Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-01-31
RANBLER'S NOTE BOOK,


A Lively Review Of Springfield Topics
For One Week Only-Fer Co,gress-Loag
svity Ut Library Books-The Man Who
Laashs-An Amateur Telephoae-
| The Canvaasing Business In
sprins aeld-Notes. News and
Opinions on Musical, ORA
matte and Social
Topics.
Few persons even among the politicians
seem to realize that the Eighth district re
publicans will have the solemn duty Of
selecting congressman in convention thi.
summer. How the time Flies, 1t seem.
but yesterday that the celebrated Eighth
district convention Of 1884 was sitting In
conclave at Blacks opera house, moppine
the perspiration OF It's manly brow, anC
piling up ballots by the hundred, and ye,
here We are, ON the eve of another cOnven
ton. The primaries will probably be held
some time during June or July, and the
convention early in August The political
world Is already beginning to buzz. and the
politicians are beginning to let slip Q few
remarks on the situation. The last con
vention, with its half thousand ballots,
has passed into the political history OF
Ohio IS one Of the most notable and stub
bomly contested conflicts ever waged in the
history of the country. What this sum-
mer's convention will be, time can alone
show.
A prominent politician said yesterday:
ANY political work in connection with this
convention will have to b. begun pretty
soon, as there is only few
months before it conyenes. 1t will prob
ably be held in Springfield. as usual The
convention may be quiet affair, and there
may be some fun"
When asked to elucidate the nature of
the fun, the politician caused his left eye
to execute . handspring. inflated his nos
trils, and then proceeded to stretch the right
side of his mouth until it coalesced with his
right eye.
Which, being interpreteted, we suppose
would mean, that we shall see what we
shall see, on that occasion. More anon!
The announcement OF the meeting of the
republican central committee has stirred up
the local political world. which has been in
. state Of collapse since the election last
fall.
THE NAN WHO LAUGHS.
You know him, dear reader, If you have
ever attended one of the city opera houses.
The whole house will be hushed, entranced
at some beautiful love scene. The manly
lover, with darling property mustache on
his faultiessly chiseled upper lip, Is leaning
over the ineffably beautiful face Of the he
roine Doth looking unutterable things out
Of their beaming eyes). Suddenly their
lips rush together In . loving kiss, which
sounds like champagne cork popping from
its plaes. A litter sweeps over the audito-
rum, from the old maids and gushing young
maidens, some Of whom hide their faces
with their fans and opera glasses. But
hush! bark! what Is that sound which
strikes like rising knell from the gallery?
Il seems like cross between the consump-
tive groans Of dying trombone and the
roar Of . hungry lion. 1t Is laugh, how
ever; kind Of . ''haw! haw!! haw!! yaw!
yough!! yough.r' It rises from the sheet
iron throat Of the man who laughs" who
Is kind of president of the council of the
gallery gods" in the Springfield theaters.
The heroine, who has probably performed
that identical kiss several hundred times In
. triumphal manner, starts when she hears
that wonderful laugh, blushes, leaves the
hero with hasty gesture, and looks ss
foolish Is possible. The hero hastily
glances up at the gallery, and looks As silly
and guilty IS man caught In the act Of
making love to the hired girl. Halt
the audience looks back to see from
what enormous throat that portentous
sound issues, and it is some minutes before
the actors and the audience recover suffi-
ciently to take up the broken thread Of the
play at the point where it was interrupted.
Then the ''man who laughs" and waits for
the next pathetic or ''love" scene, which he
can guy with that tremendous laugh of his.
The owner Of the voice is q colOred bass
singer, and his name is Tom Craig, or
Cragg, am not sure which. Tom makes
it point to attend every show which comes
to the city. He is the chief divinity of the
gallery gods.' In that dim Olympus
known as the gallery, Tom sits and looks
down at the pigmy actors ''strutting their
brief hour on the stage" Every smaller
god in the gallery defers TO the critical judg
ment of Tom. In Germany the signal :or
applause at the opera is given by the empe-
TOR. In Springfield Tom Craig performs
that useful Office. We have heard Of crit
les whose frown of censure and look Of
apathy on the first night of play, could
damn the piece effectually. Tom can dc
the same with that laugh of his. 1t has q
hundred tones and q hundred infections,
running the entire gamut Of senti-
ment, from the widest delight
TO the most contemptaous sarcasm. Tom
has practiced, and filed, and sand-papered
that laugh of his SO much that he can now
express any human emotion with it In
that huge ''yaugh yaugh ! " there is more
meaning than in many column Of news
paper criticism. He has acquired great
reputation among the show people, and ths
variety artists especially are ''onto'' Toms
laugh. They always remember Spring.
field as the town where that fellow with thu
''laugh' lives.
Any show which is full Of romance, love
making. pathos, &C., Is Toms pet aversion
and he can't see for the life Of him how ]
y that any psrson san sojoy then, WIS