That night the club was empty except for a few belligerent men drinking their last pennies away, apparently too scared to go home. Rather than putting on a show, I sat on the stool and sang a few numbers in the background. No one seemed in the mood to be entertained; the folks who did show up just wanted a rough gin and a smooth bar to lay their heads.
The next morning, I got up after just two hours of rest to buy a paper for myself and see what else had unfolded. I’d never been the least bit interested in the financial pages before, but I stood on the corner of the street scouring the front page, trying to get a better understanding of what was going on.
EXCHANGE TO CLOSE FOR TWO DAYS OF REST
The volume of trading in the last week has been so enormous that the organizations of the Stock Exchange houses have reached a point of complete physical exhaustion.
A picture on the front page showed stockbrokers and their clerks sleeping on the floor after working until the early hours of Wednesday. I turned the page.
ROCKEFELLERS BUYING HEAVILY
The manner in which the country’s leading men have rushed to the rescue of the market, not only with words but with huge buying orders, has emphasized the public’s conviction that the country’s business fundamentals are entirely sound.
Well, that seemed a bit more optimistic, I thought. But the next night, the club was even emptier than the night before.
“This ain’t good.” Texas took a seat next to me backstage. “I heard some of the Broadway shows aren’t even opening up. Apparently, some of the big investors in them took a hit too. I guess the last thing they want is more money spilling out onto the street. They don’t want to pay the bills for all those lights.”
“It’s as if everything’s falling apart around us,” I said.
I felt in my pocket for my ticket. I’d been carrying it around with me at all times, scared that I’d lose it if I let it out of my sight. “I’ve been invited to go to Europe with Alberto Ricci,” I said suddenly, holding out my envelope as proof. “I wanted to tell you, Texas, but then everything happened. I’m supposed to set sail next week.”
She raised her eyebrows. I didn’t know why I hadn’t revealed this information sooner—she’d been so kind to me. But this had seemed too permanent, too real and so far away.
“Really? Alberto Ricci?” She looked impressed and maybe a little skeptical. I was, after all, homeless, sleeping in the dressing room of the 300.
“Hard to believe, I know, but he’s a friend of mine. I’m just not sure I can go.”
Her expression changed, and she turned serious. “You take that ticket, and you get on that ship, and you don’t look back, do you hear me? Things could get worse, girly. It could get better, all blow over, but it’ll probably get worse, and when it does, I won’t have anything foryou, for you or the rest of the girls. This club will shut its doors the minute it stops turning a profit. I don’t work for the fun of it. So you go, and you ride it out for as long as you can, because there’ll be nothin’ for you here, doll face. Nothin’. And I’m sorry to say so.”
It was hard to believe all the things we were reading in the papers—so the next morning, I showed up at the New Amsterdam Theatre, hoping to catch the girls before rehearsal started. I had to find out what was happening with the Broadway shows, and if I really was going to be leaving, I wanted to say goodbye. The girls were sitting in groups in the rehearsal room. I saw Pauline and Lillian across the room, and they waved me over.
“What are you all doing?” I asked. “Why’s no one rehearsing?”
“We just got news,” Pauline said. “The theater’s dark tonight—no one’s seen Ziegfeld for days.”
“Oh, no!” Ziegfeld had always seemed untouchable.
“They’re saying all his money’s gone,” she said.
“Lillian,” I began, turning to her. But by the time I’d said her name, she’d taken me by the hand and whisked me to the other side of the room.
“Olive, listen to me. I’ve heard some news. I wanted to tell you but didn’t know where to find you. Apparently, Archie lost everything, and Louise left him. The wedding is off.”
“What?” I was stunned. She walked out on him at his lowest—and after everything I’d already put him through. But the fact was, my heart was pounding, too. I could barely breathe.
“How do you know?”
“Evelyn spoke to her family back home, and they told her it was the talk of the town. Local businessman ruined. And then Pauline’s new fella? He’s a lawyer, and he said he saw him a few days ago at his office, he was taking care of his affairs, trying to manage some of his losses, or something—”
“He’s here in the city?” I had to see him. “Where?”
“Hewasin the city. Pauline’s guy said he left, says he didn’t know where to, but hedidsay he was never going back to Cincinnati.” She looked at me, waiting for a response to the news she was imparting. “Sorry, Olive, I asked as many questions as I could, alls he knew was that he said he had to get away, out of the city.”
“The Pines,” I said.
“The what?”
“I’ve got to go.” I kissed Lillian on the cheek. “Thank you.”
