The morning times., 1896-08-09

ANY little comedies were acted be
NJ hind the scenes which thu audience
did not see. They are pleasant
memories. which the actors will
bear away and during the season
and trade ascoin current in the yarn market
OF the PROFESSIONS story-tellcrs, Repre-
senting one of the rina nciai Interests in the
company was q Mr.. Mitchell, who spent
the first four weeks in Washington He
kne W fnancc, but lie was Il little ira ycd n
the edges on theatricals, especially the
ycrnacular of the stage hands A Joke al
ways played upon j novice is to send him
for the mythical key of the curtain" One
day Bert Riddle came into the office. No
show tonight, Mitchell" why not?" ex-
claimed the easy victim in alarm Lost
the key to the curtain replied Bertncver,
smiling, while every one else in the ofrlce
fairly eroaned with suppressed laughter
''Wiat'l We Go"" and Il thousand other
questions asked Mitchell Finally they
sent him over to the Grand to borrow
the key OF that curtain. and when he IA lied
there they led him search all over the
National for the ost key.
A day or two after Manager Rapley was
writing at his desk. Mitchell was reading
across the room. MI Riddle came in on
trot, See here, Mr., Rapley. you've
broken your contract explained the obese
Bert in mock soleinnty. The prompt book
wrinkles for CatterDoie's makeup. and
there aren 'tbut five in the house. What are
you going to do. We can't be imposed on
this way. | must have those three extra
wrinkles or no performance" And the two
managers argued the pointfo ten minutes.
When Riddle left the office Mitchell fol-
lowed after. lie patted Bert on the back
when out OF Mr. Rapley's sight That's
right, old man; don't let them take al.
vantage OF US. Tibet he'll get the wrinkles
after the talk you gave him
When it was decided 10 put THE Private
Secretary on there was scurry for Char
ley Coote's address. Soire one said he was
in iona wanda. Then geographers maps
and guides We're searched for iona an,Ei.
Opinions were divided between its being
in Jersey or New York. II proved to he
summer resort In Pennsylvania and Mr.
Coote was to pla astock company there. No
one ever spoke Of Charley after that ex-
cept us 1.-The pet OF Toneywandy''
In the early weeks Washington used to
win an occasional baseball game, and Mana
ger Riddle, who is Il fan from BreezyvilIe, al
ways insisted on Mfr. Bend Interpreting the
score. The fun ca!ne in on the nights when
our club lost and any one asked Bert wlierc
the score came IL. The score hasn't been
mentioned on the stage or around the theater
for weeks.
Politics ousted baseball from the time
VI ID an lioIiilhdeiUu, anu Duy WIS
proclaimed the original Bryan man"
That's his accepted nickname. A placard
to this effect was posted on his dressing
room door, and nearly every evening when
he sat down tn make up he found Dastcd
thereon some sarcastic clipping touching up
the original Bryan man. which Were
plentiful in the press.
Charley Mackay had an anxious five
minutes Of it one ght in the "A wful Dad"
The scene is played very fast and he
finally opens his office door, expecting a
pair of Quakers, whom he had left out
side, to walk in. They didn't come He
peeped, but they weren'tthere. He stepped
outside the door and called for some one
to send them, returning immediately lest
the stage be empty. There was lively
scurrying behind for the procIastinating
Quakers and Charley Mackay can't tell
today all he did and said till they came
and relieved him. But he acted so cleverly
and SO naturally that the audience never
knew there was hitch
The nightly concerts in the corridor of
the dressing rooms was n feat ure never dis
closed to the public. In the uppOr corridor
were the dressing rooms of Bond, Bong,
Findlay. Brooke. Macka and Uutson. Some
one was always off the stage, and up here
WAS the rendezvous. Hutson was e1Cep-
tionally clever at initiating Instruments
and Charley MaCka pla yed the guitar like
Il Spanish cavalier, while the others lis
tened or sang. The Indies often had leisure,
and then everybody adjourned tothe green
room off the ladies' dressing rooms. Here
was a piano. and they had manygood times.
One night especially every enc remembers.
IL WAS when the scene from Gilberts
"Galatea" WIS used and MIR. Findlay wore
the tights. tnnic and laurel crown Of the
corpulent Cyros. Mr.. Mackay was ,,run,-
ming fandango when the Greek findlly
skipped In and did a Spar dance in the
middle OF the room 1t was a greater hit
than anything that was done for the au-
dience.