Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-06-07
THE BAD BOY.
He is Forced to Sit Up and Play
the ACCORDION in Order that
His Mother May Sleep.
His Sunday-SchOOI Teacher Be-
hind the Scenes-A Bright
Future as an Actor.
Psok.s Sun.

out on the counter with his head on
pile Of brown wrapping paper,in reacl
ola box of raisins, what's the matter
been sitting up with your girl al
night2"
"Nawl l wish l had. Wakefulnes
with my girl is sweeter and more rest
full than sleep. No, this is the result
of being dutiful son, and am tired
You see pa and ma have separated
That is, not for keeps, but pa has go
frightened about burglars, and he goe
up into the attic to sleep. He says i
is to get fresh air, but he knows bet
ter. Ma has got so accustomed to pa
snoring that she can't 90 to sleeI
without it, and the first night pa lef
she didn't sleep a wink, and YESTERDAY
II was playing on an old aceordeoI
that traded a dog collar for after oul
dog was poisoned, and when | touched
the low notes | noticed ma dezed of
to sleep, il sounded so much like pa
snore, and last night ma made me SCI
up and play for her to sleep. She
rested splendid, but | am all broke up
and l sold the ACCORDION this morn
ing to the Waterman who watches oul
block. 1t is queer what a different
effect music will have on different
people. While ma was sleeping the
sleep of innocence under the influence
Of my counterfeit pas snore, the might
Waterman was broke of his rest by it
and he bought it of me to give it tC
the son of an enemy of his. well
| have quit jerking soda"
mo, you don't tell me, said the
grocery man, as he moved the box Of
rsisins out Of reach. You never will
amount to anything unless you stick
to one trade or profession. A rolling
hen never catches the early angle,
worm"
20, but | am all right now. In
the soda business there is no chance
for genius to rise unless the soda
fountain explodes. 1t is all wind, and
one gets tired Of constant fzz. He
feels thst he is a fraud, and when be
puts little syrup in a tumbler, aud
fires a little sweetened wind and
water in it, until the soap suds fills
the tumbler, and charges ten cents
for that which only costs cent, a
sensitive soda jerker. who has re-
formed, feels that it is worse than
three card monte. | couldn't stand
the wear on my conscience, so l have
got a permanent job as a super, and
shall open the LIST Of September"
Say, what's a super? 1t isn't one
of these free lunch places that the
Mayor closes at midnight, is III" and
the grocery man looked sorry.
20, thunder, you want salt on you.
A super is an adjunct to the stage. A
super is fellow that assists the stars
and things, carrying chairs and taking
up carpets, and sweeping the sand off
the stage after dancer has danced a
jig, and he brings beer for the actors,
and helps lace up corsets, and any,
thing he can do to add to the effect of
the play. Privately, now, have been
acting as a sup for a long time, on
the sly, and my folks didn't know
anything about it, but since re-
formed and decided to be 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 actors in this
country we're supes once, and some of
them were now, and he thought suping
would be the making Of me. Ma
thought going on the stage would be
my ruination. She said the theater
was the hotbed of sin, and brought
more ruin than the church could
head off. But when / told her they
always gave a supe two or three extra
tickets for his family, she said thethea
ter had some redeeming features, and
when | said my entrance upon the
stage would give me a splendid oppor
tunity to get the recipe for face pow
der from the actresses, for ma, and |
could find out how the actresses man
aged to get number four feet into
number one shoes, ma said she wished
| would commence suping right off
Ma says there are some things about
the theater that are not so alfred bad,
and she wants me to get seats for the
FIRST comic opera that comes along. Pa
wants it understood with the manager
that supes father has q right to 20
behind the scenes to see that no harm
befalls him, but know what pa wants
He may seem pisus, and all that, bu,
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 theater.
are very bad, when he has to pay a
dollar tor reserved seat, but when be
can get 10 tor nothing as a relative oil
one of the 'peFfesh,' the theater has
many redeeming qualities. Pa and
ma think | am going into the business
fresh aud green, but l know all about
it. When | played with Mccullough
here once
"0h, what are you giving u.s. said
the grocery man in disgust, when YOU
played with Mccullough What die
you doP"
"What did l doP Why, you old seeC
cucumber, the whole play centereC
around me. Do you remembe,
the scene in the Roman forum
where Mccullough addressed tn
populace OF Rome. | was tn,
populace, Don't you remember
small teller standing in front of tn
| Roman orator taking it in;with nigh
| might shirt on,with bare legs and arms
l That was me, and everything dependel
on me. Suppose / had gone Of III
stage at the critical moment q
laughed when l should have locke
fierce at the inspired words of N
Roman Senator, it would have bsen
dead give away on Mccullough. A
the populace Of Rome | consider m,
self glittering success, and Nc too
me by the hand when they carrie
CAESARS dead body out, and he sal
us three did ourselves proud SUI