Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-02-05
THEIR FIRST PLAY.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

When Jackson Jefferson Bingham took
to play-actipg Mrs Bingham carried on
most awful. She and the minis er they be-
lieyed that there warn't no chaEca of play
actors goiu' to heaven. However, the rest
of the family sort of felt that, seein' there
weren't much chance before fur Jackson
Jefferson if folks conduct has anything to
do with it, there was M need Of bein' too
despairin. Mrs. Bingham conld go on
hevin' prayers put up fur him jest as she
always had, and if he should send free tick
cts, some OF the folks thought they'd go
and see him.
They hadn't none of them never been in-
to theayter, and they felt they'd like to
see what it was Ike eff it didn't cost moth
ing. The young folks was all on that side,
and GURUS enough, Grandper Whitaker be
was with 'em.
.I'ye led a pious life F." graz dper said.
"fur nigh about seventy five year. l guess
[ On fixed all right in the other world, and
if don't hurry up I won't never have no
fun here"
So when Jeff did send the tickets, grand
ner and Eben and Hammer and Jane they
all started down to town; and Jane she took
a bag of crulle1s, and Eben he took hand
kerchuff of apples, and Hammer she took
bottle of lemonade-for there was nothing
oraudper liked SO much as hevin' good
time, and there's no telling what you get in
those New York restaurants besides flies,
and when Cousin Pbineas had dinner there
once be saw a waiter rub up the sugar
basin lid with his pockit ankurcluff
Well. we felt real pleased to see grandper
so clipper. Did tell you was enin' along
tu? Pm Belinder; and we jest cut up aw-
full! And as we wus goin' through the
village to the station grandper held up his
head like he wus on parade, and when any
body stopped to say, "Wby, how dye dc?
Where be you goir' Grandper WhittakeI?'
he ups and boilers right our, "Im goin'
tn take the boys and gals up tn town tn the
theayrer, fur tu see my grandson, jackson
Jefferson, PERFORM
You see, grandper was perfessor and
bed walked upright all his life. and know
ed he wus jest about as good as airy oil 'em,
eff not consderbul better.
You had oughter hev seed us onto the
keers! When grardper wusn't pullin' off
Eben's hat, Eben was a4puilin' off his'n, OF
one of 'em was ticslin' US girls down the
back of the neck with straw. And when
we got to the city, grandper he gave an
elber to me and an elber to Jane. She car
ried the bag of crullers aud l bad bag of
peanuts, and grandper he fet ched along the
blue umbrella. He had a superstition that
eff YOU took umbrella outit wouldn't rain;
besides, a umbrella is good to pound with.
and we meant to pound and clap Jackson
IT fferson whatever he did. Grandper thought
he was most likely to jump through a hoo
ple off the back of horse; and hoped he
wouldn't hang by his teeth to iron bar up
in the roof, like gentleman l opce saw at
a circus because | felt to be sure ! should
screech when l seen him do it.
Ebep he wus sweet on Hammer, SO he
beaued her by putin his arm around her
waist, and put the b tile of lemonade in his
coat-tail pocket, aud paid her all sorts of
delicute attentions. His apples WIS all tied
M in a red silk hankerchuff, and We had
our best 60 to meeiin's on, and though we
amt stuck up. we couldn't help ssein' that
| folks locked at us considerable interested.
Every now and the, grandper would turn
his head-graDdper had n real talent fui
turnin' his head clear round so it looked as
eff it growed back ard-and say:
"Tell you, folks see we air on spree, and
I reckon they wish they could go along!'
81 we went ahead, lookin' fur the tents
Grandper said tbeayters always played ir
tents. But we didn't see none, nor no place
| fur none; but all of sudden we came to a
great, splendid house with the name of the
theayter we wanted to see up ali over it,
and great pictures at the door. and police
man standin' by the lamp posts.
Grapdper looks around ag'in, and seq he
| .sEben, / reckon things is got more fixy
sence l wus boy and went to tie circus,
and got whacked for doin' it when got
| fbcir hoo of intn q
house," and sure enough, the policeman
said the tickets wus fur that place, and we
went in.
A young gentleman, all fixed up like he
wus goin' to get married, showed US some
seats, Grandper be sot down on the out
side one.
| ssGoldarned eff it don't look like meetin'!'
sez he sBut there's band, any way;''
and pretty soon it began to play; but we
didn't see nothin', only little boy standin'
on some steps Jest as eff he wus goin' to
come down but felt skeered, until all of q
sudden up be went in the air! l wus sc
started I shruck right out; but Jane she
said she thought first off it wus big shade
with boy painted onto it. And then we
could see straight into somebody's front
paror, and there wus the help a. talkin' to
herself and sayin' all sorts of things about
the family. Then the door bell rang and in
came our Jackson Jefferson. l never wus
SO surprised in my life! He wus all fixed
up, and he didn'5 take no more notice of us
than eff we warn't there. In minute saw
why; he'd come to call on young lady,
and wus so taken up by her he hadn't eyes
fur nobody else. l didn't mind, but Jane
did. They sot op sofa and talked until in
come an old gent eman and asked Jackson
Jefferson what he wus there fur, and told
him he didn't want no low-down poor folks
comm after his daughter.
Now, there amt nothn' fires grandper
up so as anybody lookn' down on his fami.
ly, and he rig up from his seat like fash
He is six feet two is grandper, and his hail
is white and grows real long. He kin be
seen quite distance. Every body looked
at him so pleased they had to laugh.
s.Hullo, you'll" says he. "You, mean,
talking to Jackson Jtfferssn as eff he wus
the dirt under your feet. I'll bev you to
know that the Binghams and the Whit
takers air as good families as you XII and
anywheres jackson Jefferson is quite
good enough for that gal of yourn, and al