The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-03-24

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group oi tsiierei street boys stood shivc
ing at th. entrance 10 an East Side vsrioi
theatre They are stadying with hrestl
less interest tho highly-eolorcd play.bill
Above hung a legend 10 which their ey'
seemed occasionally attracted by fat
fascinRtios;
Admission 10 the gallery. ten cents.
Got any money. JackG whispered on
nudging his still more ragged neighbor.
No. was the mourniul answer. hadn't g
q cent
Suddenly poor .atterdcmalion rushe
into the crowd. HIS eyes sparkled wit
excitement and his hair stood hercely u
through tha bolc In his hat
Say, fellers, lend mo three cents, Nv
got seven.
He was greeted by chorus Of Wot ye
givin' us. w!ndl
I'll pay yer tomorrer. hoDsst, soon's
have sold my papers.
Sure novi
Yer bet
Here yer are. then, and the three cop
pers were counted out into his grimy hand
Don't yer forget, and as be vanished int
the theatre with wild whoop OF triumph
tho same voice yelled after him
III knock the stufiin' out OF yer II yer
do.
There was dismal silence a. the boys
gazed enyiously at the closed door OF their
paradise. II was broken by sound OF
subdued sniyelling. Wots the matter wi
yer?. and little fellow hardly eight years
old WAS dragged out OF a dark corner. |
want ter go ter the show. he blubbered.
They say it's bully old piece. I've spent
oil my money. was hungry an j coulu
not help ii.
Yer think we're Wanderbilts, do yerY
Wot yer making such a noise aboutr Take
this aud stop yer jaw. One cent, two,
three, dropped into his hands, and his dir
ty face began to beam through his tears.
Say, yer'll want this, he said hesitating
ly.
Q, none Nv yer taffy now. Go il little
feller, and the doer closed behind him,
while the boys beat their broken shoes on
the pavement to drive away the chill
their beneficiary was climbing
a steep fight Of narrow, dirty stairs. Keen
er nostrils would have detected smell
which grew stronger and stronger as the
gallery was approached.
How'd yer get in? greeted him as he
,limbed over the seats and wedged himself
INTO crowd of his companions. But he
nad no words TO spare, for his eyes we're
riveted on the stage. The shaky, dilapi
tated scenery seemed to him as real as the
beauty of the heroine on whom he gazsd
without thought Of rouge or
pearl powder The loud.mouthed villain,
suffering from too much beer,
was to him the very embodiment OF a de-
oraved aristocrat. The humble laboring
nan, who posed as a hero, clad in man
Ter that workingmen would despise, en-
listed the boys earnest synpathies from
he first The gaudily attired men and
women smoking cigarettes in boxes, with
heir feet on the chairs, were to him, real
i've swell" Throughout the house, every
nan wore his hat. A departure from this
'ustom would have been considered a
reach Of etiquette. 1t was also consider
d the correct thing" to crunch peanuts
udibly and scatter their shells to the
light and left with an ntter disregard OF
onsequencss
But the gallery was the feature of the
ouse A tier of eager faces, massed close
= together, rose from front to rear, behind
'hich tower the forms Of special officers"
rmed with canes. Packed like sardines,
row of little fellows, with excited faces,
ung over the railing, in their sbirtsleeves,
Watching the play, now silent
) death. again bowling like little fiends.
The we'll ll.dressed william met with their !
Ianifest disapproval. Lofty, moral and
eroic sentiment we're cbeered again and
ypin, The funny man" who tumblod {
YER chairs. sat down in wash tubs, and l
as beaten with broomsticks by irate wo-
en-, never failed. to bring out peals OF J
lighter.
The play grew more thrilling. The VII c
IN had, eloped with the wife OF the up
ght laboriug man who was a miner, dres-
d as miners invariably are, in a spotess
bile shirt, velveteen trousers and elabor-
e Logging The williams servant had
ndly dropped letter in the miners cot
&c, which informed the injured husband p
al his master would come for an inter
w with the wife on seeing light dis al
lyed. The stage lights were turned Il
wn. The miner made the signal. 1t to
s evident there was TO be "blood." A W
,athless silence reigned in the darkness to
the gallery. A door opened. the william U
pearei. while the miner concealed him or
I. The suspense was too much for one
tho gallery gods" and he yelled, dc
heese ii. Gully, he's layin' for yees.'
Then the william proposed to turn the th
Der out You'd better not, replied the lei
Ter, pattiDg his biccps muscle, and this vi
,ught down the house. Punch his head
uted the boys. The miner produced pl
tol and the gallery went Wild. Shoot th
4, kill him. be amt no eoodl Their th
npsihiss we're on the side Of suffering BIO
Iue. an
1 last miner and william conirsntcd each ga
er with pistols The gallery was as fol
! As death. Every eye was strained and fas
~ mouth was opened. But a, the fatal he'
art IN. hsrniue rushrd in and threw