Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-06-30

He RETIREs FROM THE SODA
WATER BUSINESS.
And Obtains a Permanent Position II
super in Theatre. Intending TO Become
Il second Booth.


super in Theatre, Intending TO Become
a second Booth.
You look sleepy" said the grocery
man to the bad boy, as he came in the
store yaWning. and stretched himself
out on the counter with his head on a
pile OF brown wrapping paper, in reach
Of box Of raisins; " what's the mat
ter? Been sitting up with your girl
ali night :"
NAV [ wish l had. Wakefulness
with my girl is sweeter and more rest
full than Sleep. No, this is the result
of being a dutiful son, and [ am tired.
You see pa and ma have separated.
That is, not for keeps, but pa has got
frightened about burglars, and he goes
up into the attic to sleep. He says it
is to get fresh air. but he knows better.
snoring that she can't go to sleep
without it, and the first night pa lett
she didn't sleep wink, and yester-
day was playing on an old cor
dion that | traded a dog collar for
after our dog was poisoned, and when
| touched the low notes [ noticed ma
dOZed off to sleep, it sounded so much
like pas snOre, and last night ma made
me set up and play for her to sleep.
She rested splendid, but am all broke
up, and sold the accordion this morn
ing to the Waterman VIII watches our
block. 1t is queer what a different
effect music viii have on different peo-
pie. While ma was sleeping the sleep
of innocence under the influence Of my
counterfeit Of pas snore the night
Watchman was broke of his rest 10y it,
and ne bought it Of me to give it to the
son of an enemy Of his. Well, | have
quit Jerking soda
No, you don't tell me" said the
grocery man, as he novel the box Of
raiSins out of reach. Y on never will
amount to anything unless you stick
10 one trade or profession. \ rolling
hen never catches the early angle
worm"
ooh, but am all right now. In the
soda business there is no chance for
genius to rise, unless the soda fountain
eXplOles. 1t is all wind, and one gets
tired of constant tizz. He feels that
he is fraud, and when he puts g little
syrup in a tumbler and fires a littl
sWeetened wind and water in it, until
the sOapSuds fill the tumbler. and
charges ten cents for that which only
costs a cent, q sensitive soda ierker,
who has reformed, feels that it is worse
than three-card monte. I couldn't
stand the wear on my conscience, so |
have got a permanent job as a super,
and shall open the first Of September"
Say, what's a super? 1t isn't one
Of these free lunch places, that the
mayor closes at midnight, is it?' and
the grocery man looked sorry.
"Oh, thunder, you want salt on you.
A super is an adjunct to the stage. A
supe is a fellow that assists the stars
and things, carrying chairs and taking
up carpets, and sweeping the sand off
the stage after a dancer has danced a
Jig, and he brings beer for the actors,
and does anything that he can to add
to the effect of the play. Privately,
now, [ have been acting as a Supe for
a long time, on the sly, and my folks
didn't know anything about it, but
ClIlCC L 1CIOI IIICNA anu ClCI4ACI W DC
good, felt it my duty to tell ma and
pa about it. The news broke ma all
up at first but pa said some of the
best a tors in this country were SupeS
once, and some Of them were now, and
he thought suping would be the emaking
of me. Ma thought going on the stage
would be my ruination. She said the
theatre was the hOtbed of sin, and
brought more ruin than the church
could head off. But when | told her
that they always gave a supe two or
three extra tickets for his family, she
said the theatre had some redeeming
features. and when l said my entrance
upon the stage would give me a splen-
did opportunity to get the recipe for
face powder from the actresses for ma,
and | could find out how the actresses
managed to get number four feet into
number one shoes, ma said she wished
[ would commence suping right off.
Ma saws there are some things about
the theatre that are not so alfred bad,
and she wants me to get seats for the
first comic opera that comes along. Pa
wants il understood with the manager
that a supe's father has a right to go
behind the scenes to see that no harm
befalls him, but | know what pa wants.
Hemay seem plous, and all that, but he
likes to look at ballet girls better than
any meek and lowly follower [ ever
see, and some day you will hear music
in the air Pa thinks theatres are
very bad, when he has to pay a dollar
for a reserved seat, but when he car
get in for nothing as a relative of one