The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-06-19
Opera Observations
BIZ OBADIAH DoBsoN.

5+-.f
I've been to see your opera j
sleard ROsAnna Alexina Jones tell sc
much bout it's everlasting sweetness
every time she cum from visit 10
ler rich cousins in New Yolk, that ]
determined TO go in for a dollars
worth the first opportunity. A couple
Jf weeks ago, L had an offer TO ship
- mate aboard the Polly Ann, so
teit the old mackerel smack at Var
,Eouthl and made my first trip to ostLis
1YerWhelmin; city. Your New York
makes me think of billed later,
when il keeps bustin' out at the sides,
:ause t1ere amt room inside TO con-
ain it's innards. It's a place, and
that's fact as can't be gainsed. Il
Well peraInbulated up Broad way
% the Opera House. 1 went In at the
irst door, aud gOins up to the pigeon
Iole, says to the feller inside enii ID.
Got any tickets TO spare ~ s5nsss
He squints through the hole, and
,bserrin' my old pea jacket, sez--a Z
4 "AmpertheatFe neXtdoor." eGinFl4
camper what ?1 sezI Il
'sThe twenty-five cent place." sez
he. nsis;s5 fni,5tsf3a gIfi].-4 e
Twenty-Five cents be burned" sez
{, Here what goes the hull figger,
A, No. i, first floor" and with that 8
.llaps down q W -.fq .ssaE e;5ai !.
''AH right sez he, sshoVin'e out a
icket and the change
passed on through into the theater
md chap there with white vest an
gloves, aud smellin' awfuIly of musk
at or some.hin' worse, piloted me
Town to the front part and gin me a
chair. The fcIleF acted kinder gem
eel, and felt willin' to do him a
good turn; so seZ L.
TELL yoa how to git that stuff ont OF
your clothes, mister-sbury 'em in the
ground" .si5za4sA
He turned round rather spiteful an
vent off without sayin' thankya j
ook my seat and looked round. Je-
Iosophati what a ViewI There was
nen and women dressed up within
IN inch of chokin' to DEATH. Some
vas talkin' and gigglin' some was
lannin' themselves, and some was
ookin' through what guessed must
Ie patent goggles, on account of sore
ayes. A good many of the ladies and
Gentlemen had these consarns, and J.
concluded that sore eyes must be pre-
yailin' to an alarmin' extent, and i
made up my mind to be keeriul about
Ripin' on other folks towels. That
,handaleer !-MAal pile it must cost.
/ couldn't help thinkin ef it should
;ome down what an eternal smash il
would make. -f -sl Xxx 4
A chap with a white coat and other
white fixins, took a seat alongside Of
ne, and pulled pair o. them goggles
Iut of his pocket, and held them to
ais face.
ssGot sore eyes ?'' sez 1. tssFresh
oeefs the best thing you can put on
'emo fata.4a 5la 'ea itA
He didn't listen to what I was say
ing, but seemed to be attracted by the
musiciohers who were getting up a
Ieused squawkin and squealin, as il, a
parcel of cats was. givin' a concert.
They were all in sort of pea, in
front of the big picture curtain, and
they kept going on worse and worse,
till 1 thought they'd break their. fid-
lies foolin' with, 'em. All at onct
they stopped, and everybody went to
:lapping their hands. L s'posed that
this was to make the fiddlers give us
some music, but they wouldn't sound
note. FinaliyI / axed the chap with /
the white coat = zs 80
Why don't they begin to play ?'' 7
'' Why" sez the feller, sehain't they
Just been playin i.1H
"But You don't pretend to call that
nasGsic?" sez 1.
sMusic," sez the feller, "why, that's
the greatest overture that ever was
writ" s.3tlT #l.FIAI
"The deuce it is," see l, sdurned eff
didn't think they was only jest
tunin' up" ~ ~ 4Itif 49,
''Ain't you a little greene" sez he,
bustin' out lafin.i @ e51
aspect 1 may be here" sez I 'tail't
got the hang of the ropes yet. But
put me on the sound onct, in regular
fore-an-arteF, with the little Polly
Ann pitchin' aud rollin' about--then
ein't / hum, hey7 Guess am ~ lt4 3
Bimeby a little bell rung, and the
big curtain went up with glee; and
there was the stage with evers so much
fancy work about it. Three bootiful
creatures then cum out, and one on
EN- steps up tn the lamps in front an
begun to scream, and directly another
one cum up and tried to outscream
her. There they had it, nip an tuck,
for about five minutes, and reckoned
they were goin to pull hair, fur they
looked like mad; but they didn't, for
the reason, 'spose, that ladies were
present. When they backed off the
olks in the peWs got up clappina OF
hands aud hurrah that made feIler
feel skeery for the Consequences,
when he didn't know what il meant.
The curtain was let down, and ] axed
the feller long side ef the show was
out. 1t was a silly question, for he
said the opera hadn't only Jest COM
menced. Bimeby the littlel bell]rnng
again, up went the curtain, and out
cum a woman handsomer than either
of the others--and wasn't she dressed /?
Ell old Parson Goodenough he'd seen
her, he'dshad 10 closeshis eyes to shet
out the evil sperrit. UUAA1 A8lfltA
- Arter she'd operated aspell couple
of chaps came ont To assist!F'l asked
nay friend who they was, and lie said
the littlest One 8 name was Forty, an
the other was the biggest Bassy a.
ever trod the boards is4 l5b'l5 - ao
g Fact seL J, 4 he is big"
. 4 - u 4