West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1894-05-03
CHAPTER xviii
lie TURNS sUPE.


grocery man to the bad boy as he came
IN the store yawning and stretched him.
self out on the counter with his head on
piece of brown wrapping paper in
reach of box of raisins. whats the
matter? Been sitting up with your girl
oil night?'
Nav! l wish l had. Wakefulness
with my girl is swoeter and moro restful
than sleep. No. this is the result of be-
ing dutiful son, and l am tired. You
see Pa and Ma have separated-that is,
not for keeps, but Pa has got frightened
about burglars, and he gets up into the
attic to sleep. He says 1t is to get fresh
air, but he knows better. Ma has got so
accustomed to Pas snoring that she can't
go to sleep without it, and the first night
Pa left she didn't sleep wink, and
yesterday was playing on an old ac-
Gordon that | traded dog collar for
after our dog was poisoned, and when
touched the low notes noticed Ma dozed
of to sleep, it soundedso much like PAS
snore, and last night Ma made me set MP
and play for her to sleep.
She rested splendid, but | am all
broke up, and | sold the accordion this
morning to tho Waterman who watches
our block. 1t is queer what a different
effect music will have on different peo-
pie. While Ma was sleeping the sleep of
innocence under the influence of nv
counterfeit of Pas snore, the night
Waterman was broke of his rest by it.
and he bought it of me to give it to the
son OF an enemy of his. Well, | have
quit jerking soda"
mo, you don't tell me-" said the
groceryman as he moved the box of raj
sins out of reach. "You never will
amount to anything unless you stick to
one trade or profession. A rolling hen
never catches the early angleworm."
"Oh, but am all right now. In the
soda water business there is no chance
for genius to rise unless the soda foun-
tain explodes. 1t is all wind, and one
gets tired of the constant fizz. He feels
that he is u fraud. and when he puts q
little sirup in turnbler and fires little
sweetened wind and water in it until the
soap suds fills the tunbler and charges
10 cents for thatwhich only costs cent a
sensitive soda jerker who has reformed
feels that 1t is worse than three card
monte. couldn't stand the wear ON my
conscience, so have got permanent
job as super and shall open the LIST of
September"
Say, what's a super? 1t isn't one of
these free lunch places that the mayor
closes at midnight. is it?" And the gro
Gerry man looked sorry.
''Oh, thunder, you want salt on youl
a super is an adjunct to the stage A
supe is fellow that assists tho stars and
things carrying chairs and taking up
carpets and sweeping the sand off the
stage after q dancer has danced q liz.
and he brings beer for tho actors and
helps lace up corsets aud anything he
can do to add TO the effect Of the play
Privately, now, / have been acting as q
supe for a long time on the sly, and my
folks didn't know anything about it, but
since l reformed and decided TO be good
felt it my duty to tell Ma and Pa about
1t. The news broke Ma all up at first.
but Pa said some of the best actors in
this country were supes once, and some
of them were now, and he thought SUI
ping would be the making of me.
MA thought going on the stage would
be my ruination. She said the theater
was the hotbed Of sin and brought mora
ruin than the church could head off. but
when told her that they always gave a
supe two or three extra tickets for his
family she said the theater had some re-
deeming features, and when l said my
entrance upon the stage would give me
splendid opportunity to get the recipe
for face powder from the actresses for
Ma and ! could find out how the nc
tresses managed to get No. 4 feet into
No. l shoes Ma said she wished would
commence suping right off. Ma says
there are some bad things about the the
alter that are not so all fred bad. and she
wants me TO get seats for the first comic
opera that comes along.
PA wants IL understood with the
manager that supe's father has q
right to go behind the scenes TO SEQ that
no harm befalls him, but I know what
pa wants. He may seem pious and all
that, but he likes TO look ct ballet girls
better than any meek and lowly follow
er / ever see. and some day you will hear
music in tho air. Pa thinks theaters are
very bad when no has to pay 81 for
reserved seat, but when he can get in
FOR nothing as n relative Of one Of the
'perfesh' the theater has many redeem
ing qualities. Pa and Ma think I am
going into business fresh and green, but
/ know all about It, When I played
with Mccullough here once
"Oh, what arc you giving usrr said the
( grocery man ia disgust. when you
played with McCu.loughi What did
I you dor"
What did do2 Why. You old seed
( cucumber, the whole play centered
around mo. DO you remember thoscene
I Ia tho Roman forum where McCullough
addressed the popuiaco % Ro1neg / was
the populaco. Don't you remember n
small Teller standing in front Of tho
Roman orator taking it in. with a night
shirt on. with bare les and armsf That
was me, and everything depended on me.
I buppoeo had gone on the STAGE sc tho
critical moment or laughed when
should have looked fierce 90 the inspired
/ words of the Roman senator. 70 would