The herald., 1894-10-16
THE NEW YORK SPECIALITY CO.
The Biggest Show That Ever
Came to Jayville.
The Advance Agent Stayed Over to
Boom 1t.
He Also Collected at tho Door and all
the Ladies' Were So Sorry for
Him, He Worked
So Hard.

One day "a I was busy writing, the
Office door was quickly opened and al
most before 1 knew it, some one had
placed hand Familiarity upon my
shoulder.
Say, old man, what are you going to
charge me for 1000 sixteenths. 100 dates,
colored, and two inches, single, next To
reading, two times? There won't be
much matter-and say. I'll want some
locala, you know; only q few lines" he
said.
l glanced up from my writing at q
face which :. l had never seen before.
Without giving me an opportunity to
speak. he resumed:
1.-The business is going to be light, old
man, and Pm bringing the biggest show
that ever came to Jayville, and don't
you forget it-all A l people. too. Ex-
penses are something awful; besides
Pm disappointed in the town, they told
me down the road it was good for 500.
but doubt it. Make that just as light
on me as you can end don't forget the
discount. for heavens sake. You folks
ought to get rich in this town at the
prices you ask"
Please be seated, sir" I began.
"You desire me to figure on"
Say. old man, right here let me ask
you if you know what l got that job OF
printing done for in the last town We
played in? Six dollars S'help me
heaven-six dollarsl Pm giving you
that straight. And they ran the dates
in red and put me in the local page.
don't suppose you'd look at it for less
than ten. and Pm here to give it, but
Pm loser in the town, my friend, re-
mem Der that"
Eyes. but, my dear sir, L"
"Give that top all the display it'll
stand and run the cast in aolid, ii you
have to. There'll be no cuts. Hold the
s'long; III see you later"
He went out and l improved the OPP.
portunisy to think little. 1t had been
years since had any dealings with ad
vance agents, and had lost the knack
OF handling them. l should have or.
dered him out of the office two or three
times. or perhaps called the office
devil" to help me put him out. He
expected it and was disappointed.
| The cigar was good and afforded some
cancellation, but the copy he left-ugh
it makes me SILVER to think OF it. A
macs of almost unintslligable stuff,
scrubbed upon the backs OF a half dozen
or 80 old posters, and tending to an
nounce that the greatest troupe of actors
| who ever crossed the continent would
appear in Jaytown on the 18th. The
company, the scribbling intimated, with
startling direotness, included the most
i renowned specialists and stars ever APP
pearing upon the American etage. The
scenery and mechanical effects were gu
| perb; the costumes costly and magniti-
cent. The company had appeared be.
fore crowded houses nightly, and been
pronounced by press and public every
where stupendous SUCCESS
In due process of time all these start
ling statements, together with many
more of like import, had been laid be-.
fore the people OF Jsytown and their in
fuence had permeated every nook and
corner of the place and spread for con.
siderable distance over the surrounding
country.
| "Pll jest be gol-derned II faint the
biggest show ever struck this town." re-
marked Bill Higgins in the postoffice
one night, standing before flaming red
poster, and gazing intently at the pic
! ture Of Mile. de Granville, queen of the
air, in her wonderful feat of sliding
down a tight wire, suspended by her
back hair.
"That's what it be-" assented Sile
Jackson, who was just then deep in con-
temptation OF the highly oolored litho-
graph of the renowned Blanchard Broth
ers in their plantation sketches and
other speoialties.
And it was not long before the whole
population of Jaytown, both male and
female, including those who had not re-
ceiveG letter for six months and who
we're not likely to for six months longer,
got to coming 80 regularly and persists
emily to the postoflice that the posts
master was obliged to remove the
gorgeous things to prevent terrible
| jam at every mail time. The announce
ment OF the coming OF the New York
| Specially company had fairly aroused
| the town.
A week after the arrival of the ad-
vance agent he was still with us. He
was putting all his other engagements
| aside he said, in order to make the APP
| pearance in Jaytown complete suc-
cess. He was not letting any oppor-
tunities slip, either. Nightly a crowd
| Va tho WV h6HOOPiO BubhCiC0
him in the hotel office, while he ex-
pstiated in glowing terms upon his
show. His people" as he called them.
we're every one ARTISTS" Those OF
| them who had not performed, by re-
quest, before the crowned heads of
Europe, had played for many coRsecu-
tive nights in the play houses of New
York and London And we folks in
Jaytown soaked it all in until We fairly
reeked with theatrical lore.
! WAS no small factor in Rrousing the
enthusiasm, myself. Hypnotized, as it
were, by the fellow. filed my editorial,
local and news columns, even, with mat
ter relative to the New York Specially
company. l oven printed a column
leader claiming that saw great future
| greatest theatrical troupes in the coun-
| try had consented to appear in the grow
ing place. That leader advanced the
price of real estate fully 10 per cent.
At last the great day arrived and all
Jaytown was alive to the fact. Az early
an oclock in the morning the 5ceno at
Slocum's hall, corner OF Maple avenue
and Main street, was an animated one.
Under the personal direction of the adj
vance sgent the hall was being thor
oughly renovated and seated with chairs,
kindly loaned for the occasion by the
Congregational church. The stage was
remodeled to suit the performance, and
everything was put in readiness.
My people are to arrive on the
O'Clock train and come direct to the
hall - thu odvnpoa auart axoI.;paJ 70