Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-01-21

ANIMALS ON THE STAGE.
The Modest Parts Which Birds, Beasts,
and Fishes Take in Drama.

A little dried-up man. who might be,
looking at him from different points,
anywhere between 80 and 100 years
old, keeps an animal and bird fancier's
store on Fulton street. His long life
among what he calls his pets has given
him Il most curious voice. 1t changes
in sound and information rs he talks to
the different animals. His CONVERSE
ton with the Newfoundland dogs is
carried on in deep bass, while shrill
treble answers the singing of his cana
ries. For forty years this man has
bought and sold birds, fish, and four
legged animals, and during that time
has dealt with variety of people. An
ecdotes are his chief delight, and
Times reporter happened in upon him
the other day just in time to hear one.
The old fancer was reading an adver-
tisement calling for an eagle for use on
the stage, and i'll a short time had an
swered it. offering bird.
''Theaters. said he, lifting his
parchment-likc face from u writing
desk, ''are my best customers, although
YOU wouldn't think it. 1t isn't long
since real animals began to be used on
the stage. but the great Improvement
i'll scenery made it necessary. just
think Of having clump of woods on
the stage and no birds in it, and the
oid man face expressed much disgust.
..Wh are they used for? Well,
good many things. In the Kerry
Cow, now. some carrier-pigeons are
scnl of in the race-track scene to carry
iome the news of the victory. When
,Yoalh WAS brought out at Wallack's
iheter | sold q lot OF canary birds for
the Gene on the river, and maybe
you remember how pretty they sound
cd.
Have you had any demand lately"
Not since about Il year ago. Then
young fellow, who had play with a
scene of Il Dird-store in it, came here
and bought the birds. He got some of
nearly every kind, and when the show
broke up | bought them back. That
young man said then that the only
thing that made him glad he failed was
that he could get rid of those birds.
He never had so much trouble over
anything in his life before. But the
largest demand ever had for anything
for the stage was for fish. You needn't
look as if YOU didn't believe it, because
its so. The Is ack Crook was run
ming at Niulo's Garden. then under
jarrett d Palmer, and the Kiralfy
Brothers wanted to have lot of mer-
maids on the stage. So built some
water tanks, and he pointed to four
glass tanks, each three feet high. four
feet long. and about foot wide;
'those are the very ones. Well, we
filled them with water, put several
hundred fish aud lot of shells and
coral in them, and then stretched them
across the stage on long trap-door.
All the stage back of them was clear
ed, and there the 'mermaids' walked
around. Each of them had a long
fishv tail fastened ON, and this tail
stuck up above the level of the tanks.
The mermaids all struck out as though
they were swimming, and the effect
from the audience was very line. Pau
line Markham was the fairy, and had
TO walk up from the water, but, bless
walked up little ladder back of the
tank, and there she was"
But how did you ever get the tanks
back?n
That's the best part of the whole
story and the old mans face became
huge wrinkle as he tried to laugh.
Il had told the carpenter all along
that the trap door wasn't strong
enough to hold all that water, and one
fine evening, just before the curtain
went up, the whole thing broke down.
Tho rueruaidS were all down under the
stage and the shock knocked them
down, the water flowed all over them,
and the poor fishes got down their
necks aud frightened some of them
almost to death. After that / bought
back the iron frames, put new glass in
them, and there they are.
DO you see that owl over there?
| We'll, that bird has died 1,750 times,
shot in the head every time, too. He
belonged to theatrical company that
broke up, and all he had to do was to
sit on stone and be shot. When the
gun was fired somebody from behind
would pull him off the stone"
The old man had done q large bus
mess, he said, in selling lap-dogs, cats,
and large tame birds for use in draw
ing-room scenes. The eagle that he
had just agreed to sell would, he
thought be taught to sit on the bough
| of tree in some midnight scene and
scream at the villain of the play. who
was fleeing after having murdered the
heroine. -Neso York Times.