems to me--” She sniffled. ”Seems to me you're making an awful funny start of things, Theodore.”
”My dear girl--”
”What?”
”I just said 'my dear girl.' I----”
”Say it again, Theodore!”
To himself, Mr. Mix said something else, but for Mirabelle's benefit, he began a third time. ”My dear girl, it's simply to evade the law, and----”