The Penn's Grove record., 1885-10-03
an audiences OF one.

An Audience OF one.
IL was q very hot day in the month OF
July, 1853. Five o'clock had sounded;
and the performance ia the Italian the
atre in Paris was about TO commence
with a harIequinade, in which the cele-
brated Carl1n was to appear. The cur
tain drew up. Carlin advanced on the
stage, and casting a glance around the
building, perceived that pit, boxes and
gallery were all equally empty. He
stood silent for a moment, and then, adj
dressing the leader of the orchestra,
said: REALLY, my friend, L have no
mind 10 act for your sole amusement. L
shall Just quietly go home, and / advise
you and YOUR musicians to follow my
example,"
.'By 10 means" cried a sharp voice,
issuing from q remote corner of the pit.
II bar that. / have paid my thirty
sous to see the play, and l insist on
having the worth of my money" Look
ing in the direction Of the voice, the
actor with some difficulty discerned a
being about four feet in height making
desperate efforts to approach the stage
by climbing over the benches.
'tMy dear sir" said Carlin, "if you
think 30 much of yonr thirty sous, my
comrades and 1 are quite ready to re-
turn them; or if you like 1t better, |
will even double the sum, and we will
have a bottle of wine togetherl'
'Slr," replied the little man, as he
climbed on a bench, 81 am not thirsty.
/ have paid for seeing the play, and the
play / must have. SO do me the favor
to commence" SO saying, he assumed
an upright attitude, which displayed to
great advantage a huge hump on his
back.
"My lear sir" said Carlin, mimick-
ing his tone of voice, sit cant be.
"Why not, prayP"
because, in the beginning, l should
have to address myself TO the public;
and ~unhappily, there's no public here
to address,"
II am here, sir. For what do you
take me?"
az lake you for a hunchkack."
You're an ineolent fellowl' Carlin
took oil his mask.
"Doubtless," he said, ''you don't
know me. Learn that my name is Carlo
Bertinazzi; that before going on the
stage I served as an officer in the army
of his majesty the King of Sardinia, and
that / never allowed IN insult to go un-
punished"
"You mistake" replied the bunch.
bsck, cody, "you are not Carlo Berti-
nazzi. You are the harlequin whom 1
have paid for seeing act. My name,
Master Harlequin, is Joseph Dubreui.
[ am an attorneys clerk, and ] live In
the Rue st. Honore. Tomorrow | shall
lodge my complaint with the lieutenant
of police, who will be very likely to
lodge you quietly in prison, If you re-
fuse to commence your performance inn
mediateIy."
Having SO spoken, the little man.
with an air of much dignity, resumed
his seat. Carlin was in the wrong, and
he knew it. He resumed his mask, and
began to recite his monologue, inter-
mingling it with pointed extempora-
neous illusions to his troublesome audi
tor. The latter was delighted, and APP
banded with might and main. How
evsE when it came to the turn OF Car
Inns fellow-actors to speak. i5y did so
with tho utmost negligence; and the
hunchbsek, feeling his dignity invaded.
drew from his pocket an enormous key.
which, when applied to his lips, served
to produce q most sonorous hiss. At
this unexpected though well now
sound, the actors paused.
Come" exclaimed he little man,
.'you played badly, and l hissed you;
tbs quite according to rule.
"The gentleman is right" said Gar.
lin: .'he stands on his privilege. Let
us pay respect to the public and to our
selves"
The remainder of the act was played
in a most satisfactory manner; and, Just
before the curtain fell, Carlin addressed
his spectator, ''Sir,' said he, ''should
you happen to meet any of your friends
this evening, perhaps you will have the
kindness to commend our performance
and advise them to visit us Tomorrow"
With much sincerity the hunchback
promised to accede to the request and
went out of the theatre during the III
,erval between the acts.
1t so happened that, during the last
hour, thick clouds had gathered in the
sky; and, before the second act had
commenced. q fearful torrent OF rain
was POURING down on Paris. The Pc
destrians who thronged the streets were
glad to take refuge in any open U
ing; and in a few moments the Italian
theatre was not only filed, but crowded.
Standing on q bench IN the 7 OF
the pit, the diminutive hunchback
made himself conspicuous by the OK
traordinary series OF gestures which he
directed toward the stage, first pointing
to himself, and then to the provided
ranks of spectators, whose leader and
eonqueror he seemed to be. OF course.
these pantomimic signals were lost on
the newly arrived public; but they were
perfectly we'll understood by Carlin,
who smiled applause on his ambitious
friend.
The next morning, as the latter was
setting out for his Office, a servant IN
livery banded him a letter bearing tha
seal of the italian theatre. 1t contents
were as follows: IN. Carlin and his
friends request the honor of nj. Du.
breuil's company at breakfast, and will
feel Rrati6ed by his accepting a free
season ticket to the Italian theatre, as a
slight mark OF their esteem"
The hunchback gladly accepted the
invitation. The breakfast was delight
full, the entertainers and the entertained
being equally pleased with each other.
From that time the little man seldom
missed a representation at the Itaiisn
theatre, and became the most intimate
friend of the harlequin. whom. when
outside the theatre, he no longer hesi'
tated 20 recognize as Nj. Carlin.
wild Horses OF the Nest.
|
The wild horses of Wyoming and