[Arthur McGowan]

The guy who ran The Troc, in Baltimore, used to make up the artists’ names, with slogans. I used to know a few of them (the names, not the artists), but nowadays, I can remember only one: “Beth Lehem. All wise men come to see her.”

[Boucheau]

Here’s another one from that area:

STRAIGHT They need a quartet down at the Gaiety Theater. Can you sing?

FIRST COMIC Sure. I used to sing in a queer.

STRAIGHT No. No. You mean a choir.

FIRST COMIC It was a queer choir.

STRAIGHT A queer choir?

FIRST COMIC Yes. We weren’t even sure about the man who played the organ.

STRAIGHT What do you mean?

FIRST COMIC He played nothing but hymns.

STRAIGHT Let’s sing out of these books [passing out song books].

FIRST COMIC What page shall we sing on?

STRAIGHT Sing on page 14.

SECOND COMIC [looking at book] There’s no page 14 in my book.

FIRST COMIC Sing on page seven twice. [Second comic sings a few bars of an operatic aria.] What are you singing?

SECOND COMIC [showing first comic the page] See. It says right here Pag-a-ni-ni.

FIRST COMIC You damn fool. That’s page nine.