The Murphy's

They gossiped for a few minutes but Rose had something on her mind so she again requested the paper. Mrs. Terrill gave it to her and as she left with it, she promised to return it immediately. Thinking better of the situation, she took out the Want Ads and left the rest, then proceeded directly home. The house was quiet as the children were at school and she was able to completely relax as she perused the Want Ads. Jobs were scarce and she could not find anything suitable for her Georgie and even if she had he would find some excuse not to go and apply. With her it was a problem but she did not let it get her down. There was another ad that caught her attention. It filled her with ecstasy and she became thrilled as she read it. It was as though the ad was reaching out to her and for her alone for it was an ad from one of the Boston theatres. In substance it called for a middle aged woman who had knowledge of the Irish jig, a little overweight, for a stage engagement. The ad called for the applicants to be at the theater tomorrow at 10 AM and to be ready to demonstrate their dancing ability. Without a thought of what this would mean to her, she immediately cleared the furniture from the dining room and proceeded to dance the Irish jig. For a woman who was middle aged and a little overweight, she did well not having danced since she was a little girl. The floor creaked as she rocked and swayed around the dining room. It appeared that she had lost nothing even with the added weight. She was in good condition and was not winded as she finished. So pleased was she with her performance, she decided to apply in the morning and immediately started to lay out the clothes she would need for the exhibition. It was a big step and she had not clearly thought it through. It was the one thing she had wanted since she was a little girl. A chance to show off her wares on the stage and had plenty of dancing lessons to prepare her. She decided on strict secrecy. She would tell no one, not even her husband. She would say that she was going into Boston on a shopping tour. The morning began with a nice bright sunny day. It took little time to put the food away after breakfast and get the children off to school. The dishes were piled in the sink awaiting a better time to finish them. The rooms were given a hurried sweep and then she took the 9:10 to Boston from Pleasant Station. She was glad that there was no one on the train that recognized her except, of course, the conductor, Mr. Tewksbury, who gave her a curt nod in recognition. She arrived at Rowe’s Wharf in plenty of time to make the rest of the journey to the theatre district. As she entered the door of the address given, she was dismayed to see the number of middle aged women who were applying for the job along with her. Her first reaction was to turn around and go home but since she had come this far she felt it only fair to at least show off her dancing ability. After filling out the application sheet she was shown into the theater itself and told to take a seat. She certainly was not treated like a queen and the girls in the outer office were cold and rude and it was all she could do to keep from giving them a backhand across the mouth. Soon a man appeared on the stage. He seemed disturbed by the number of applicants and presently sent for the piano player and he ordered all to the stage while he gave them instruction. And then, thinking better of it, he decided to split them in two groups.