The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-03-10
A YOUTHFUL THESPIAN.
Painful Result of Having Faith
er who win not Appreciate.
Shakespeare.
From the Detroit Free Press

A few days ago young GurIey
whose father lives on Croghan street
organized theatrical company and
purchased the dime novel play o.
Hamlet" The company consisted
of three boys and a hostler, and Mr.
Gurley's hired girl was to be the
Ghost if the troupe could guarantee
her fifty cents per night.
Young Gurley suddenly bloomed
out as a professional. and when his
mother asked him to bring in some
wood he replied:
Though / am penniless thou canst
not degrade me r.
you trot out after that wood OF
I'll have your father trounce you =
she exclaimed.
"The tyrant who lays his hands
upon me shall die !''' replied the boy.
but he got the wood.
lie was out on the step when 8
man came along and asked him where
Lafayette street was.
Doomed for a certain time to
roam the earth r. replied Gurley in g
hoarse voice, and holding his right
arm out straight.
Il say-you Where is Lafayette
street?'' called the man.
"Ah! Could the dead but speak
ah - continued Gurley.
The man drove him into the house,
and his mother sent him to the gro.
Gerry after potatoes.
II go, most noble Duchess" he
said as he took up the basket, "but
my good sword shall some day
avenge these insults 70
He knew that the grocer favored
theatricals, and when he got there
he said:
cart thou provided with store OF
that vegetable known as the 'tater,
most excellent dukeT'
"What in thunder do you want p
growled the grocer as he cleaned the
cheese knife on a piece of paper.
''Thy plebeian mind is dull of com.
prehension !" answered Gurley.
Don't try to get off any of your
nonsense on me, or I'll crack your
empty pate in minute ~ roared the
grocer, and Hamlet had to come
down from his high horse and ask
for peck of potatoes.
"What made you SO long"' asked
his mother as he returned.
"Thy grave shall be dug in the
cypress glade y he haughtily an
swered.
When his father came home at
noon Mrs. Gurley told him that she
believed the boy was going crazy.
and related what had occurred.
81 See what ails him." mused the
father; this explains why he hangs
around Johnson's barn so much"
At the dinner table young Gurley
spoke of his father as the "illustri-
Gus count" and when his mother
asked him if he would have some
butter gravy he answered:
'"The appetite of warrior cannot
be satisfied with such nonsense"
When the meal was over the faith
er went out to his favorite shade
tree, cut a sprout, and the boy was
asked to step out into the woodshed
and see if the penstock was frozen
up. He found the old man there,
and he said:
"Why, most noble lord, I had sup
posed thee far away P'
''I'm not so Ear away but what L m
going to make you skipr' growled
the father. "Pll teach you to fool
around with ten cent tragedies
Come up here r
For about five minutes the wood
shed was full of dancing feet, flying
arms and moving bodies, and then
the old man took rest and inquired +:
"There, your highness, dost want
any more?'
ooh no. dad mot darned bit y
walled the young manager" and
while the father started for down
town he went in and sorrowfuuy in
formed the hired girl that he must
cancel her engagement until the fall
season.