Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-09-23
A ELOODHOUND'S DIARY.
Extracts from the Book of Life of an Oh
Actor i'm the L. L. Cabin Drama.

Extract; from the Book of Life of an Old
Actor i'm the u. T. Cabin Drama.
am poor Siberian bloodhound of
American descent. | am an old actor
in an Uncle Toms Cabin company,
and / am very much in the scar and
yellow leaf.
| am an actor Of the old school, and
it pains me to see people come in out
of the corn-iield and gaga part as they
! do nowadays. l have been taught TO
study part carefully, and bring out
every thing in it. That is the way |
! learned to act. TO be true to nature is
NY hobby. In my enthusiasm | have
several times fed myself with fragments
of Eliza baby and got myself diSliked
TO fall short of the part and to under
play it.
That is where / disagree with the
gentleman who plays the iackass in
our company. He believes in "A calm.
dignilied stage presence. and counts on
that almost solely, While | am in favor
of al enthusiastic Interpretation of my
part, regardless Of dignity and post
| UrcS.
belong to family of actors. We
extend back as far as the eye can reach.
We love the generous approval OF the
public, and we thrive on applause. To
bound upon the stage with a deep
| chcstad bark and eat Il portion of
ELIAS borrowed child, is meat and
drink to m2. For twenty years 1 have
been on the stage, playing one night
stands and watching little Eva as She
passes gently up the tlume. Twenty
years | have seen Mr.. St. Clair climb
into two-dollar death-bcd with his
boots on and die painless death on a
small salary.
Life is indeed but a span. How
short time it seems since joined the
company. a mere pup. Then L was
full of hope. | also had a full set of
! teeth. Now my front. teeth are arti-
fetal, and l can not read fine print. /
have seen the world, and have found
out, also, how hollow it is. | have
been levied on by the sheriff. and l
have walked many weary mile with
my red Siberian tongue hanging out in
the gentle air of spring. Ihaye learned
to distrust mankind. and to rely upon
nothing mundane.
One thing | desire to say in this lit
tie diary. so that in case | should die
suddenly in a railroad accident the
public and my generous patrons, es-
pccially, may know the truth. 1t is
this: | am not what [ seem! l live
dual life! My stage appearance
and my true home life are entirely and
distinctly separate and diSsimilar in
every way.
At heart l am not fierce. l do not
care for warm blood three times a day.
If could be assured one rectangular
meal of cold corn beef with smashed
potatoes on the side l would enter into
a recognizance never to kill and eat
another human being.
| have been constantly misunder-
stood and misapprchended by the pub
lie because my stage manner has been
naughty and hungry. This effect has
been heightened. also, by the fact that
the manager has compelled me to
wear a muzzle during the day. do
not wear a muzzle at all when l am
at home. | do not need it. l can get
al
shall soon leave the stage, however.
My voice is failing me, and l can not
walk ten miles to one-night stand in
time for rehearsal as | once could.
When my voice is gone it VIII be all
up with me. No one wants 4 blood
hound with cracked voice.
can see the gentleman who plays
the jackass in our company is going to
hold out much longer than | can, be-
cause he has saved himself. He has
taken life easily and thrown less fervor
and enthusiasm into his part chan l
have. For awhile he wanted to play
St. Claire so that he could have bed
to retire into during one act never
saw gentleman who took so much
dramatic ease as he does. He has
more reposc than any other perscn
in the profession with whom l am ac-
quainted.
| have done much for the play, but
that l did not intend to speak of.
People who have carefully compared
Uncle Tom. as it is written with my
Interpretation and presentation of it
will hardly recognize 1t as the same
piece.
In my own conception, the blood
hound is made to do many pleasantly
ferocious things which the author did
not introduce. These improvements
are due solely to me. Among others
might point to the feature of bringing
out the ferocious brute on an encore
with fragments of a colored child in his
mouth. This never fails to arouse in
the audience wild tumult of refined
horror.
Somehow | am impressed with the
idea that have made my last appear
ance on the stage. We have just ter
minated highly successful trip
through the West, and got home last
evening footsore, but proud and
happy.
Oar manager wants us to 60 with
him to Europe next season, but shall
no. make the journey. l shall send a
water spaniel in my place. He has
good voice, and he is better salt
water pedestrian than am.-BiU Nye,
in Boston Globe.
Ned Buntline, the story-teller. re-
Gently deceased, when receiving a sal
ary of ten thousand dollars a wear is