The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-03-03
Maark Twain on EDcUres.

"hi tolu ttihI Ill GERMAN concert or
opera they hardly ever encore song, that,
though they may he dying to bear it again,
their good breeding usually preserves them
against requiring the repetition. Kings
may encore; that Is quite another matter;
IL delights everybody to sec that the KING
III pleased; and as to the actor cncored, his
pride and qualification are simply bound
less. Still, there are circumstances in
which even royal enCore--but 1t Is better
To illustrate. The King of Bavaria is a
poet, and has poets cccenlricities, with
the advantage over all poets of being able
to crafty them, no matter what form they
may take. lie is fond of opera, but not
fond of sitting in the presence of an audi
ence; therefore, it has sometimes occurred
IN Munich that, when al opera has been
concluded and the players are getting of
their paint and tinery, command has
come to get their paint and finery on again.
Presently the King would arrive solitary
and alone, and the players would begin at
the beginning, and do the entire opera over
again, with only the one individual in that
| vast solemn theatre for an audience. Once
he took an odd freak in his head. High
up and out Of sight, over the pfodigious
stage OF the Court theatre, in maze OF in
tcrlacing watcr-pipcs, so pierced that In
case OF fire innumerable thread-Iikc
streams OF water can be caused to descend
N case OF need this discharge can be
a.. ;mcnted to pouring flood. The King
was tho sole audience. The opera pro-
ceedcd. 1t was piece with q storm in it,
inc mimic rain began to pattcr. The Kings
interest rose higher and higher; it dcvel-
opcd into enthusiasm. lie cried:
ut is good, very good indeed But
will have real rain. Turn on the water"
The manager; pleaded for reversal of
the command, said it would ruin the cost
ly costumes, but the King cried
No matter, no matter, l will have real
rain Turn on the water!
so the real rain was turned and began to
descend Ill gossamor lances TO the mimic
| tlower-bcds and gravel walks of the stare.
The richly dressed actresses anu actors
| tripped about singing bravcly and pretend
ing not to mind it. The King was delight
cd; his enthusiasm grew higher. He cried
out:
"Bravo, bravo! More thunder! more
llghtDingl Turn on more rain -
The thunder doomed, the lightning
glarcd, the storm-wind ragged, the dclugc
poured down. The mimic royalty of the
stage, with their soaked satlns cling
ing to their bodies, stopped around
| ankle deep IN water. warbling their sweet
est and best; the tiddlers under the caves
OF the stage sawed away for dear life, with
tho cold overflow spoutlng down the back
| OF their necks;an the dry and happy king
sat in his loft box aud wore his gloves to
ribbons applauding.
| More yeti" cried the King; more yet;
lot loose all the thunder, turn on all the
water. l will hang tho man that raises AL
umbrellal'
| When tho most tron,onInns and nffect,yc
storm that had ever btc cn produced in any
theatre was at last over, the Kings ap.
probation, was measurelcss. He cried:
| Magnificent, magnificent Encore Do
it again!"
But the management succeeded in Der
suadlng him to recall the encore, and said
tn company would feel sufficiently re-
""rdcd and compllmentcd IN the mere
fact that tho encore wac demanded by hi
Majesty without fatigulng HIM with a
repetition to crafty their own vanity.
| During the remainder of tho act the
lucky performers we're those whose parts
required changes of dress; tho others were
soaked, bcdraggled, and, uncomfort-
able lot, but i'll the last degree picturesque.
lhc stage scenery was ruined, trap doors
were 50 swollen that they couldn't work
for week afterwards, the fine costumes
were spoiled, and no end of minor damage
was done by that remarkable storm.
1t was royal idea-that storm-and
| royalty carried out. But observe the mod
era ion of the King; he did not insist upon
his encore. If he had bcen gladstone
unrelecting American opera audience, hc
probably would have had his storm re.
pealcd until he drowned all those people.