The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-22

Next there comes along young man with
pretty girl on his arm. He tries to act as
if the purchase of theatre tickets were an
every day occurrence with him, but the box
Office man (who is something of a character
expert) knows better. He is as sure as pos
sible that the young man has been boarding
the small savings from his salary for long
time in order to take his sweetheart out on
this evening, and feels sorry for him as he
tells him that all the seats are sold.
The young man looks dazed when this piece
of information is given, and the pretty girl
says "Ohl" in a disappointed way, which
makes the box Office man wish that he could
think of some scheme for arranging matters
for them. He speaks very pleasantly to the
young man with the pretty girl.
All sorts and conditions of men follow,
from the dirty little newsboy, who has a
quarter to spend on "de teayter," to the pol
ished man about town in evening dress who
wants ian orchestra chair not TOO far from
the stage, you know" but they all receive
the same answer: Nothing left"
Suppose, in order to make the thing per-
sonal, that you have gone to New York on
business some Saturday. About half-past
in the evening you have finished your busi-
ness and eaten q good supper. You are not
very well acquainted with the mysteries of
amusing yourself in New York, so you go to
the clerk of the hotel and ask him what thea
tire at which good play will be presented
that night is near by. The clerk is a good
natured sort of chap, and makes out a list
of four or five playhouses for you, with the
streets on which they are located. He ven
lures the assertion that you may have some
trouble in getting good seat-this is Satur-
day night you know. But You think that in
New York, where there are so many theatres,
you certainly will have no difficulty in find
ing room. You take place in the line in the
lobby of the first theatre on the list made out
by the clerk. You are too much interested
in watching the crowd about you-a typical
New York theatre crowd-to notice what the
box office man says to those ahead of you
in the line. So when you step up and ask
him if he can give you an orchestra chair in
about the middle of the house, you are sur
prised to hear him answer;
mo"
Cant you give me something further
back, then!"
''No,"
SIS there anything left in the balconyT'
''No.n
As a desperate chance, you ask him if he
can't accommodate you in the gallery.
mo"
You notice that the box Office man has
dreamy look in his eyes and seems to answer
automatically, as it were. As all the seats
are sold, you know that it won't make any
difference whether those behind you in the
line ever get to the box Office or not, so you
decide TO try little experiment, to find out
whether as you think) the box Office has
become slave TO the habit of nc-ing, SO to
speak
1t occurs to you that there may be standing
room, so you ilsk him if there is
"No.n
Then you go on with your experiment
The dreamy look in the box Office mans eyes
has spread over his whole face as you ask:
"Are you a member OF the Clan-na-Gaelf"
"No," says the box Office man ina far away
manner He evidently thinks some one is
asking of him if there are any seats left.
ibid your great-grandfather come over in
the Mayfowerr
mo"
"Are you socialism
''No."
''Do you sell tickets for this theatreF'
mo"
''Are you alive?'
"N-m the box Office man is evidently wax
ing up, SO you withdraw hastily.
Another thorn in the flesh of the box Office
man is the friend-and his name is legion
who comes around and says that he is very
sorry for him When the boz office man
asks "why?' the friend smiles and says that
he has heard that he the box Office mani is in
box This is the only thing which really
aneers the box office man.
And then there Is the man VINO wants TO
get free pass to the show. This man always
has a good reason for being deadhead. Per-
haps he is on some puny newspaper, or he is
friend of the star. or belongs to the ''per-