Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-01-26
A STRANGE PART.
An Actors Experiences as the Hind Leg
of property Elephant.

An Actors Experiences as the Hind Legs
of property Elephant.
"One OF my strangest and moa un-
comfortable experiences, sir, was be-
ing the hind legs OF an elephant~
says an actor in Cassell's Journal
I'D gone out to Australia. like many
other young fellows do. or rather did
n few years ago, with the fixed idea
of making my fortune. Needless to
remark. failed dismally, and soon
lost the little money | did possess.
i had been well educated. and tried
one thing after another, with the in.
variable result that every market
seemed overstocked. AS last re-
source | went around TO the theaters
to try and get job. At one was
successful, being told that 'one of the
chaps was i'll, and the boss in roar
ing temper / made my way round.
and arrived in time TO hear the afore
said boss remark somewhat loudly
and in scarcely polite language:
"'What does the "hind legs" mean
by being i'll? His business is TO be-
"hind legs" and if he doesn't turn
up tonight he won't have another
job in my theater. / rather timidly
approached and asked il | could,
perhaps, supply the missing mans
place. Well, young man, if you'll
come and be "hind legs" of an ele-
plant, you can; II not. clear out; the
pays ten bob week The outlook
was not cheering, but | was too hum
cry to be proud, so answered that
had no knowledge of the duties Of
hind legs but | would do my best,
and hoped that a few rehearsals
would perfect me. / followed the
front legs, who had been a witness
of this interview, and was quickly
set TO work. First | had to put on a
pair OF large, loose, dirty brown
looking trousers. with the cardboard
feet attached. These were kept on
by straps over my shoulders.
The front legs attired himself
in similar garment. Then we both
stopped down to about half our
height, and a large, dirty brown
covering was drawn over us to form
the body, to which the head, etc +,
were attached. The cord working
the trunk was given into front
legs keeping, while | was accom-
modated with that appended to the
tail. At first it was most difficult to
arrange our strides properly, and
80 commenced by the front legs
making up his mind to take walk
ing tour by himself, poor hind legs
descending into n little jog-trot gal
Top to keep anywhere near. Then
we found the positions reversed. and
| was told 10 stop tripping up them
front legs At last we were fairly
perfect. and were released with ach-
ing heads and stiff backs till tho
evening performance.
81 was naturally pretty punctual
for the first time, but when the cry
the stage waits for the elephant
was heard no front legs were there.
The manager was furious and the
audience impatient, when at last my
other half was discovered in the bar
only getting drink. He was
promptly hauled along, but the walk
of the elephant was decidedly curl
GUS during the evening. However,
We managed to get along somehow,
but | wasn't sorry when my week
came to an end, and, taking into
consideration the discomforts of
head and back ache. the decidedly
unclean condition of the skin and
the long hours spent in rehearsals and
performances. | don't think | ever
took more hardly-earned ten shil-
lings,"