The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-10-13
Two Darkies as Braces.

Among the attractions booked for the
Opera House, says the Dramatic NelCs,
was Annie Pix1ey, with Miss In the
last act of this piece some set trees and
a fountain are used. As the curtain
was about to go up on this act on the
first night, Mr.. F. noticed to his amaze
ment that each of these objects was
held up to its place by negro standing
behind it, instead of the usual stage
brace. eli! you there!" he called to
them elk the braces and come off
quickI'
Oats all right sah," responded the
Ethiopian who was sustaining the foun-
tain coolly.
yves dem"
you're what?"
Ode braces, sab"
And so they were. There was not
brace in the house, and Mr.. n. had
pressed them into service to sustain the
picturesque illusion to the scene. F.
stormed and made things warm gener-
ally, but it did him no good. 1t was
"niggers or no set pieces" as Mr.. n.
put it, and the latter he had to have.
"Well, sir" he says in telling the story,
"the act is about forty minutes long,
and you can imagine those coons did not
take root during that time. For the
first five minutes they were stayed
enough Then the fun began. First,
one Of the trees began to wobble; then
the brace put out his head from behind
the other to see what was going on be-
tween him and the footlights. AS for
the fountain, it began to sway steadily
forward and back with the regularity of
motion like the pendulum of a clock.
My wife got onto it, and she says to
Med. between speeches:
What ais the scenery, Mac 2"
"'Tll swear I don't know said Mac,
but I'd freely take my oath either me
or it is drunk
"Here the niger looked from behind
the nearest tree and Annie saw him.
You rascalp she Kissed, how dare you,
sir! Get off the stage this minute
"'Can't, num- said the coon, with
smile like a whale, 'cept take the tree
wild me, num-
"Mac had just got some of his line off.
She took her cue, and as she finished
another woolly head bobbed into sight
around the second tree. The audience,
who had noticed that something was
wrong, saw it now and commenced to
snicker She pinched herself to make
sure she wasn't dreaming, and Mac
hurried on with one of his long speeches
to prevent an outburst in front AS
soon as he paused, husky whisper,
audible throughout the house, said:
Hurry up, Misses. Fob Cob! eff I
don't git home afore eleben o'clock de
old woman 'ull lam de hide off'n me,
shuah.'
You black villain she cried, in an
aside Get off, or I'll kill you
All right, Misses was the reply,
Use gwine right away
"And in a couple of seconds more the
tree walked off into the wings, the au-
dience commenced to applaud, and the
fountain stopped see-sawing, and, with
bob as if it were making a bow, fell
forward with the brace sprawling on top
of it. The scoundrel had fallen into a
| doze, and, being aroused suddenly, had
| lost his balance. As he fell his side
partner coolly leaned the only remain
ing tree against the fiat, and came down
the stage to help him up. Med. made
a kick at him, but aimed short and only
upset himself. Annie leaned against a
wing, nearly dead with rage and laugh
/ ter, and the curtain rang down on the
/ tableau amid round of applause Miss
never listened to before, aud I hope
never will again"