A few minutes later Harley exited, feeling fairly full of himself until he saw his boss Roy Fox waiting for him, with his arms across his chest.
“What on earth is the matter with you?” Roy demanded. “This is the absolutely worst performance I’ve seen you give!”
Harley chose to ignore the accusation. “Mr. Fox, will you do me a favor?”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Mr. Fox,” Sam said. “He’s in love.”
Roy shook a finger in Harley’s face. “You can be in love offstage, but when you’re on stage you’re Toby, and Toby’s too shy to fall in love!”
“I want to talk to her after the show,” Harley explained, “but I’m afraid she’ll be gone by the time I get out of costume. Will you give her a note for me?”
“In love? Really?” Roy sighed and shook his head. “I thought the only thing you’d ever love would be a tent show.”
Harley’s brow furrowed. “I don’t have anything to write it on….”
Mike, the actor who played the sheriff, ambled up smacking on a wad of gum. He was in training to be leading man one day.
“Hey, Harley, can I borrow five dollars?”
“Spent your money already this week?” Roy asked with extreme prejudice.
“Roy, you know how it is in this business we call show,” Mike replied expansively. He returned his attention to Harley. “What do you say about the fiver?”
“Don’t give it to him,” Roy advised. “He’ll just spend it on cheap booze and cheap women.”
“That’s a lie!” Mike retorted. “I never buy cheap booze.” He pulled another stick of gum from his pocket and unwrapped it.
“I’ll give you the money if you give me that wrapper,” Harley offered.
“Fair swap.” He handed over the wrapper.
“Come by my dressing table after the show for the money.”
Mike nodded absently as he listened for his cue.
“You’re not going on stage with that gum in your mouth, are you?” Roy demanded.
“No.” He took the gum out of his mouth and stuck it behind his ear as he entered the stage.
“If I’m lucky they’ll draft him and send him to Europe with Pershing,” Roy mumbled.
“Do you have a pen?” Harley asked.
The boss give him a hard look, shook his head and handed over the pen. After Harley wrote the note he returned it and placed the gum wrapper carefully in Roy’s palm and explained where the young lady was sitting. The boss drudged out to the audience and knelt by Billie’s seat. Her smile of enjoyment from watching the show faded as she noticed Joe who looked like he was delivering a warrant. He whispered to her, handed her the wrapper and left. Billie opened it, and her friend leaned in.
Printed in big letters: “Wait for me after the show. Harley.”
“What was it?” her friend asked.
“What I was hoping for.” Billie smiled to herself and bit her lower lip.
After the actors took their bows—Harley received the most applause—the curtain came down and the audience milled out. Billie lingered near the tent entrance, glancing back at the stage. In a few minutes Harley, out of makeup and wearing a spiffy suit with hat in hand, bounded out the curtain, off the stage and down the aisle. Two teen-aged girls stopped him.
“Oh, Toby!” the first girl gushed.
“That’s Mr. Sadler,” the second one corrected her.
“Oh Harley, you were so funny. And—and you’re even cuter without your freckles!”
He bowed nervously. “Thank you.”
The second girl maneuvered her way directly in front of Harley. “Honestly. Children. Mr. Sadler, I think you’re a wonderful actor. Have you ever thought of Shakespeare?”
He bowed again and edged away.
“Not often, I’m afraid. Excuse me….”