Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-09-25
DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE.
A Man Who Played Falstaff Regard
less Of Conditions.
Arkansaw Traveller.

Arkansaw Traveller.
"Oh, yes, like the theatre bust
ness well enough" said Augustine
Dovey, q dramatic gentleman who |
once had hopes Of becoming we'll |
known, shut my Texas and Arkan-
saw experience has about cured me-"
'tSay," said drummer. 81 tell
you where you missed it"
"Where?"
"You showed In houses, didn't
you?"
"Of course"
"You ought to have shown under
q tent. -
"Why so?"
Because, being such ham, you
ought to have been under canvass,
you know"
NOW, here. fellows, I have been
guyed until I don't find any enjoy
ment IN the performance. started
to tell you Of my theatrIe.; expert
ence in Texas and Arkal Nv. am
not trvingt- uiicit sym. by. for 1
would't take meal II you
were to give-thank you. pa Ike it
along. Well, you see, 1 tho,e
by striking Texas early in Il
before any Of the larger troupes -
ed out, and then work Up throug.
Arkansaw, I could reap quite har-
vest without competition. collect
ed 6rst-rate country town troupe.
The star was a good looking ranter
and the leading lady was a thin thing
with melancholy jaw and a voice
that sounded like a wall of distress.
I had one fellow who weighed nearly
three hundred pounds. He had nev-
er before been on the stage. He had
come to Texas in hope of gathering
unto himself, without expense, a vast
prairie and many cattle, but failing,
he joined my troupe to get something
to eat and shingle to sit under when
it rained. We did first-rate for a
time. The fat man, Jim Belsher,
made an excellent Falstaff No, we
didn't attempt Shakespeare, but as
Jim couldn't take any other character
I let him go On as Falstaff. The
country people didn't object to inno-
walton. They seemed to like it when,
during an exciting scene in ''1he
Maiden's Love or The Bark that was
Clawed from Tree" Falstaff came
out with handsaw and made his
trionic lunge at a niger. After
awhile we struck a town that had 9
newspaper. 1 hunted up the editor
and invited him to attend the show
He was mild, gentlemanly looking
fellow, and / ventured to tell hin
that he was out Of place among peo
tple who would not hesitate to larruK
the life out of him should he publish
anything they did not like. He smiled
in sickly and appealing way and re
piled that he was very careful not Il
hurt anyone's feelings. 1 sat will
him during the performance and ex
planned to him the beauties of certall
situations. 1 wanted him to be ia
, vorably impressed, and when the per
formance was over, I was certai
that we had made at least one friend
, This is what the paper said the mex
e morning"
He produced flimsy-looking news
: paper and handed it to the druihme
n who read the following:
y. 1.-THE Augustine Dovey troup
e played in our city last night. MI
e Dovey is a man Of courage for brins
e ing oysters south during such war;
n weather, but it shows that he is we
6 up with, if not in advance Of ii
y season. After the performance la
e night, a petition asking that the Fl
!. fool be sentenced to ten days OH Il
It rock pile, was presented to our ma.
a or, but unfortunately the weak-knee
W official refused to grant the praye
II of the people. The leading ms
q ought to have died years ago, an
8. doubtless would have been taken o
le had not Providence been busy wi
L. more important affairs. II he shou
a get out of Texas with hide th
is will hold wheat straw, he may consi
Ill er his seasons engagement an Ell
ce nent success. II our worthy towr
lis man, Hank Spillers, had followed I
es map of his intentions and bursted
1t Ireverential goose-egg on the SUNNI
of the gentleman's knot, complimer
ary resolutions would have been DIR,
. ted in his behalf. 1t pains US
:, speak of the leading lady. S
- might hover with grace over q pli
- Of preserves, and might store aw
- stewed fruit with neatness and d
"a patch, but she bears about the sal
- resemblance to an actress that 70
:. calf does to the milky-way."
.n Mr.. Dovey took the paper, a
folding it back into its well-wt
:. creases, sat for a time in silen
!. "Those are the thanks l received
hr treating him kindly
!. "Why didn't you whip him! SO
- one asked.
:, ~ had determined TO do SO, bu
learned that he had killed nine n
and WIS itching for the tenth.
next place we struck bad no news
per and thought we would do "
e. but just as Falstaff came out r
Sonad man sitfinu near the sts