No School on Monday (Cont.)
Screen 2 of 3All these things had taken place several years earlier when our family was in much better financial circumstances--a situation abruptly terminated during World War I when my grandfather and grandmother were no longer living, when our economic resources had dwindled almost to a poverty level, and when my divorced mother was left with two young sons to support and raise.
Also running through my mind as I sat comfortably in one of the deep leather chairs in the lobby were some of the humorous incidents described in a very popular book, Angeline at the Seelbach, which had been written a year or two earlier about a country bumpkin and his wife making their first trip to a big city hotel.
This almost weekly ritual of sitting, watching, and reminiscing at the Seelbach usually lasted about thirty minutes, after which I was ready for the big highlight of the week--a visit to the famous Loew's Theatre, where for 20cents I could not only enjoy a fine movie (we called it "picture show") but also hear and see the renowned Jesse Crawford playa wonderful three-manual organ which could be raised from the orchestra pit to a level quite visible to everyone in the audience.
Immediately above the seating area of the theatre was a peaceful make-believe night sky with a pale moon and what seemed to be thousands of twinkling stars, a scene so relaxing that we could almost forget the rigorous demands of military school life.
When Crawford was performing at the organ, a bright spot- light was focused on his back, and for some of the songs he played, words accompanied by a lively bouncing ball were flashed on the screen to encourage us to sing along with him. And on Monday afternoons when many K.M.I. cadets were there, the singing was hearty and enthusiastic, to say the least.
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