Portrait of Jennie Page #4

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- Do you remember the Appleton ?

- The Appleton ?

- They used to have an act . The trapze.

- Trapze. Seems to be...

Look, you go at the Rialto,

and ask old Pete.

He is a doorman or something.

He used to play Hammerstein.

But he could saw a dance man in his day.

- He might know.

- Thanks a lot.

Appleton, Appleton, Yeah,

they were the four Appleton.

That was in 1902. They were clowns.

They were very good too.

Right from Vienna.

This was a high wire act,

Husband and wife. 1910.

Then there was Mike and

Pat Appleton, Irish.

They did some songs and petre.

That was 1904, or 1905 maybe.

Please, let me do it my way.

I have to go backwards and then

start from the beginning.

You see, I will not remember and

I don't like not to remember.

And, I think I am getting old, you see.

I am sorry to put you all this trouble.

No trouble at all.

I have a very good memory.

Sometimes that I don't

remember things very well.

- Clara will know.

- Clara who ?

Clara Morgan. She was with

wardrobe in Hammerstein.

Everybody went to her with his troubles.

Those colour people,

very wise people.

They know what trouble is.

- You know how I can find her ?

- Sure I know where you can find her.

- Oh where she lives ?

- Oh we ?

- Thank you very much.

- Good memory, No ?

- Just one. Goodbye.

- Thank you so much.

They were all wonderful acts.

To me they had more glamour

than anything you see today.

You sort of felt as though you

knew all the artists personally.

Her it is .

These are the Appleton.

Mary and Frank Appleton.

- This one girl...

- Thats their daughter, Jennie.

- Their daughter ?

- Yes.

Isn't it possible that this

child is their granddaughter

Oh no. I knew Jennie when

this picture was taken.

She was a darling little

girl with big sad eyes.

She used to come backstage

and sit on my lap.

I used to give her rock candy.

- Do you know where she is now ?

- No.

I lost track of her that night her

parents were killed on the trapeze.

That was many years ago.

The wire broke.

Jennie was in the theatre

looking when it happened.

Are you sure you don't

remember what happened to her ?

Well, it seens that I remember some talk

about her aunt wanting

to put her in a convent.

Jennie wasn't a catholic,

but her aunt said a convent was

a best place for a girl to be.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Morgan.

- I appreciate you giving me your time.

- Thank you, Mr. Adams.

It isn't often I have a

chance to share my memories.

I do hope you find Jennie.

She was a dear little girl.

I hope so too . Thank you again.

That night everything

seemed like a dream to me.

The towers of the city.

The myriad lights

But now I knew that Jennie

was not just an imaginative child.

Not just a child who

defies time and reason.

Instinctively, I followed myself

approaching the bench in the park.

Jennie's bench.

And as I did,

I was concious at the

unaccustomed atmosphere.

As though time was

melting with the snow.

Was the sob that I heard

was a part of the illusion ?

Jennie, whats the matter with you?

- Why are you crying of now?

- Father and mother.

What... somethings happened.

They had an accident.

- I knew it will happen.

- Why what happened.

I knew it will happen,

I was all scared it will happen.

- And tonight...

- Tonight ?

Jennie, I know how you feel.

I dont know much of the tragic bit.

It isn't hurting now.

Please try to look at it that way.

- They are dead.

- We will all die sometime.

I loved them . They loved me.

You mustn't be too unhappy.

They wouldn't want you to be, would they?

- Would they ?

- No.

They told me one day, they said

if anything happen to them

I mustn't be unhappy

because they were doing

what they wanted to do...

If anything happened,

would happen to them both,

at the same time,

the way they wanted.

Well you see?

Yes.

- So I shouldn't cry, why should I ?

- No.

They wouldn't like it.

- They died the way they wanted.

- All right.

Guess on me, I'm crying to myself

because they are gone

- because I have nobody.

- No, Jennie.

Maybe I'll always be lonely.

I don't know why,

but i don't think I wiil

be lonely very long,

because i am hurrying,

I'm hurrying fast now.

- My aunt is sending me to a convent, and...

- A convent ?

- You want to go ?

- Of course I do .

After that I'll be grown up,

don't you understand?

No, Jennie, I don't understand.

And I wish I did,

but I don't understand any of it.

Each time I see you,

you've changed. You're older.

You talk about things that happened,

but it happened long ago.

Did they?

Sometimes, I kind of think that too.

Maybe thats because I

have to find something.

Finding what?

I'm not sure.

But I think, I'll know someday.

I think I'll know it and find it.

Do you know why?

I think, you will know too.

I hope so.

You wait for me won't you?

You give me a little more time?

All right, Jennie.

Listen.

Its a star. Can't you hear them?

Listen to the star coming up.

Cold cold months followed

each other, at the end.

From the mystery which surrounded Jennie,

my thoughts turned themselves away.

It was not in my hands,

nothing was in my hands,

Any more than I could bring the

spring weather before its time

or keep the winter from clinging to the earth.

Skipper ! Skipper !

- You bad boy. Hello, Adams.

- Hello, Mr. Matthews.

He always runs away when

we get near the park.

Thank you very much

for catching him.

I didn't catch me.

Just ran away to me.

Thats a great compliment,

from Skipper.

He doesn't usually take to strangers,

unless he thinks they are in trouble.

Trouble?

What kind of trouble could

you sense about me?

I suppose most artists goes

to something of the sort.

Sooner or later its not enough for them just

to live and paint and have enough,

or maybe enough to eat.

No.

Sooner or later, they want recognition.

They want to sell their work.

Good men, great

men appear to do that.

But I don't thing thats all is bothering you.

Mr. Matthews was right.

There was something else.

My memory was beginning

to play tricks on me.

I was seized by memory so urgent that

they were more real to me

than what was before me.

Everything reminded me of Jennie.

"Where I come from nobody knows

and where I'm going everyone goes"

Finally spring come through.

Im tried to work.

But mostly, I was

contented doing nothing.

I knew in my heart

that I will never be until,

until and unless, Jennie returns.

I needed to tell someone,

and who was there to tell but Spinney ?

Maybe I will paint one

important painting in my life,

That much I know, I can do.

- A portrait of Jennie ?

- Yes.

Its the first thing and only thing

I've ever been sure of my life.

- You couldn't do without her.

- Of course not.

Suppose she doesn't make

another appearance?

- How can you think about it.

- I didn't realise how much you needed her.

To be your long time define something

to bring your talent to life.

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