Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-07-27
STRIVING TO PLEASE.
THE ADVANCE AGENT TELLS HOW HIS
FRIENDS OBSERVED THIS RULE.

a Manager of Pyrotechnio Show Who
Didn't Want H. Disappoirt lis Audi
enre-A Monument which Proves That
Ills Efforts We're Appreciated.
~ always strive to please, " remarked
tho dramatic editor, as no scratched the
words "big thing" out OF tho advance
notice he was writing and substituted
"megatherian aggregation.
Thanks, l am sure" said the ad.
vance agent, as he read over the ten
lines tho dramatic critic was giving to
him, and carefully put back into his
pocket the half column notice he had
first drawn on the d. c.
~ presume. smiled the d. c., THAT
You always strive to please, too, don't
you?"
mot always"-in a semidisappointed
tone--"bu used to have friend who
did. He really was tho most self deny
ing chap / ever saw, and what he
wouldn't do to please an audience
wasn't worth doing"
where is he now?"
dead.
"Dead?"
eyes, it killed him. twas this way:
He was in the pyroteobnio branch of
the dramatic art and used to give shows
at one Of those imitation Coney Islands
to be found on nearly every sand bar in
nearly vser river tributary to the Mis-
sissippi. Ho had been the originator of
the fireworks feature at this place, and
his phenomenal success had made him
so proud that he would sooner have died
than had failure. Ono Fourth of July
no was going to give the grandest dis
play of his life, ana the feature i'll tho
biggest letters on the bill was set
piece, 100 feet high, with mn enormous
balloon loaded with fireworks to go up
from tho top as grand finale. There
were ten times us many people there
that night as there had ever been, and
my friend was feeling SO goodiyou could
see it in his walk.
Everybody was on edge too, for the
grand blaze of glory the management
had been advertising for weeks, and
when, promptly at tho hour Of 10
O'Clock, my friend stepped forth like o
peacock to set off the greatadisplay with
his own hand there was aground of APP
plause, followed by dead silence as
tho audience sat reMhless'watching for
the burst of blazing glory But some
how it didn't burst, The professor fired
the train and retreoted to safe place,
but tho powder woubin' burn. Itfzzled
and went out instead. Once, twice,
thrice, it fizzled, sputtpred and went
out, and then the crowd began tolgrowl
and guy, as crowds always viii, and
the professor began to get wild.
Several other attempts to set tho
piece off were no more successful, and
Mt last, with smothered scream of
crazy rage. he'shot up the ladder of the
tower to its very top, where he had q
platform stored with all sorts of inflam-
mable and explosive things arranged to
90 Off Mt the proper time. He stood
there moment silhouetted against tho
sky, the crowd indulging in gibes and
jeers, with now and then threat ms to
what he might expect If he would only
come down to the ground. This was his
time to show what he could do to please
his audience, and in minute, and be-
would do next, he caught up AN armful
of the explosives about him, fastened
them to his clothes and hung wreaths
and rings over his neck and shoulders,
and, setting the whole thing aflre, he
swung out into tho air in the balloon,
which was already Juggling Mt itsanchor.
''As the balloon shot up it was a ter
riflo sight, and the poor -.'.G.-'s shrieks
added TO tho intensity Of the scene, al
ready lurid with red and blue lights,
while the mir was filled with all manner
of bursting bombs and crashing explo-
sives. Women tainted, men ran help
lessly about shouting, and still the bal
loon swept upward with its fiery freight
and passenger, until when it had
reached point 1000 feet above the
earth, it caught fro and the whole
burning mass shot like blazing ball
straight to the ground.
"You will DO safe in betting those
people never saw such an exhibition as
that before, nor will ever again in all
probability, and when it was over"
concluded the agent, "tho audience
seemed to realize what the professor
had done to please them, and they chip
ped in and built him monument
where he fell, having ON it, besides his
name and the proper dates, no other in.
scription except He strived to please. "
The dramatic critic was at least half
minute in recovering his speech after
the recital Of this remarkable tale, and
before he could ask any questions tho
advance agent had folded his tent like
u circus and stolen away to the Office of
the next dramatic critic he had to call
upon. Washington Star.