The Portland daily press., 1869-08-28

laugh-and that's why didn't.
Alter it was over the conjuror chap came
to me, and SEES: 81 never see your living equal.
You must be used to the public not to mind
them any more than as if you was a stone
idol"
81 never see the public before" says.
"You didnt?" ses he.
'No," ses.
"Well, look here" he goes on, 81 don't
mind standing you half a crown if you'll
tell me what you was a-thinking OF when
the public was screaming with laughing at
ysu."
"Victuals," makes answer.
"Come and have some along with me /" he
replies, for think can put you in the way
of getting them regular"
So did.
Next day he goes to see my father.
Your son has wonderful talent SIR"
Hang his talent" ses my father; otis a
pity he cant use it on any other tool than
knife and forkw
"A natural gift, sir, for not laughing at
anything. such as l never see before out of
the reserved seats. The question is, could he
be depended upon always to keep his coun-
tenance as he did last night?"
Il never see him smile in my life," father
makes reply; NOR get angered, nor put out
IN it; ,act' never never see him take notice of any
thing. There's no mistake he can keep his
countenance, which is good deal more than
MS countenance'll ever do for him."
"1don't know SO much about that, the con-
juror ses, "ior I'm open to give him two
pound week and his board, if he'll sign
articles with me for twelve months"
And what is he to do?" ses my father.
Nothing, except to re looked at, and that
won't hurt him, l suppose"
WELL, father says to me, "is it bargain ?"
Il don't CARE" SEES. So joined the show.
Ihe public is an obstinate lot, for when
you lauSh. they won't; but If you set YOUR
self against laughing, or if you've got no
call to laugh, through not seeing anything to
laugh at they will laugh like mad, least
ways, so have found il.
Signor Mosco was the coniurers name or
at any rate, the one he went by in public
de was called pretty good hand, but |
couldn see much in what he did. | knew
where the bullets went to when he made be-
ieve to ram them into pistol with a barrel
Ike an ear trumpet l stuffed the gold
watches IN the hal-quartern loaves, and iron
cd out the ladies' and gentlemens pocket
handkerchief, while he was pretending to
burn them. It's surprising what little things
amuse the public. l used to tell 'em so, when
Slgnor Mosco had done one of his best tricks,
put they only srinned and said, Lord. how
he does keep hls countenancep and. "What
nerve be must have to be surew There was
the hat-trlck. The tins, and the feathers and
Things look good deal when they are all
thrown about, but they take up no room
scarcely when I'd put 'em together, ready for
use. And as to rolling tive rabbits into one,
what was there to surprise me, knowing ali
along very well what was become of the sec
ond rabbit, when | shouldn't have took on
very much even il he had rolled em into one.
except 1t was at dinner time. There was the
decapltated head and the basket trick, and
the magic flowers, and the woman setting on
nDfnInT which Iuac COL Had
the looking-glasses and the false bottoms let
alone the legs Of the decapitated head and,
consequently, couldn't see anything in any
of it.
There was only one part of the entire per-
lofmance that ever could see anything in,
ana that was, as the bills put it: "The Mar
vicious Mechanical Man or Wooden Automa-
ton, on whose construction no less than
twenty-five years have been expended, to |
bring it to its present perfection as the great
est wonder OF the age"
will tell you aboutit.
FIRST OF ALL there was large boz, or pedes. |
tai, tor the figure to stand on, and Containing |
the works which was carried of the stage, |
and INTO the centre OF the reserved seats. 1t |
had wlnch, to turn with handle like bed |
post key, to wind up the man, and VIII en- |
wound up made noise like an engine getting /
up steam. which was the work running down. |
Then the man was brought down off the /
stage, carried upright by four strong fellows.
