The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-03-07

preclude any pOSSlDlllIV OF uOuDU as 10
its genuineness, decided to ask to Assist
me several gentlemen of prom, aence
who are known to you all and whose
probity and veracity cannot beArues-
toned. will ask your mayof-b Mr..
Coulter Col. WEIGH, Maj. Freeman,
Capt. Doxey, Judge Cole, Mr.. Long
man, Count Won Hoffman, Peter Galla-
CHER, Ambrose Newton, Mr.. Darby
and" (here he mentioned two fthree
! others to come forward"
All were forthcoming, more SSr less
embarrassed, cad when theyl were
seated on the stage the professor con-
tinued:
Before commencing, must beg the
audience not to be alarmed, whatever
happens, and to please keep their seats.
Now, first, l will give you bit of his
tory, the application of which you will
not be long in discovering.
About year ago down il IOuisi-
ana a number of young men were A9ut
one evening making merry, and ODD o,
so exceedingly hilarious that theyoA
Cured the displeasure of the office
the law, who attempted to arrest tx Qlf
In the struggle the town marshal o1 !,
shot and killed. very unfortunate u
One of the young men, Mr.. DE Rus$
was suspected of having fred the ia III,
shot, and while he was innocent, i
for a time. until the mystery was
cleared up. 1t is cleared up, the man
who killed the marshal having re-
Gently confessed"
Here it was noticed that the leading
citizens on the stage were looking
anxiously out toward one of the wings
and seemed extremely uneasy, but
none left his seat. The professor con-
tinued speaking very rapidly:
DE Russy came to your glorious
state and sought temporary asylum
He found employment and settled him
self to remain until the trouble should
be cleared up. In his new position he
was pleasant and obliging, but, through
fear of discovering himself to the
authorities, was so milo in his manners
that nearly everybody in town took
advantage of him; although l know
him to be one of the bravest men, of a
fighting family, quick to avenge an in
suit, and always ready, under ordinary
circumstances, to meet any man in fair
combat.
For what he has had to undergo he
does not ask much, but he is bound to
have that, and'-here he produced a
brace of six shooters and covered the
audience, just as the new bar boy from
| hoI hanr
ering from a wing the semi-circle of
prominent citizens on the stage,
armed as was the professor, and with
eyes sparkling with the lust of longed-
for vengeance about to be satisfied
lest any gentleman in the audience
gets excited while the gentlemen on
the stage are satisfying NJ. de Russy
of their desire to expiate past wrongs
done him, l would cali attention to
the fact that it would be very dan
gerous to draw return fire from the
stage into this crowd. Pray be calm,
ladies and gentlemen. The violinist
will please play old Grimes, -z7~ii1iile
the gentlemen on the stage rise and
dance"
Here a confused murmur interrupted
any further remarks he may have in
tended to make, and one or two of the
gentlemen of probity and veracity,' "
who had hitherto seemed half stupefed,
reached for their weapons
Easy, easy" commanded the bar
boy of the Binford, with a menacing
gesture. Get their guns. John"
Jenkyns did SO, securing eight weap-
ons, from which he removed the cylin-
ders, and threw them into a pile OF
rubbish back of the wings.
Now ordered the bar boy, with a
motion to the violinist. Dance. Dance!
Quick"
Bang! Bang A couple OF rifle shots
hit the floor in close proximity to the
feet of two or three dilatory ones, and
they rose with some alacrity, for the
CLEAN in the bar boys eye meant bust
ness.
Funny spectacles nowaday sin Nitrate
are compared, especially in converse
>tion with eminent citizens, to the aero
batic dancing of the flower of the
camp on that memorable Fourth OF
July. For it was funny, very funny
the funniest thing Nitrate had ever
seen, and presently the audience began
to realize it. Somebody laughed Then
it became contagious, and the whole
audience laughed, roared, almost cried
in an excess of merriment.
But it wasn't funny for the perform,
ers, not bit, although one or two OF
them tried to look as though it was a
huge joke, being duly reminded, how
ever, of the seriousness of the situation
by an occasional shot from De'Russy's
revolver. For fifteen or twenty min
: utes the violin droned on mournfnlly
and the dancers leaped and cavortld
frantically. Then, when two or three
of them-notably old Welch and fat
: Judge Cole-gave signs of impending
: apoplexy, De Russy waved his henC
and the music stopped.
you may rest for moment, gentle
men," said the master of ceremonies
"A swift jig dance is bit difficult to ac
complish to slow music, isn't it? Now
gentlemen, you will kindly play LEAF
. frog for awhile. Quick, now! Lively!'
And leap frog it was until old Capt
| DoXey's weight crushed little Billy
: Darby to the floor, and the captain