The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-08-12
On THE ROAD.
Experiences OF an Indomitable
Advance Agent.
How an Unfortunate Company OF Actors
Struggled with AdvcrsIty-Uncertain-
ties That Beset the Travel
ing Troupe

ties That Reset the Travel
ing Troupe.
When the bent of ones impulse is ir-
resistibly stageward it is a waste of
time and eloquence to warn that per-
son against the heart-breaking uncer-
tainties of stage career. 1t is not as
serted that grief and disaster are iucvi-
table results of theatrical undertake
ings, but they most assuredly are the
lot of a large majority of travelling
companies The following uncmbel-
lished narrative of actual experience
shows what difficulties are encountered
by the peripatetic actor:
Two seasons ago. after a prolonged
struggle for existence, 4 well-knOwn
repertoire company took blind header
south in the hope of retrieving their
fortunes and playing the season out. 1t
was, however, but case OF ont of the
frying pan into the fire, as the third
week found them at Little Rock practi-
cally strapped. Money and credit were
exhausted and all advertising material
was used up In this extremity the
agent was given carte blanche to go
ahead and do what he could to keep the
company moving. Arkansas was a
stranger to him and he proceeded to in
terview, in rapid succession, the thea
ter managers, railroad men, hotel pro-
prietors, bill posters, attaches of thea
ters and, 50 on, in the faint hope of dig
ging up mascot.
He finally gave it up and settled on
the very ancient town of Arkadelphia,
where to move the company from
Little Rock. The management secured
next point was to obtain paper to bill
with. An interview with the litho-
grapher and general factotum of the
Capitol theater disclosed the fact that
he had for years been in the habit OF
saving a dozen or more Autographs of
every star who played in the thcater.
Mr.. Agents persuasive tongue easily
won him to give up three Autographs
of each kind, making a total of about
three hundred. Glcefully returning to
his abode the agent trimmed off all
printed matter, both top and bottom,
from the Autographs and, with the
blessings and prayers of the well-nigh
stranded players, proceeded on his way
TO Arlladelphia.
With the assistance of a few stray
and apparently lost inhabitants of the
place, he finally located the opera
house" 1t was sight. a very plain,
cheap wooden struc re when built
probably thirty year ~efore-time had
dealt hardly with Covered with
moss, it leaned tow .ss great west
and somehow sugges It's general
appearance that il az Olding its
breath in n last rally ~ o., We up the
ship and collapse entir. little,
narrow entrance door die, TO the
steep and primitive ste, vas oclzed,
and the agent rushed int he iclo of
the town and finally pcatel the
marshal He was inforu ID thai Mrs.
Blank owned the "Oper- house" and
lived out Of town abou. two miles
After jollying the marshal and pr5mis-
ing him several comps for MS in
fluence and assistance IL negot ating
for the opera house" they started on
foot TO seek the owner vehicle being
out of the question, as money was now
10 the agent but a memory. Arriving
at the house the colored at-endaU
ushercd them into the parlor where
after almost an hours wait -hc LADY
appeared \ three -corncrcG talk now
ensued, as the lady would rJt do bUsi-
ness directly, but through the marshal
The agent talked 10 the marsha. the
marshal to the lady, and 20 on back to
the agent. After an hours cputaH me
opera house was secured or the - oTv-
ing extremely liberal terms the
owner; Rent, including light. heat and
one stage assistant, -"eL5 dollars,
payable to the marshal Hefore the
curtain rose. This wa~ exclusive uf al
licenses, which amounted state, county
and town, including 80 lection fees-tO
eighteen dollars and twenty-five cents,
also payable befoTe La- curtain went
up.
A little leg weary, the agent returned
to town and dashed into the one printing
office where. 70 his further hindrance
and dismay he found the editor and his
entire staff. consisting Of one person
the devil busily engaged in working
the hand-press running of the weekly
edition. The promise of three dollars,
payable before the curtain rose, stopped
the press and the editor, the devil, and
the agent got their heads together in
devising a stunning date-linc which,
after many trials, they succeeded in
setting up and running off. 1t an
nounccd a grand production of Our
Boys" by the same company of twenty
artists playing that week At the Capt.
tol theater, Little Rock a half-column
local followed from the agents pen,
the editor obligingly setting it up and,
lifting a patent medicine ad. out of
the form on the press, he inserted it in
its stead and ran it in the remainder of
the edition.
His date-lines secured, the agent
hustled to his hotel and, with the aid
of a borrowed bottle of mucilage, at
ami then, supplying himself with stick
ers, tacks and a small hammer, he pro-
ceeded to lithograph the town out of
SIGHT Never, even when Barnum adj
ised the place for Little Rock, had
-r ldelphia been So extensively or
iglIy billed. The main street looked
ize a rainbow-a rather straight rain
yow-but still about the only thing it
rosembled. Darkness had now set in,
and the very tired agent sought his
couch.
At seven o'clock next morning ne
was again at work, as he still had a
dozen three-shects and four big stands
of paper in his possession and, a. IL was
root hog or die in Arl<adelphia with his
attraction, hc determined 70 put il all
up. BY the issuing of two more comps
he secured one side OF the leading drug
store-thc side being built 1f CLAP
boards, very old and warped 40 oti-
poster was TO be mad ami -n- agent,
after much eNpIaus.riuus made e. bar
gain wit. the one rcS,auraaJ man Of The
town a. make Fr.- r..-.. a. LHe rate U.
two bits per paw payable in tickets %
their full value. ~ suitable brush was
10 be found and ar o.C Groom was
finally pressed into service NeNt two
small boys we've hired ur rr.-.-e vi
"a ticket apiece ana, mounting step
ladder, the indefatigah.y agent Osspat-