His feet were fastened to round wooden |
stand like childrens soldiers stand on, in |
Whcn was worm for the screw on the top /
vi .le PEDESTAL. When brought down, he was |
holsted up on pedestal, and turned round |
and round until screwed on. There was a /
great many tubes, and wires, and levers COLI
Meeting the figure to the box, and sticking |
out round it, which looked very curious, and,
besides, showing the working parts. But a |
worse finished man no one ever see at a TO-
bacconist's shop-door, (which made it the more |
singular his doing what he did. About his |
neck and the back of his head the paint was |
wore off, showing the bare wood; and the |
same with the point of his nose, which was /
spntered; and likewise his hands, which |
were glued and cracked. Signor Mosco used
to explain this had occurred in packing, and
that he would repair the injuries. But it
seemed as IT 1t did almost occur in packing, |
never were repaid. Then, as to his complex.
ion, it would have been a disgra stto any
house painter. 1t was red and whitewash,
vanished, and done SO badly, that it looked
as II you could see the grain of the wood |
through the paint. I've often asked Sisnor
Mosco why he didn't paint his automaton
better, but he only grinned, and said, "How
precious green you are, arn't youw
everybody who see the man used to say:
How stupid of Signor Mosco, after making
such clever figure, not to have spent a pound
or Two III finishing Improperly, instead Of leav-
ing 1t such clumsy wooden scarecrow''
Ihe newspapers, too, used to speak most |
dIsrespectiul of the man; like this which Eve
cut out II
"Signor Mosco revisited our town with his |
interesting exhibition last week. His remark
ably skilfu feats of pretidigitatIon were the
admiration OF large and fashionable audien-
ces. To the other attractions of his enter
tainment, the professor of the quick fingered
art has now added what he is pleased to term
The Marvellous Man. The performances of
OF THIS automaton are particularly clever, but |
1t bellies its name. 1t might with more cor
recthess be termed figure, for it is so rough
ly constructed as 10 bear no more resemblance
to humanity than the effioies which are car
rled through our streets on the 5th November.
We cannot help thinking that if Signor Mos
co would devote little more pains to the fin
ish OF his wooden effigy, and to conceane |
some SOIL OF the cords and levers by which the
ihe-like motions are too obviously conveyed |
to the limbs, the illusion would be rendered |
more complete"
60 far from being angry at reading such no.
tees, Sl9nor Mosco always used to cbuckle
ana slap me on the back, and want to know |
why didn't laugh too. SEES, very naturally
because don't see anything to laugh at.n
Well" says he, you are cure, you are,
and the biggest l ever see."
But the figure only got worse, and more
shabby and ricketty, the more that was said
about it, until at last, whenever the men used
to carry the automaton to his pedestal, one of
its arms would drop off. The professor al
ways said 1t was an unforeseen accident, and
apologized tor it. But it was an unforeseen
acc4ent that used regularly to occur every
evening, and get apoligized for. And what
" was another singular thing, the worse the
nSure was, and the more ricketty he cot, the
vas. n'' p'iioi nh"n'' !
wen, when the Mechanical Man was screw.
ca down on the pedestal for his nerformanoe
SlGnor Mosco would commence wifi, nI1o"p
lecture on the powers of the lever tha sno.
ana the pulley, and the spiral snrino Nv
would then so and wind up the machine VEL
tne handle like bed-wrench. 1t made a o wo.t
clatIef, and took long while to Wind, oWino Il
~ .ne pc yer of the spring. When he had W
uo',e, .ne whole concern began TO 90 "Cr-r-r- 80
~, anu kept on going so all the time. whilst
~. Tue PeoPie could see the works going round :
through one side of the nedost,I uh;oh ,uas A
OF glass. The professor wonIJ "n'en Wa. was
sharply with his wand, and nnl, 81 S. IN.
worked the levers OF the automa oo .. tnat
Franciscop SEES he; and Francisco axe, &
Inc wooden figure, begins to move his ho va
very SLOW, 1lrst from right to left, then from Is
eft to right. Then Signor Morco pulls 'i .n
,ther string and Francisco opens his ewes 1 na
y gradually, or quick, according as the strna
S pulled. Then it would be: J" Raise the riphi
rm, and salute the company; which ibe