At the Vaudeville.

Vanity Fair (UK), October 3, 1906
 

They asked each other, “Will she stay?”
The management said, “Edna May”;
But later heaved a mournful sigh,
For “Edna won’t” was her reply.

 

 

Printed unsigned in Vanity Fair; entered by Wodehouse as “Two Epigrams” for this issue in Money Received for Literary Work.

Note:

 

Edna May Pettie (September 2, 1878 – January 1, 1948), known on stage as Edna May, was an American actress and singer. One of the most photographed women of the time, she was a popular postcard beauty and was famous for her leading roles in Edwardian musical comedies.

 

—John Dawson