Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-01-16
GRADE IV-LESsON IN.
RIVERMOUTH THEATER.

III ' Eh Mol III L ItEa EN-.
"Now, boys, what shall we do?n
asked, addressing a thoughtful concave
OF seven, assembled in our bnrn one dis
mai, rainy afternoon. Lets have a
theater," suggested Binny Wallace.
The very thing! But where? The loft
OF the stable was ready to burst with hay
provided for Gypsy, but the long room
over the carriage house was unoccupied
The place of all places! My managerial
eye saw at glance its capabilities for a
theater.
! had been to the play a great many
times in New Orleans, and was wise in
matters pertaining to the drama. So
here, in due time, was set up some ex-
traordinary scenery OF my own painting.
The curtain, l recollect, though it worked
smoothly enough on other occasions, in
variably hitched during the perform
ances.
The theater, however, was a success, as
far as it went. l retired from the bust
ness with no fewer than fifteen hundred
pins, after deducting the headless, the
pointless, and the crooked pins with
"stuck." From first to last we took in a
great deal OF this counterfeit money.
The price of admission to the "River-
mouth Theatre" was twenty pins.
played all the principal characters myself
not that ! was a finer actor than the
other boys, but because l owned the
establishment.
AT the tenth representation, my dra-
matte career was brought to close by
an unfortunate circumstance. We were
playing the drama of civilian Tell, .he
Hero OF Switzerland" or course | was
William Tell, in spite of Fred Langdon
who wanted to act that character him
self. wouldn't let him, so he withdrew
from the company, taking the only bow
and arrow we had.
| made a cross-bow out OF piece OF
whalebone, and did very we'll without
him. We had reached that exciting
scene where Gesler, the Austrian tyrant,
commands Tell to shoot the apple from
his sons head. Pepper Whitcomb, who
played ali the juvenile and women
parts, was my son.
TO guard against mischance, piece of
pssteboard was fastened by handker-
chief over the upper portion OF Whit
combs face, while the arrow to be used
was seved up in a strip OF flannel. was
capital marksman, and the big apple,
only two yards distant, turned its russell
cheek fHirly towards me.
can see poor little Pepper now, rs he
stood without fiinching, waiting for me
to perform my great feat. | raised the
cross-bow amid the breathless silence of
the crowded audience consisting of
seven boys and three girls, exclusive of
Kitty Collins, who insisted on paying her
way in with clothes pin. | raised the
cross bow, ! repeat. Twang. went the
whip-cord; but, alas! instead of hitting
the apple, the arrow flew right into Pep
per Whitcomb's mouth which happened
to be open at the time, and destroyed my
aim.
! shall never be able to Danish that
awful moment from my memory. Pep
per's roar, expressive OF establishment,
indignation, and pain, is still ringing in
my ears. l looked upon him as a corpse,
and, CHANGING not far into the dreary
future, pictured myself led forth to exc
cution in the presence Of the very same
spectators then assembled.
Luckily, poor Pepper was not seriously
hurt; but Grandfather Nutter, appearing
in the midst of the confusion attracted
by the howls OF young TelD, issued an
injunction against all theatricals there
after and the place was closed; not, how
ever, without farewell speech from me,
in which l said that this would have been
the proudest moment Of my life il !
hadn't hit Pepper Whitcomb in the
mouth. Whereupon the audience las
sisted, l am glad to state, by Pepper
cried, "Hear! hear!'
then attributed the accident to Pepper
himself, whose mouth, being open at the
instant | fired, acted upon the arrow
much after the fashion Of whirlpool,
and drew in the fatal shaft. l was about
to explain how a comparatively small
maelstrom could suck in the largest ship,
when the curtain fell Of its own accord
amid the shouts of the audience.
This was my last appearance on any
stage. 1t was some time, though, before
l heard the end of the William Tell bust
ness. Malicious little boys who hadn't
been allowed to buy tickets to my theater
used to cry out after me in the street, .
"Who killed Cock Rohin?"
GRADE III-LEssON TX.
HOW sPONGES GROW.