Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-01-17
TRANSFORMING.
A Peculiar Incident in the Early
Life of all Actor.
Playing to an Audience Com.
posed of One Family.


describes in The Century a curious Incl
dent Of his early career: 1--WE now en-
te.ed upon u cour of the most print
tive acting, going from town to town
aia giving entertainments in the din
ing rooms Of the Lotes. AS there
were no rnpers published in these
small Villages there were no printing
offices, consequently no bills; SO fam
ing announcement of our arrival in
bold handwriting were displayed in the
three important points of the town,
viz: the hotel, the pos:oiiice and the
ba' ber-shop. 1t fcl. to my duty, being
an adept with the brush, to write, or
rather paint these al vert semcnts. The
plays were acted in costume, but with
out scenery or rtain. The nightly
receipts were small-jus. about enough
to get us from place 20 place.
"Our objective point was the town of
Liberty, Miss; but there was some diff
fculty in getting there, as the distance
was greater than we could accomplish
in day. A farmer who had been TO
the theatre the night lefore for the first
time IN his life was so struck by the
performance that he proposed to have
his teams brought in and take us to his
: farmhouse, about twenty five miles dis
= liant. According to his suggestion we
we're to rest for day, give an enter
tainmcnt in his barn, aud SO go on 10
l. bcrty.
"Bnt, said my brother, you tell
me there is no other house there but
your own. What shall we do for an
audiercc2
We'll, srid the farmer, 'all my
family will come, to begin with, aud
there is a dozen or more Oh 'em; then
shere's eight or ten farm houses close b.
and if one of your men will drive there
with my son aud blow the horn, they
Will all come, for there ain one on 'em
ever seen play before. I'll in sure GU
full barn.
$50 the matter was settled, and we
actually played in barn, the house
that VIC staid in being the only one in
sight. It seemed in vain to look for
IN audience in such 4 lonely place, but
the farmer was right. Soon after the
sun had gone down the full harvest
moon rose, and by its dim light we
could family see family groups OF pco-
pie, two and sometimes three Oh n
horse, coming from nil ,!irec tons over
the hill-now wagon with great
load. Some Of them walked, but all
were quiet and serious, AMI apparently
4 wondering what they were going TO
Those who have Travelled through
the Southern states will perhap, rcmem-
Der the kind of barn we acted in:
there were two log houses joined TO-
gether, with IN opening bet wccn them,
which was iloored and covered in. The
scats were arranged oat idc in the op.n
air-benches, chairs and logs. The
double barn on each side was used for
dressing rooms and Tor making en-
frances and exits. while the opening
was devoted 10 the stage. The open air
was well led, containing an audience
of about go persons. Our enthusiastic
ndmirer, tic farmer, collected the adj
mission Zee, dollar being charged and
freely given. T'h: pays were The
LAZY of Lyons anl The Spectre
Bridegroom The farmer had suppl ed
us literally with candles, so that inc
early part Of Tic entertainment was
brilliantly Illuminated, bat the evening
breeze had famed thc lights so fercely
that by the time the farce began the
footlights were gone. The little fam
ing ministers In al sruttered out, so
The Spectre Bridegroom was acted in
the moonlight.
cit was curious to watch the effect
Of strong emotional play like The
Lady OF Lyons upon an audience that
had never seen q drama before: they
got only were much interested, but
Whey became excited over the trials of
the hero and heroine; they talked free
ly among themselves, and. at times, to
the actors. One old ladj insisted that
the lovers should be allowed their own
way, and a stalwart young farmer
warned the villain not to interfere again
III he knew what was best for him."
History OF the Arnb Horce