The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-10-30
Story of A Stagc-Struck Man.

Story of a Stagc-Strucl1 Man.
From the New York Sun.
$50 you want to know something
about the inner life Of the show bust
ness2" said u dapper young man to
the reporter. "WeIl I'm just the one
who can give you the straight tip as
to roughing it on the road"
Ever since | was a boy l have had
n hankering after the show life, and a
couple OF years ago, while l was n
gagged in q church choir, l felt the fever
coming on mighty strong. began to
cultivate an acquaintance with theat-
rical people, and almost before | knew
it | had signed a contract with u com
ic opera company for a forty weeks
engagement. | vas to receive SIS a
week besides travelling expenses, and |
had it figured out how l was to do the
country and have a few hundred dol
lars saved up when we disbanded in
the spring. Everything seemed rosy;
there was an air of business about all
the details, for the contracts. were
drawn up by a well-known agent, and,
although the chorus was mostly COM
posed OF amateurs like myself, the
principals were public favorites and
well up in their several lines.
at was the middle of August, so we
had about two weeks in which to re-
hearse our parts. The theaters were
vacant at the time, and we had little
difficulty in getting q suitable place.
Although our repertoire consisted of
several comic operas, we We're to be
put through only two, the others be-
ing rehearsed while on the road. 1t
was here the trouble began. The
chorus vas painstakingand quick to
learn, but the principals, who were
blown up with self sutiiciency, seldom
appeared together at the rehearsals;
and when we made our debut in q
small town i'll Jersey n OF the men,
who had boosted he knew the whole
thing, word for word, forgot his lines.
We had struck our first snag, and the
local papers gave us a poor send-otf
the next day.
But I enjoyed the life. The gilt
had not yet worn off the business for
me. and I had conquered all traces of
nervousness. The only thing we were
afraid to face was the empty benches,
and we saw plenty OF them until we
rot into Pennsylvania. The boys
were a Jolly, devil-may-care lot OF fell
lows, and we hadnot been two weeks
on the road before | had blown in the
little sum of money HAD stored away
for an emergency. Then until again
set foot in Brooklyn, hardly knew
what it was to have a dollar in my
pocket.
Gas soon as the manager got his
clutches on the doorreceipts they were
| sent off to the hacker in New York.
OF course the principals, got their sal
aries, but the chorus and the rest OF
us got nothing but promises. 1t did
not matter how good the houses were,
we were always told we would be paid
in full as soon as We struck good bust
ness. Our travelling expenses had to
be paid, as well as the board bills; but
we never had the money in our own
hands. When we struck a st lnd, the
manager would make arrangements
with some third-class hotel to board
the chorus. The principals, who had
the spending OF their W money, new
er put up at the same hotel with us,
and | didn't blame them.
"Whydidn't wekick. What wasthe
use? We were far away from home
without a cent in our pockets, and as
long as we staid with the show we had
something to eat and a place to sleep.
Some of themembers who could afford
it t~elegraphed home for enough money
to take them back to New York, while
others slipped into rival companies
and took their chances OF jumping
from the frying-pan into the fire. We
thought of nothing but schemes tc
raise the wind, and there wasn't q
crook i'll the country who was so fll.
of ways that are dark and tricks
that are VAN as we. Some cur
ried favor with the principals, aI,d
managed ! II that way to squeeze tine
box, while Others bribed the stage
manager to discount their notes. But
the best of all was the box-oliice rack.
ct. 1t was this way. You see, a mar
would buy something-an umbrella. a
valise, OF any other article he liked
III u "a an 'tSItt!iIcIll WIFI lIlt
storekeeper to take it back for q con.
sideration. Then it would be sent tc
the box office with the bill. This pan
ned out immensely until one daywhcs
we We're in Galveston u Jonah sent =
coon in with a mule, upon which ther,
was 500 to be paid. That was work
ing it n little too much, and the man
ager shut right down on it there anG
then. We never got up anything sc
good afterward, although Jerseymar
we had with us, a pretty hard drink
er, hesitated at nothing whenhe want
ed n drink. One afternoon, while we
were rehearsing, he rushed into tn,
ereen-rcom clad only in an old oilskir
suit smearcd with paint and tar. II,
told the manager he had been takin.
a swim off one OF the docks, and somt
sailors in a skiff had stolen his clothes
and left the jumper and overalls il
their place. He was drunk for three
days, when the manager asked hin
how he got such fine New York clothes
inTeXas he never winked an eye.
"The manager thought of nothing
but making money, and after Tho
treasurer had skipped with the re
ceipts II night, he became harde,
than ever o n the For weeks
we had nothing but one-night stands
and when the cities were a hundred
nr mora mi1eS arort >va tol no el,,,