The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-29

by q wide ganRway, buy their tickets at the
window, and pass around the guards to the en-
The members OF Tho troupe generally sign
for tho whole season, which IL q year long with
the exception OF the two months Of March and
There Is never any difnculty IN holding the ar
lists the manager describes them ~ AL high
priced New. YORK people, 70 their contract.
The life on hoard Is easy and novel. tine boat
begins the season by going up the Monongahela
River while the other one goes, up the Kama
Of time. and then. the hunts return to the Ohio
aud start down the river, one about II m,1nth
bridge on the Kentucky River and 70 the head
of. navigation on Green River. Then they
Town the Mississippi 70 New Orleans. Then
they w or into southwestern louisiana, follow
INK Bayou La Fourchc. the Atrl Rfalayn River,
linyQu .Teche, and other streams. They stop
at all the little towns and give six. sometimes
to the smallest settlement along those streams
whore IrenCh's Sensation isn't known. AZ
for patronage, they have IA full boat, as u were,
Ing Room Only" sign has to be hung out over
the guards with n beautiful frequency.
The Sensation probably goes. to moro queer
towns than any other show ia the country, and
what Mrs. French doesn't know about "A baCk.
woods audience isn't worth knowing, SIN
Mt Clarendon, about 100 miles west of New Or
leans. There Is settlement of Attakapas In
dians near the place, and some Of the young
and fiery bloodS made up their minds To- 20 to
the floating theatre, They arrived a little late,
hD"bNtls hINl WV u NlhN " w RhN INV
boat was. packed. They were courteously in
formed Of this by the ticket agent, who was
out at the end Of the anyway. The Indians
didn't understand English and thought that
the ticket seller objected TO the color OF their
complexion.
They insisted that they wanted 70 see the
show, and displayed their money, whose color
was as good as anybody's. but the ticket sell.
or was firm. lie explained claborately that
lac would be proud to have any number of At
takapas in his audience. but that the house was
already full of 'Cajans tACadian-l. and lac re
ErCttch, and so on. and so on, All OF when
WAS lost ON the Indians. who talked loud ana
seemed 10 mean business. The ticket seller
II dozen men OIL the guards, e~quirrcd them
with rifles. and then turned the boats search
light on the Indians. They were. SO blinded
that they couldn't see amy one on the boat, ana
succ OF the rifles, 50 they finally concluded that
they would not interfere with the serrcDtine
dance, which was n drawing card Oh the SEN
sation programme, 10y giving t. war, dance or
their own; and 50 returned TO their homes.
life on the show boats, however. Is not
often enlirened 10y such stirring events. For
the most part II Is quiet and peaceful. There
IA the regular nightly performance and the
regular daily trip to almost literally green
fields and pastures new. sometimes one OF
those queer people who think II Is funny TO
cause a panic will come down to the bank and
shout "tiro"wllcu the boat Is filled with II breath
less audience, hut the spectators tumble out
Of the windows so fast that the boat Is emp.
Joke having been discovered, refilled In much
shorter order.
The Sensations can scarcely be recommended,
however. IN stormy weather, especially To per.
which is rather disquieting. and the dash OF
the WIVES against the back of the paruuct
sometimes browns the comedians best Jokes.
The show boats last only about seven years.