The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-13

as second old men, first old women, licenses
and 81" gets, promenade daily and point out
to e4ch other the mistakes of Booth and the
error, of Modjes4a; but none of these places
of amusement and none of these barn storm
ers has ever furnished an entertainment half
so unique as that enjoyed every Monday
evening by residents of the neighborhood of
Fourteenth street and Eighth avenue.
1t is pantomime in one act and quite a
number of scenes. The thickly populated
front steps of a row of boarding houses and
the crowded sidewalk are the amphitheatre.
The stage is back of the large plate glass win
dows of tie New York Savings bank across
the way. There is but one actor in the panto-
mime, and he has been called The Secre-
tary" for so long that no one knows wherefore.
He is an odder, more inexplicable character
tin any ever presented on a real stage, but
no one has ever thought of penetrating the
mystery that surrounds him and his acts.
They think of him only as 1.-The Secretary, g"
witness his performance in establishment, and
return again in time for the next rising of
the curtain
This is what the audience sees through the
banks plate glass windows: The curtain rises
at p M The bank is still open to accommodate
remain open another hour. There is a string
of depositors in front Of the receiving tellers
window The cashier, tellers, boolkeepers
and clerks ore all intent on their work. The
only person OF leisure in the place stands bolt
upright, like statue, back of the cashiers
Enclosure. He is a clean, fresh looking, gray
haired old gentleman, dressed in black clothes
and linen that is noticeably white and glis-
= -
Quence.
Presently he walks with dignified stride
into the cashiers Enclosure, appears to speak
to him half condescendingly, then returns to
his former place and statue like attitude. 1t
is obvious that he is an official of the bank
,.ygho is remaining later than usual to assure
Beimself that the banks business is properly
conducted. There nc stands, his white shirt
front gIistening in the gas light, motiouleSs,
for half an hour.
As the hour of closing approaches the old
gentleman appears to grow restless. He is no
longer q statue. His manner is still full of
dignity, but he makes frequent visits to the
desks Of cashier and tellers, and among the
spectators on the doorsteps opposite runs the
established formula for calling attention to
an interesting stage of the performance.
''S-s-stl The secretaTyH
When the last depositor is gone and the
doors are closed the old gentleman seems to
grow impatient at the length Of time re-
duired by the clerks to finish up the business
of the day. At length all but one have put
their books in the vault and departed. The
remaining clerk has to refer to u number of
ledgers, " hich he brings from the vault one
by one.
The old gentleman looks at him with a
vexed expression. He starts toward the presi
dents room in the rear of the general Offices,
hesitates, looks back steathily at the oblivious
clerk, then tiptoes into the presidents room,
closes the folding doors behind him and turns
on a full blaze of gas light. Then with ner-
vous haste, as though life or death waited on
his movements he takes the sloping portable
tip from the presidents table. turns it bot
tom up, examines its under side intently,
runs his fingers around the corners several
times with great care, and replaces it exactly
as it was when he entered the room. Turn
ing down the gas he reopens the folding
doors, steps quietly to his place back of the
cashiers inclosure, and becomes a statue once
more.
At last the belated clerk puts on his coat
and leaves the bank 1t is now that the pan
tonime begins to take firm hold on the at
tention of the spectators and again among
them runs the excited whisper;
s'S-s-stI The secretaryr'