Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-01-14
A Coming Dramatist.

| A man with an unshaven face and
medi.ative air climbed to the bar Of tn
Jefferson Market Police Court, yester
day, and said to His Honor
| Look here, I've got something OF
my mind that's botherin' me a heap
and 1 dropped in thinkin' as how yol
might help me out Of it,
All right. Let's hear it, said th'
Court. good-naturedly.
'Supposln' 1 was a feller that cracked
banks and broke open tills aud knocked
people on the head for their money a
regular out and out bad un, you know.
The Court in surprise surveyed the
speaker from head to foot.
oh, you needn't size me up The
man interrupted; "a white linen tie may
DO service where hemp bandage ough
ter be, and striped ulster may kiver
multitood o. sins. There's no tellin'
So supposin' l was bad egg of extral
quality and a.puttlng up a job to clear
out rich ole files house when l sees
his darter and falls in love with hel
away up to the top of my hatband
Well, the gal kinder takes to me, anC
Pm a figgerin' on reformin' and winnin'
her and getlin' the ole mans tin. D'you
see y
Quite clearly said His Honor. a
very laudable purpose
You bet, the narrator complacently
observed. But there's hitch to my
happiness, he went on, for l finds out
that the gal bankers after a lumtum
young feller with four-in-hand which
his father has give him when he went
inter bankruptcy for the fifth time, and
the treacherous female is a-going Ia
give me the go-by. See?'
The Court nodded affirmatlvely.
Il amt done nothin' again the lor SO
far, eh p
NO, there is nothing that you have
mentioned that could be legally con-
strucd 10 a misdemeanor.
The man seemed quite relieved. But
I'm bound 10 get square with that team,
he continued; so one dark night I brings
my pals around and we climbs up the
fire escape and lays at the parlor when
the young feller comes loving, and
when be and the gal is together boun'
ces inter the room and gives to him right
and left with ten Inch bowie knite, and
we takes all the jools We kin get q hold
of. and carries off the gall
What do you mean p cried His Hon
or, quite horror stricken. BE careful
what you say, Or
'Oh, don't worry interrupted the
other naively. 4 don't play a card
without lookln' at my hand. What
want to know is what all them offences
is worth. Let's fgger. How much toi
takin' the jools p
Five years at least.
The man pondered for a moment.
And the gal?' he then asked.
"A still heavier penalty
More profound reflection.
Sand a-settin' the house on fire p
Imprisonment for lfe.'
And a-knlfn' of the young feller"
Hanging, you fool. Are you luna
tic to come here to tell me this ? Do yor
seriously mean to denouuce YOURSELF
'Denounce /! Ha, ha! Why. Jedge
YOU'RE clean Of the track. 1 was only
supposln' all that. You see, I've biz
on the road with a theatrical comblna-
ton, and I'm a thinkin' o. startin' II
busines meself and gettin' up a dramar
See But I'm very particular man
and though the piece Is goin' to be
red.hot, blue-frc and blazes sensation
I want lots o. facts to bolster it up.
must have the lor in the play deat
straight, so Jest dropped in to have
talk with you about it. Now, suppo
SIM
But His Honor interrupted.
MY nerves can stand a pretty stll
.traln,' he said, but if you put yoursel
into any more such violent, hypolhetl
cal positions Pm afraid the illusion vii
be so perfect that III have to lock yo'
up anyway. So get out while you'y
time.'
The meditativc man looked at him re
proachfully, but grabbed his had an
acted on the suggestion all the same.