Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-30
THE GAZETTE.
THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 20. 1889.
Fun BEHIND rnE SCENES

Having been initiated IN all the b, anches
Ola ">upe, from beng ala attendant an the
king down L. c"n,n,'n toot-snidieN really
began to take lkelDe t., it, The ''.upcs,"
on mature a.uoaintance--witht the exception
OF the PRACTICAL Jokes they were continually
rlayine-l found to be nice lot II fellows,
and got along very well with them
on ole occasion new puntUmime was
Icing performed. The ,upes some eighteen
Ur nineteen III numbei, wcie u take the
parts OF hsheS. There were six blue, six
red, aud six yeilDw-my part beng a blue
nsh; the dress was the rep eSentatlCB oi a
hsh, the body representing the lower part Of
the hsh, with two holes for the legs ana Two
tor the arms, with the haii carried up be-
hind like Barnum's mermaid A mask with
shouidel-pieces, representing the head On
assuming this dress, you could not tell one
'supe" from another, unless the mask Was
torn OH We oil stood in order, preparing
TO 90 on, and were supposed to he attendants
Oh Neptune, the King OF the Sea
There were also some twenty or thirty
baliet-girls engaged IN the piece. who went
OH oetore us. While entering they hal u
pass the fishes, who generally stood hudjied
together III the enhance Among them vas
one VIII" Was the luintessence Of deyiltry-
In tact, oyertiowing with mischievousne>>
This fellow, whom | will call Joe W. used
I" crouch OH has knees. aud se,ze g'ri Icy
the ankle, thereby dcta,nng her FROM going
On the stage at the proper time.
AT one tine IL was his misfortune to
seize the ankle Of the principal dancer, who
was the wife Of one Of the pantomimlsts-
The eniaged dancer, not having time to
make inquiries got on the stage some min
utes too late fol the music, and after her
exit she made her husband acquainted with
the indignities she had Suffered.
All the fishes were brought up for exami-
nation, when the husband commenced rs iOl-
lows
"vich Won Of re dam rascaies catch you
by re leg!"
His wife answered,
Il thinks II vas zered fish"
All the red fish were commanded to take
off their heads
Now all re red fish get in zc line"
The red hsh having got IN line, the
husband requested her TO "pick out re dam
rascaie"
Accordingly, red fish NJ. was ordered
to step out.
is Eat re fellaire:" asked the Frenchman.
New, sare, look NE straight IN re eye,
said the wife.
The fellow, who was no other than Joe
and the one in question, stared the woman
out of countenance.
No" said she Il don't thinks Eats ze
Won lags it 70. anoder"
4 All the red fishes were examined IN their
turns, but the culprit could not be found
then the blue and yellow. with like results.
\ The Frenchman, not liking To discharge all
A--"u.na. ~ to zoos - ,h'nv nSer Wi,,n.s.Iit
satisfaction, but conteuted himself with OBJ
serving,
"Zat's re first sacre dam scoundrel ne
shall catch cutting up re dam monkey shines,
vOs re fellaire Eat catch his wife by re leg
Ia the piece, bottle OF brandy was fur
nished every night by the Frenchnlan, he
not admiring toast-water, (which IS geh-
orally used in place ut WINE on the stage
but using Il bottle of the tond rite stuff The
uluuuuuullu uiiusi1lu,usS.ts tnIeht Tor week
Fs,Ae put IN its plare-stoien
Aa 40 sN' ,Ss, N",S the plans he laid t" find
AN sos without Out r success. AT ia. ,aJ' ,a
oS Ss this' to put it into practice that very
WcwAccnrdingly he smoked the mouth
y.
liable. As usual the bottle was taken,
md an empty one put in its place-taken by
none other than Joe. OF course We each
had a Part, he retaining the lions share.
At the end of the scene all the fish were
ordered to .'eet IN IL line" and take their heads
off. This being done the Frenchman walked
up to No. |, selling h%a, by the ear, and led
him down to the border lights. iii one n the
.,-har ln, tla l. pipu WA. Its
cred around his mouth.
"IIaw said the Frenchman, at last
catch 20 robber. 81 sair you steals Re vine'
ha?'
The fish looked up innocently, and declar-
ed that he had not stolen anything.
Stick out your tongue, saire! An ma:
l sees re vine in re tongue, III &c eye, ana all
overv'
Then, taking the supposed culprit by the
eor he lead him in front of the rest OF the
fishes to hold him up as an example, when"
could he believe his eyes--On each and every
"supe's" mouth was the damning evidence OF
their guilt W.,
The Frenchman was nonpiussed. Who
was the guilty one? There WAS but one
which one was it? There was bat one remedy;
that was to discharge the whole, which he
dared not do. 81 the Frenchman went away
As wise as he came, revolving i'll his mlnd
some other plan to catch the thief At last
he fixed on the following: Perhaps every
one does not know what trick bottle Is;
so Twill endeavor to describe it: \ common
wine bottle is filled with powder and other
inAammable matter: fuse is attached to the
bottom of the bottle, and reaches to the cork.
where it is fastened The fuse acts on the
principle of the common pulling-eracker, 30
that, on pulling out the cork, the fuse sepa-
rates in the middle, ignitinG the powder
which hlazes like Roman candles, through
the neck of the bottle. A trick bottle having
been procured from the property man, was
the next night placed On the table, and as
sua taken by Joe; whom the r. a'ss"vs sy OF
the night previous had made ra.ns s0n saS IN
one of the uninitiated ones--whom liz het
a quarter he could not pull the cork ont
No sooner said than done he seized the cork
between his teeth when whl2! bang! the hsh
II Al I'm