The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-11-03
NEWGAG.

hame, but II was the one under which he
was best known by those who best knew
him. 1t had been thrown at him in a cafe
npe niuht bv n newsnaner man after the
,.,,torn,.ncs and had cirn, to him les
,,,a.',,a a. ~ - :. a.. ,...,p
''e'.s '"' =" w. '"N' 'i'. "'' sass
supPoseuly COMIC 'h'hBs s'iiu ny presuin-
ably comic men IN nominal opera or Dur
lesque-invariably were old The man who
bestowed the title upon him thought 1t a
fine bit OF irony.
Newgag received u without expressed
resentment, but without mirth, and he
bore It's repetition patiently rs seasons
went by. He WINS accustomed TO enduring
calmly the iests, the indignities that were
ELECTED by his peculiar appearance, his
doleful expression. his slow and bnngling
speech and movement his ditiident manner
He was one OF the forbearing men, the
many who are doomed TO continual suffer
ing Of II kind that their senstiveness and
hmidity make It the more difficult for
them TO hear. undying ambition burned
beneath his undemonstriltiye surface;
dauntless courage lay under his lack OF
ability.
He was An extremely spare man, Of ex-
traordinhry height and the bend Of his
shoulders gave the small head n comicl
thrust forward His black hair was With
out curl and 1t would tolerate no other ar
rangement than being combed back
straight. It was allowed TO grow down
ward until Il scraped the back OF Newgag's
collar, n device for concealing the meager-
ness Of his neck.
He had smooth, pale face, slanting
from ears to nose like wedge; and the
dimness OF the blue eyes added to It's in
Prospective cast. He blushed, as rule,
when he met new acquaintance or was ad'
dressed suddenly He had n gloomy look
and he'itating way OF speech. An anus
ing spectacle was his mechanical looking
HInile, which, when he became conscious
Of IL, passed through several stages ex-
pressive OF embarrassment until his normal
nournful aspect was reached
As he usually appeared in sack coat
when of the stage, the length OF his legs
was divertingly emphasized. After the
fashion Of great actors OF bygone genera
tion, he wore II soft black felt hat, dinged
in the crown from front TO rear,
He hnd entered the profession from the
amateur stage, by way OF the comic opera
chorus, and to that chance was due his
being located in the comic opera wing Of
the great histrionie edifice. He had orig
tnally preferred tragedy: but the first con
sideration was the getting upon the stage
by any means. Having tndustriously
worked his way out OF the chorus he had
been reconciled by habit 10 his environ
ment and had come 70 aspire 70 einlnence
therein. He had reached the standing OF u
secondary comedian-that Is TO say, man
playing secondary comic roles in the pieces
for which he is cast. He was useful In
such companies ~ were directly or in
directly controlled by their leading come
diRns for there never could be any fear OF
his outshining those nutocratic personages
Only in bis widest hopes did he ever look
upon the center OF the stage asa spot possl-
ble for him TO attain.
His means Of eyoking laughter upon the
stage were Aborlous upon his part and
nystifying TO the thoughtful observer. He
took noticeable pains to change from his
real self. 1t mattered not what were the
hopWV VI bnS PAt' hV A''NN' AS .A'-AAAD's
assumed an unnatural strained rasping
voice; he stretched his mouth to its utmost
reach and lowered the extremlties Of his
lips; he turned his toes inward NATURALLY
his feet described IN abnormal outward
angle) and bowed his arms, Brought up
in the school which teaches that to make
Others laugh one must never smile ones
self, he wore grotesquely lugubrious aud
changeless countenance such was New
gag IN his every tmpersonation. When he
thought he was funniest he appeared to be
IN most pain and was most depressing
my methods are legitimate, anyhow,
he would say when he had enlisted ones
attention and apparent admiration across
table bearing beer bottles and sand
witches. "rhe people want horse play now
adays. But when I've got TO descend To
that sort Of thing III go to the variety
stage or circus ring at once--or quit"
THAT'S happy thought old man.
said comedian OF the younger school one
nt0ht uhan NpWpuU lad uttered his