The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-26
SOUVENIR FIENDS.
The Good Suffer for the Bad ar Theater
Gift Enterprises.


A contributor TO the New York Herald
ays: "Souvenir night" has become q
nuisance. No matter where the theater
or what the play may be. the place is
packed. There is small-sized crowd
around the box Office. There is an inclp-
lent row going on around the ticket tax
er at the door, and a feminine scram ole
Is made in the inner lobby for the souve-
Mrs, which usually run short before the
curtain rises. There is general angry hum
OF conversation among the ladies in the
auditorium during the whole of the play
over the unsatisfactory character OF the
gift, no matter what IL might be, coupled
with threats of violence from those who
by some error failed TO get the promised
renlem brance.
i have known OF women, honest in all
ordinary affairs, who go to the theater on
souvenir nights, and, not satisfied with
getting one gift, deliberately .endeavor
TO cheat the house out OF second. They
will resort TO all sorts OF dodges. They
will go very early, get their souvenir,
conceal IL under their wraps, pass out
again under some pretext before the play
begins, and get check as they leave.
After walking around the block they Will
return with the air of newcomers, walk
up to the Uan in the lobby and smiling
At the Herald Square Theater lately
this trick was played three times In one
evening by one party. On the third trip
Manager Bleiman came forward and po-
lltely said, in answer to the query
"Really, ladies, / can't tell you where
the souvenirs are, i can't imagine where
you put the other two sets, unless you
left them outside on the walk" Where
upon the party left in high dudgeon.
They will vary these little dodges at
times. At the Casino last Thursday even
ing three ladies and gentleman passed
in and each of the ladies received one of
the gifts Cladies only receive the souve-
nirs). A little later all four passed out
and took return checks. Now, II seems
none Of the ladies had intended from the
outset to see the play. The original escort
who had been waiting in the neighbor-
hood, and they passed in on the checks,
the ladies having only gone in and out 10
carry off the mementos.
When "The Cotton King" was being
played here therewere two sets of souvenirs
"a miniature cotton bale, about the
size OF your fist worth comparatively
nothing, and silver fruit spoon. The
bales were worked of on the inexperienc-
ed ladies, but those who knew better
asked for the spoons. This nearly raised
a small sized riot later, for on getting in
side and comparing notes the bale hold
ers, on the advice of the spoon holders,
rushed back and Indignantly asked IL the
manager was trying to rob them, and de-
manded and received an exchange. Seeing
how readily this worked, some spoon
holders had the audacity to put on the
indignant themselves and demand spoon
also, declaring that they had, of course,
thrown away the "ridiculous bit of cot
toD," and, therefore, could not offer it
for exchange. Some of them thus got
duplicates, and,the management would
not have caught on to the scheme had not
one careless claimant. who had success
couple of spoons from under her wrap
while reaching for third. The spoon ex-
change was then declared closed for the
evening.