The Bossier banner., 1890-03-06
VILLAGE SHOWS.
How we Boys Used to See the
Exhibitions for Nothing.
Lake sharp Lives Over Again in Memory
the Days of His YOuth-The Worst
Boys in Town and the Rackets
They Worked.

Every now and then there used to
come around to our village some one
horse show. AS general thing these
shows we're held in the village school
house, that being the only place availa-
BE for the purpose, and l have strong
mspicion that the teacher on each of
these occasions got free tickets, because
generally on the evening of the show,
before school was out, the teacher handed
round lot Of long bills announcing the
merits of the exhibition. These bills
we're generally about six inches wide
and two or three feet long, and written
IT, IN ink, was the name of the place
that the exhibition was to be held.
Although the admission fee was gem
orally about ten cents for boys, it might
IS we'll have been $50, because we didn't
have the ten cents. However, it was a
cold day when we missed the show. The
first exhibition / ever attended, and one
which though the most wonderful that
The world could produce, was a magic
lantern affair, which worked on the re-
ugieus feeling of the community by be-
ing mostly made up of Bible scenes,
With some very wonderful accompani-
ments, as, for instance, the animals go
ing into the ark. The ark was shown
there something like big steamboat
with house built on it, and up the
gang-plank there slid (none of the ami
mails could walk the most astonishing
menagerie that ever was painted on can
vas | remember to this day their ierky,
slidy motion as the lions, and the lambs,
and the bears, and the tigers, and os-
riches, and all the other strange beasts
of the earth went up the gang-plank
safely into the ark. The exhibition
ended up with lot of comic pictures
that had nothing Of the religious tone
about them and which were exceeding
Unpopular with the boys.
We had different methods of getting
into those shows. A show was either a
tEo-man show or one-man show. Some
Tines there was only one man who did
The Undertaking until every body was
~ and then went to his place at the
magic lantern and delivered his lecture;
ana at another time there were two men
AnoEs-one man to attend the door and
smother to manipulate the lantern. We
had . different method for the two-man
snow than for the one-man show. When
he one-man show was in town we knew
70 we're all right. The man would at
end to the door until seven or eight /
se0ck, or whenever the performance
Wamenced, and then he would delegate
soae one OF the villagers to attend the |
WI. This was our stronghold. AS |
ssa as the villager took his place |
y me deor-of course we all knew
an ana he knew us = there would |
y : short parley. He knew that if
y qua not let us in we would raise
pAEaealar Cain outside and NOBODY in
" audience would have any comfort
aAlae the show was going on. So he
sslsfaily allowed US to steal in quietly.
~ ~ one, on the promise not to raise /
slass OF give him away. Once inside,
u we're quiet enough, because we knew
\ sould not work that racket again
'aea the next show came if we made
'4seiEes obnoxious. With the two
~ ~ snow it was different. We had no
!. ~ g the foreigner, so we had to trust
L aeu ingenuity. We soon discovered
~ ~ With the two-man show the man
AZ ~ she magic lantern was on the other
NJ ~ !, y me curtain from the audience.
=. 'ae man who attended the door
IS s.sa1aiiy stayed down near the entrance
~ ~ save the lecture as the pictures
AZ AZ enrown on the canvas. To give
9 sVEe OF an exhibition it was neces-
"; ~ = nave 8 very transparent sheet
80. - y make the sheet the more trans
- u was the custom of the show
~ ses. Y nave somebody from the tavern
\ 80 y stopped come down with pail
lir.a.r sessr ana dipper, and then he threw
seaials OF water on the canvas until
y - - thoroughly wet. The hostler at
osas. 'sssfn, who was generally expected
~ | Up with the pail of water, was
II s =, - glad to have somebody do it in
Z taoe, because he had a free ticket
\ Il "a snow anyhow. So the checklist
NJ ~. pal1y, generally q must say with
,tbes sung any reflections upon the /
~ ooysl myself, was delegated to go
nall ~ q. me water. I always got a
vna. ~ IN y Pail and dipper, and after {
Is 4 M ,lfee dozens of people were in {
lone ,, ia !, because there were always /
ous : : ne village who were very anx- I
IAsra get in and secure front seats, /
'asse 49, aug no reserve seat business in l
Us VIA =, I presented myself at the |
slaoogs sae water and tie pail, and a
VI eass,s saenetlmes my right to enter '
lsss i sss1sloned, yet was generally al 9
: FArough, then told the q