CHAPTER X
SALLY IN THE SHADOWS
1
It seemed to Sally in the weeks that followed her reunion with Ginger
Kemp that a sort of golden age had set in. On all the frontiers of her
little kingdom there was peace and prosperity, and she woke each morning
in a world so neatly smoothed and ironed out that the most captious
pessimist could hardly have found anything in it to criticize.
True, Gerald was still a thousand miles away. Going to Chicago to
superintend the opening of "The Primrose Way"; for Fillmore had acceded
to his friend Ike's suggestion in the matter of producing it first in
Chicago, and he had been called in by a distracted manager to revise the
work of a brother dramatist, whose comedy was in difficulties at one of
the theatres in that city; and this meant he would have to remain on the
spot for some time to come. It was disappointing, for Sally had been
looking forward to having him back in New York in a few days; but she
refused to allow herself to be depressed. Life as a whole was much too
satisfactory for that. Life indeed, in every other respect, seemed
perfect. Fillmore was going strong; Ginger was off her conscience; she
had found an apartment; her new hat suited her; and "The Primrose Way"
was a tremendous success. Chicago, it appeared from Fillmore's account,
was paying little attention to anything except "The Primrose Way."
National problems had ceased to interest the citizens. Local problems
left them cold. Their minds were riveted to the exclusion of all else on
the problem of how to secure seats. The production of the piece,
according to Fillmore, had been the most terrific experience that had
come to stir Chicago since the great fire.
Of all these satisfactory happenings, the most satisfactory, to Sally's
thinking, was the fact that the problem of Ginger's future had been
solved. Ginger had entered the service of the Fillmore Nicholas
Theatrical Enterprises Ltd. (Managing Director, Fillmore
Nicholas)--Fillmore would have made the title longer, only that was all
that would go on the brass plate--and was to be found daily in the outer
office, his duties consisting mainly, it seemed, in reading the evening
papers. What exactly he was, even Ginger hardly knew. Sometimes he felt
like the man at the wheel, sometimes like a glorified office boy, and
not so very glorified at that. For the most part he had to prevent the
mob rushing and getting at Fillmore, who sat in semi-regal state in the
inner office pondering great schemes.
But, though there might be an occasional passing uncertainty in
Ginger's mind as to just what he was supposed to be doing in exchange
for the fifty dollars he drew every Friday, there was nothing uncertain
about his gratitude to Sally for having pulled the strings and enabled
him to do it. He tried to thank her every time they met, and nowadays
they were meeting frequently; for Ginger was helping her to furnish her
new apartment. In this task, he spared no efforts. He said that it kept
him in condition.
"And what I mean to say is," said Ginger, pausing in the act of carrying
a massive easy chair to the third spot which Sally had selected in the
last ten minutes, "if I didn't sweat about a bit and help you after the
way you got me that job..."
"Ginger, desist," said Sally.
"Yes, but honestly..."
"If you don't stop it, I'll make you move that chair into the next
room."
"Shall I?" Ginger rubbed his blistered hands and took a new grip.
"Anything you say."
"Silly! Of course not. The only other rooms are my bedroom, the
bathroom and the kitchen. What on earth would I want a great lumbering
chair in them for? All the same, I believe the first we chose was the
best."
"Back she goes, then, what?"
Sally reflected frowningly. This business of setting up house was
causing her much thought.
"No," she decided. "By the window is better." She looked at him
remorsefully. "I'm giving you a lot of trouble."
"Trouble!" Ginger, accompanied by a chair, staggered across the room.
"The way I look at it is this." He wiped a bead of perspiration from his
freckled forehead. "You got me that job, and..."
"Stop!"
"Right ho... Still, you did, you know."
Sally sat down in the armchair and stretched herself. Watching Ginger
work had given her a vicarious fatigue. She surveyed the room proudly.
It was certainly beginning to look cosy. The pictures were up, the
carpet down, the furniture very neatly in order. For almost the first
time in her life she had the restful sensation of being at home. She had
always longed, during the past three years of boarding-house existence,
for a settled abode, a place where she could lock the door on herself
and be alone. The apartment was small, but it was undeniably a haven.
She looked about her and could see no flaw in it... except... She had a
sudden sense of something missing.
"Hullo!" she said. "Where's that photograph of me? I'm sure I put it on
the mantelpiece yesterday."
His exertions seemed to have brought the blood to Ginger's face. He was
a rich red. He inspected the mantelpiece narrowly.
"No. No photograph here."
"I know there isn't. But it was there yesterday. Or was it? I know I
meant to put it there. Perhaps I forgot. It's the most beautiful thing
you ever saw. Not a bit like me; but what of that? They touch 'em up in
the dark-room, you know. I value it because it looks the way I should
like to look if I could."
"I've never had a beautiful photograph taken of myself," said Ginger,
solemnly, with gentle regret.
"Cheer up!"
"Oh, I don't mind. I only mentioned..."
"Ginger," said Sally, "pardon my interrupting your remarks, which I know
are valuable, but this chair is--not--right! It ought to be where it
was at the beginning. Could you give your imitation of a pack-mule just
once more? And after that I'll make you some tea. If there's any tea--
or milk--or cups."
"There are cups all right. I know, because I smashed two the day before
yesterday. I'll nip round the corner for some milk, shall I?"
"Yes, please nip. All this hard work has taken it out of me terribly."
Over the tea-table Sally became inquisitive.
"What I can't understand about this job of yours. Ginger--which as you
are just about to observe, I was noble enough to secure for you--is the
amount of leisure that seems to go with it. How is it that you are able
to spend your valuable time--Fillmore's valuable time, rather--juggling
with my furniture every day?"
"Oh, I can usually get off."
"But oughtn't you to be at your post doing--whatever it is you do? What
do you do?"
Ginger stirred his tea thoughtfully and gave his mind to the question.
"Well, I sort of mess about, you know." He pondered. "I interview
divers blighters and tell 'em your brother is out and take their
names and addresses and... oh, all that sort of thing."
"Does Fillmore consult you much?"
"He lets me read some of the plays that are sent in. Awful tosh most of
them. Sometimes he sends me off to a vaudeville house of an evening."
"As a treat?"
"To see some special act, you know. To report on it. In case he might
want to use it for this revue of his."
"Which revue?"
"Didn't you know he was going to put on a revue? Oh, rather. A whacking
big affair. Going to cut out the Follies and all that sort of thing."
"But--my goodness!" Sally was alarmed. It was just like Fillmore, she
felt, to go branching out into these expensive schemes when he ought to
be moving warily and trying to consolidate the small success he had had.
All his life he had thought in millions where the prudent man would have
been content with hundreds. An inexhaustible fount of optimism bubbled
eternally within him. "That's rather ambitious," she said.
"Yes. Ambitious sort of cove, your brother. Quite the Napoleon."
"I shall have to talk to him," said Sally decidedly. She was annoyed
with Fillmore. Everything had been going so beautifully, with everybody
peaceful and happy and prosperous and no anxiety anywhere, till he had
spoiled things. Now she would have to start worrying again.
"Of course," argued Ginger, "there's money in revues. Over in London
fellows make pots out of them."
Sally shook her head.
"It won't do," she said. "And I'll tell you another thing that won't
do. This armchair. Of course it ought to be over by the window. You can
see that yourself, can't you."
"Absolutely!" said Ginger, patiently preparing for action once more.
