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Show 131 "Musical Plot for At Jones* Ferry," it read: 1. Country dance till stop dancing. 2. Lively till Boss Strikes Young Jones. 3. Moderato till girl falls in river. 4. Agitato -- long, till sub-title 'A Chance for Revenge.' 5. Crescendo till girl is rescued, then: 6. Waltz or lively till finish. Karl's apprehension grew as he read the list. Moderato, Agitato, Crescendo were they the names of songs? If so, he didn't know a single one of them. He'd have to fake it. Kathleen had said the manager had a tin ear; Karl fervently hoped that was true. The 'Intermission' slide was showing on the screen when he entered the dark theater. As he pushed his way along a row of seats, he passed through the beam from the projector, making his own silhouette follow him across the letters of 'Intermission.' He reached the piano to the right of the screen just as Professor Kitzweiller was putting on his hat. The man sagged with weariness. "Ah, Karl," Professor Kitzweiller said, "Kathleen told me you were going to play for her tonight. Ach, and you never even took piano lessons. How fitting, considering this vulgar entertainment. In Berlin I conducted Tannhauser. Now I sit ten hours each day to play idiocy for dancing shadows." He spat in disgust, just as the slide on the screen changed to 'Please Don't Spit on the Floor.' "So long, Professor," Karl called softly as the man faded into the darkness. |