St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-15

Then come pair of chorus men. laugh
ing heartily-big. lusty fellows, fit to fight
for their lives, but preferring the easier ex-
istence of second bassos in burlesque
chorus. Then in group come the stage
hands-the unseen fairies who shift the
scenes at night and the carpenters who
build them
They stop to chat awhile in the hallway
and exchange jokes with the doorkeeper,
who is apt to look upon them with more
favor than he does upon any OF the Others
who pass his den. Once the ice is broken
the arrivals are almost continuous, and the
chorus men and girls. principals and niusi-
clans follow each other in quick procession.
All stop to look for letters and to see if
some earlier roommate has already taken
the key down stairs.
Some of the girls are escorted by their
husbands, but they are few; others leave
swell young men on the corner outside
with reluctant handshakes, and carefully
repeating the number of the seat the favored
young man is to occupy, dance in with
sparkling eyes and cheeks flushed with
pleasure and the wine they've had for din
ner. Most of them, however. wear long
wraps of various patterns and have their
heads enveiOped in thick dark veils. while
almost without exception they carry small
satchel, known in professional parlance as
grip Then cab dashes up to the
door and the prima donna descends there
from, attended by her maid. She passes
quickly into the theater, the maid perform
ing the duty of taking her letters. which
are numerous and receiving the dressing
room key and the fiOwers-for several boxes
have by this time arrived-from the door
keeper. The leading comedian arrives
close upon her heels, losses away his cigar
reluctantly, cracks one more joke with the
two or three admiring satellites who accom-
pany him clear to his door and then pene-
trateS to his room, where his dresser has
already preceded him, taking his mail (con-
posed principally of bills and requests fol-
seats) for comedians do not as rule receive
many ''mash" letters.
There is moments lulI AMI then the
door is impatiently jerked opsn and the
stage manager enters. watch in hand. He
Chances at his watch haste runnng Ovel
the one or two remaining letters. respond,
with becoming dignity To the ELUSIVE po
likeness of the doorkeepet. TO. the sta e
manager is a great man I'm his way) anc
lays his course directly lDr The pronIpt-en.
trance. which Is the first entrance on the
righi hand side of" he stage. just within
the proscehium arch.
Arrived there, he compares his watcl
with the small clock which regulates the
thedter time and prepares to row the cal
boy for not being en- hand. But before he
can open his mouth that pert young man
hobs up sereDely from Nowhere appar.
entIy) ready to obey orders.
Don't you see what time it is?" he de-
mandS of the small boy.
''YesSur."
Then why don't you &C to work?"
The youth preciptately drives down a
dark staircase near by and energies in the
corridors off which the dressing-roomS
open.
Half hourIw he yelled at the top of his
voice.
Immediately there is chorus of wild
shrieks and explanatory protests from the
girls rooms. AS this is a nightly occur
renee the youth pays no attention to it
whatever and passes on towards the mems
corridor and yells again: Half hourr'
Here the announcement is received with a
few grunts and a smothered oath or two.
and with a final yell of Half hourr' he
mounts the staircase again aud returns to
his place at the prompt desk. The occa-
sion of the Disguised protest against the
time recorded above is due to the fact that
there are always some who, through arriv-
ing or from having stopped too long to
gossip before disrobing, are not as far adj
vanced in their stage toilets as they should
be at 7:3O. and the announcement of the
half hour brings home to them the disgust
ing fact that they will have to hurry.
The dressing rooms are made by running
ND board partitions about ten feet high. sc
that ventilation is secured by their all being
open at the top. This also allows the hum
of general conversation to be heard anC
affords opportunities for shouting from one
room to another, which are frequently
taken advantage of when the desired com
munication is not Of a confidential nature
The audible remarks from the male guar
tiers usually relates to topics of public inter