The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-03-20

raindrops pattering with monotonous
regularity on the shingled roof. / fell
asleep and awoke TO find the detected
pianist laundering ont: There Is nae
luck about the house; there is nae lucal
at all.
I looked at my watch. Five min
utes to o. and / was still the oldest in.
habitant. There was to be nae luck
that night: that was certain. The plan
ist disappeared behind the curtain. |
sat stolidly on. | was there to report
that show, and report it / was deter
mined TO, whatever happened. Every
thing happens to him who waits.
This happened to me. Professor Beda,
In a shabby suit of evening clothes. look
ing as though they were suffering from
a long course OF being let ont on hire,
came before thecurtain, and addressing
the audience said, Sir" The novelty
of the exordium aroused my attention,
and looking at the professor closely ]
recognized him. Professor Beda, the
premier tightsrope dancer OF the world
and champion prestidigitator Of the
universe, was no other than Harry Beck
er, who had been a private in my COM
papy OF Forest rangers during the war.
Sir, said he, II am sorry to see 90
small an attendance here this evening.
However, 1t is my boast that I never
disappoint the public, and though / am
afraid the proceeds OF the evenings en-
tertainment viii barely pay expenses,
nevertheless with your kind permission
the performance will now proceed"
And it did proceed. AS gravely and
cheerily as though the hall had been
crammed to snffocation the professor
went through his entertainment. He
borrowed my watch and pounded it in
a mortar; he begged the loan of a half
crown-it was all / had in the world,
but ] trusted him with it-he spirited
my pocket handkerchief into the center
of a candle and performed a number of
other tricks with ease and dexterity.
ALI his little jokes and funniments, all
the antics OF his assistant-Sprightly he
called In the programme-were
punctually gone through, and q very
fair show 1t was-for the colonies.
When he came to This concludes the
first portion Of the entertainment. There
viii be an intermission of 10 minutes, =
I could stand IL no longer. The melan-
choly pianist was announced TO sing a
comic song. which perhaps precipitated
my decision. / asked him to tell Pro-
fessor Beda that the audience would be
glad b speak 70 him for a minute or
two. Invent round"
II am glad to see you, SIR said the
professor. Pray be seated. May /
offer you q littls whisky and water?
You = q gentleman OF the press,
sir, / understand"
Yes. ! represented The Post and was
there TO do his show.
II thought, sir, ! would give you a
specimen OF what / ear do. and IL you'd
like IL / am quite prepared to go through
the whole entertainment"
/ explained that there was no occa-
for that, because I could write
about It quite as well without seeing II
better. If "gentlemen OF
the press'' were to confine themselves
to what they SEQ, the business would
soon go to the dogs.
We had some whisky and water, and
the professor began to talk less formally.
well, sir, they told me down south
Alexander was one of the best pitches
In the profession. It doesn't look much
like it. Seems TO me about the u
horsedest place ever ! was in, except
Naipaw, and that ain T even a one dom
key place. Not a soul In the house bat
ron, SIR, and this here blessed show has
cost me ont OF pocket g5 10. Paid in
advance too. A couple o. pound for
the hall and the lights, a pound for the
pianner, q coupled pound for fixing up
the rope and 10 bob for a money taker.>
Think of that, siri Amt it hard? Amt
It cruel? Ten bob for a money takeri'
That did seem hard indeed, but / =
planned that thought that shows usual
~ took especial care to have a money
taker of their own for obvious reasons.
so they do, sir, and sodoI /. My wife
takes the money aiways-always has
done ever since / took to the business
but my luck dead ont. She's up at Brit
ten's-you know, sir, the hotel-in bed
with asmashed foot. Some clumsy fool
On the Star OF the South as we were
here from the south let's q great
packing ease right on her foot and
smashes her. The doctor Gays she'll be
! fortnight or better. Ten bob for a
money takeri IL It amt the cruelest
hing "a ever I heart And then the
taini Did anybody ever see IL rain like
It7 It's been a-coming down, down,
lown like this for three blessed days.
Not q soul In the house. Ten bob for a
money takeri Help yourself, sir"
I suggested that he might have better
luck the next night and corroborated
opinion he had heard down south
that Alexander was an excellent place
. a rule for performances of all kinds.
mo, sir. The luck's ont, and I'm
shout broke, that's what / am, and ]
ain't got the money. There's the hall,
hey will have it in advance; there's the
they wants that In advance,
md there's the advertisements. not a
ine they'll give me till I've paid for to.
ads, non q line. not The Post, nor
The Independent, nor none of EN-. Adj
New Zealand That's their mot