The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-02-09 00:00:00

; Anil soon was up-stairs and sleeping ma down.
His dreams we quite hope were joyous and bright,
Anil when he reached home he found all was right.
The factory folk wen, 110.1111.11 their gait;
"A holiday, Jini," cried out • young lase,
Jim Hjought of children, and breakfast not earn a,
hem ing sigh in sorrow return ii.
A man named Andrews, who lived at an inn,
To ilablil, in tea cunsiderel no .in,
Well packed on the door a nice stock he'd got,
But water rubel in and !halted the lot;
Twas fragrant and strong, and warranted pun.
Flom bases from sea he did not secure;
In safety his tea from ('bins had conic,
And now he beheld it soaking at home;
His customers, too, complaining would be,
Declare one and all 'twat huststzwls weak teas
Soule spinnen down south no spinning could do,
Their works were flooded, and town houses too.
The villas below with rooms under ground,
Quite up to the knee in water were found.
The cock+ and the pane were ne'er in such
Yet proved beyond doubt that ism can swim.
The man and his wife who lived at the gate,
Anxiously waited their watery fate,
They saw well the rime, by watching the stain,
And kept their feet dry by walking on chain.
If any, perchance, were driving that way,
They told them to call and pay the next day.
Some men in the west when near their abode,
Observed the water was deep in the road.
They felt much distresid, but happy their lot.
A man with a van ...hue down at a trot,
Charging a penny to go through the tide,
The hungry all felt that cheap was the ride.
I thought of these things at home on the Iffil,
I looked at the stream and then at the mill.
I wrote a few lines to fill up the time,
And just to amuse I put it in rhyme,
I hope my good frienda aims+, deeds I rehearse.
Will pardon alike my baldrics.' and verse.
Great applause succeeded the reading, which was given
n Mr. C. Falmunds's well-known distinct style. "Sylvia
May " was very tastefully sung by Mr. T. Matthews, and
narrowly escaped all enowt. The glee, " Where art thou,
beam of light, was capitally given by the glee party, lie
dithrult passages being musically rendered, and this
brought the first part to a clow. Mr. A. Stone accosts.
pained the varions wan, In. on the pianoforte, and Was
as successful as ever. "Behind the scenes," as we happen
to know, all this time there was much activity dispnled
in making preparations by those who had to take pert in
the farce awl, as usual, the lady took • long Unto in
beinfr got up to the mark, having the araistannas of •
lady a maid, professional hair-skewer, kg., whilst there
was the customary powdering, nuncios, colouring eye
Wins, dn., tr. Nor were some of the sterner sex less
careful of their attire and mineral appearance, but the
whole of them were well repaid by the success which
attended their eifort
It was about quarter past nine o'clock when the curtain
rose for the farce of " The Day after the Fair," the char-
acters of which were sustained as follows :—Old Fidget
(a retired stockbroker), Mr. 11. Hoare ; Abraham (led
(his servant), Mr. C. l'owell ; Mr. Sterling, Mr. Mertes
Jerry, his servant (who easuniel the characters of Sam
Wax, a drunken cobbler; Susan Squall, an itinerant
ballad singer: Timothy Thuwpwell, a drummer, Mdlle.
Dumplino, • French songstress, three-and-a-half feet it ;
and Uctaviini %sunshine, a Mania-) Mr. G. Thorne; Old
Fidget's Housekeeper (who assumed the characters of
Susan &Tubb, it washerwoman • and Mrs. Maypole, •
theatrical manageress), Mr. R. Elsion. The farce, although
11.1 old one, was new to the majority of the audience; it
it was acted so long ago as rot at Saddler's Wells,
Theatre; and was performed in Itridport some thirty
years ago when it was witnemed by Mr. .1. Parnell,
and it was by him recommended to the committee for
representation at their entertainment. For over an
hour the audience were kept in roars of merriment;
in fact, at times, the mirth was so vehement that a
pause had to be made by the actors to allow those
who were so tickled to recover themselves. The
following sketch of the piece will help our readers;
Mr. ctirling sends his servant Jerry to purchase •
cottage in a quiet village, but Jerry, having stayed at
the new, finds himself too late, the cottage having been
purchased by Old Fidget the day before his arrival; so
Jerry and Lis sweetheart (old Fidgets housekeeper),
meanie various disguise., and make the cottage so very
uncomfortable that Fidget gladly sells it again to
Jerry for much leas than he gave for it; but fin& out
too late how he had been duped and imposed upon. Me.
11. Ileare, as obi Fidget, was the nervous old gentles
gentleman ti perfection, and his get 1111 wan excellent; in
fact, he could not have been recognised had not his name
appeared; he seeditinol his imisrtent part ...fatally, and
dwerves the thanks of all interest.sl, for coining forward
to supply the place of Mr. C. Cook at on opportune •
moment and no short a notice. Mr. 1,. Powell, ..tbrahain
Clod, did the countryman to perftwiion ; he was very con'
Addenda of the " nervous of his waster, Old
Fidget, being extremely noisy at the very time he MY
desireti to be quiet; awl taking care of Number 1, as he
was toll to do by his master, 1111 l every occasion. Mr.
Morfee made a very good Mr. Stirling acting the Part
carefully. Mr. G. 'Thorne, as Jerry, the servant, had •
very difficult task :Woksl him, as he hail no less than six
characters to represent, all of which he did to the life,
from the drunken cobl•ler to Moonshine the Maniac, one
of his representat' Sumn Squall, an itinerant ballad
singer, was unusually excellent. Ile with his sweetheart
(Old Fidget's housekeeper) had resolved to do all they
could to make theowiter of the cottage uncomfortable. and
It was for this purpose he entessl Clot grounds belonging
to Old Fidget, as a ballad singer, in company with some
four children, all in rag,; the entrance of this group on
to the platform provoked roars of laiotliter. After asking
for alms, and Nang refused, Susan sings a ditty. •Ild the
youngsters squall in the chorus, which bogged him to
" take pity," and so on, an hhid at length e s glad to got rid
of them by giving them is iihiilliiig Mr. It. Elena sass
"fair representative of the weaker WIC, and it Is souse
time since we have seen an amateur so well up to the work
of representing thOnt of the opposite sex. Ile made quite
a charming housekeeper a. a washerwoman he was all
that could lie dwired, whilot 321 a theatrhal managersie he
',shed quite u lady ; ;idled to the. his acting of the
various characters war, first,lass. 'There was twolonged
applause at the end of the fan-e. Mr. C. Powell (secretary)
then stepped beward awl nail, by special request., the
entertainment would he repmtel Thumbs), evening.
when the charges for adtitheion would be reduced. The
National Anthciu was then sling, mot the ognpany dis-
perse!, all being agreed that it was :dwelt the bed farts
ever acted in the hall.