Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-05-31
DIXEY'S SELF-RAISING NOSE.
The Remarkable Quito me of Using Flour
Instead of Putty i'm Ma ningUp.

Instead of Putty in Ma ling Up.
/ CHICAGO, May 30.-It is doubtful
whether the annals of the American
stage have anything more ludicrous
than an accident which befel Actor
Henry Dixey on his last California tour.
He was playing THE Seven Ages" at
Los Angeles to standing room only. In
his makeup as the Judge in the fourth
act Dixey wears an artificial nose-a
huge Roman nasal appendage of putty
colored with vermillion and ochre.
Upon the occasion referred to the play
made big hit, and the first three acts
were presented with all the regularity
and smoothness of clockwork. At this
point, however, Dixey made the discov-
cry that the property man had neglected
to provide putty for that rubicund judi
cial nose. Hastily summoning call boy
Dixey sent him out to procure the miss
ing article. 1t was nearly time for the
curtain when the youngster reappear-
ed and reported, Il can't get no putty
nowhere" Then Dixie gave an i'm
promptu war dance, which would have
made him instantly famous had he been
UelOTc dH duuICuCt3 anu ctlLiDS Iit DON
shouted: Quick, now! Get me some
-four. Qnick! Run to grocery. Run
every inch Of the way going and com
ing!'
Scared by the rather warlike demon.
STATIONS of Adonis, the youngster lost
no time in getting the much desired
-four. Dixey hastily mixed the flour
with little water, kneaded it into
dough, fashioned it into the semblance
of his putty nose and painted 1t as usual.
The result was eRinently satisfactory:
the dough was lighter than putty and
more adhesive, while there was no DIFF
ference in appearance.
After short wait the curtain was
rung up and the fourth act proceeded.
1t was warm night, and the heat from
the gas footlights was quite oppressive.
By the time Dixey had finished the cele'
brated dance in that act and had re-
sponded to an encore, he was perspiring
freely, owing to the unwonted heat.
This combination of circumstances had
most wonderful effect upon the com.
edian's artificial nose The members OF
the company were thunder-struck to
observe that the most prominent feature
of the Judges physiognomy was grow
ing, and growing very rapidly too.
Within three minutes from the begin
ming of the act that wonderful nose had
doubled in size and was still growing
with persistence which threatened
soon to eclipse the other facial features.
The orchestra noticed the phenomenon
and every player stared at it in aston
ishment, Then the audience observed
the change in the Judges appearance
and wondered how it was produced and
what it had to do with the play.
But matters steadily grew worse, and
finally the actor was obliged to skip
lightly from the stage to take heroic
measures for reducing the mysterious
and inexplicable swelling of his nose.
About two-thirds of it was left in the
dressing-room this time, but the frac-
tional proboscis continued its dilating
tactics, and when the act closed the
Judges nose was still much larger than
usual.
When the curtain was ruDg down the
members of the company made rush
for Dixey's dressing room to find out
what was the matter. They found
Dixie standing in the middle OF the
floor with his erratic nose in one hand
and a small can of flour in the other.
He was reading aloud to himself the
printed directions on the can: "Seli
Raising Flour-Requires no yeast oil
leaven. Nix with little cold water
and set in warm place for few
minutes, when the dough will be read.
for baking"