The morning times., 1897-01-24

joey must have fancied all these wretched
things, and that i had better try him
with something else.
What about the ironmonger's shop?''
says.
"Wel, you know well enough Didn't
you knock at tanironmonger' and lay down
outside his door. And didn't he come out
and"
LOOK here" says Joey, quite sharp and
huffy. Il tell you this once and for ALL
1 don't believe that if dozen nironmongers
had tumbled over me it would have drawn
a single grin from the youngsters" :"
"What?" l says, as 1 thought of all the
other old wheeZes that has amused the
children for these hundred years What?
And the red-hot poker that you stroke
my calves with, and the leg of mutton you
put into your pocket, and the string OF
sausages you pull out like SO many yards
of tape, the perambulator you ran off
with while chatted with the nursemaid,
the baby you sat upon, the policeman"
AT this last word Joey's countenance was
screwed up with pain. sammy" he saih'
in broken voice, the kids were on the
side of the copper" This fairly took my
breath away, and it was Il minute or two
before could say anything.
Think what you're saying, old man.
/ went on after a while. The kids sided
with the copper"
"They did" said joey, solemnly There
is not the slightest doubt of it,
what, even when you knocked his
head off? Do you mean TO say they could
resist that?''
when Knocked his head off they looked
on with what may be called an appearance
of serious displeasure, and one or two of
the very little 'uns began to cry. tell
you, my dear chap, l might have been
the fire king or the demon of discord for
| all the fun they saw in me. Bowed if
I don't think they expected one of the traps
to open and swallow me up for my sins. y
There was no mistakng the reality of
| Joey's belief in what he had, or Thought he
| had, seen; and / must say that this last
! thing he had told me dashed my spirits
| dreadfully and seemed TO cast a gloom over
my professional prospects. For if, says
| to myself, the kids are not going to laugh
| any more at seeing a pollceman's head
| roll across the stage like a plum pudding,
and hearing joey say, "Oh, my" as he
| knows how TO sayit, pretending to be much
concerned at the acCident-wcI, | says to
myself, if that bit of business don't tickle
| the children any longer, what's the orlda-
coming to? We clowns and pantaoOns may
| just as well shut up shop altogether ut
| Christmas time, wash the vermilion off our
| cheeks, dab it on our noses and try to get
| engagements as teetotallecturer awful
example, Twas awakenedf frnmmy melan-
choly revere by the voice OF joey.
The worst ofitis," my poor old pal said,
| in voice that went tony heart the worst
| Of it is, Sammy, that the nippers are right
| Yes, I've come to the conclusion that they
| are quite right. Why should they laugh at
my knocking off a policeman's head? lit
were Il real decapitationit would be truly
| shocking incident especially if the unhappy
| manhad q wifeand dchildrendependentu upon
| him; while on the other hand, being only
! sham decapitation, says ditto to the gen
| tleman who give us the lecture the other
| day, thatit is beneath the dignity ofan art
| whose highest functioni S to hold the mirror
up TO nature The head thata real copper
| looks at in the lookingglass won't unscrew,
| will it? Well then, it amt worthy of art to
| makei take offand put on gain. And any
way" Joey ent on, in firmer tone than
| had ever heardhim use before, "IaErec with
| the gentleman thatitfs dcmoraliAng cX
| hibition, and amt going olend myseIfto
| it,"
! WHO wants you to lend yourself to it?"
I said jumping down his throat a bit. for
was getting just trifle tired of Joey's jaw.
who wants you tolend yourselftoit? The
! governor has always paid up regular. l Will
say that for him"
You know what mean" says Joey. Il
| amt going to take any part in corrupting
! the children of my own native land amt
| going Gtc take part in aperformancein which
| brutality and dishonesty perpetually tri
umph over respectable citizenship
why. joey" / said, you talk like a
! book. It's liberal education to listen TO
! you
OF course, was only pulling his leg, for
! knew pretty well that he was not so much
| talking like a book as talking out OF book;
| the one in which the cove v G had been talk
| ing of had printed his lecture on the 'Ele-
vation Of Pantomime. which had caught
| Joey reading on the sly.
''Do you mean to chuck it up?' asked,
| after bit, because if you break your en-
gagement the governor viii pretty soon tie
| down upon you in the county court like n
| thousand of bricks
| of Salvation Army air on him; mo, l don't
mean to chuck it up. That would be too
serious step, but am going to play my
! part with u moral purpose
with WHAT" | said
with a moral purpose, says he. 'It'sall
| there, if you study it properly"
what's all there:'' says, for he was now
getting fairly beyond me.
The pantomime,' says Joey, lis sym
| syrn-whatdo you callit? Symbolic! There's
no doubt Of that. You read this book here,
and you will seeit. am going torestore it 5
proper meaning by playing it in a serious
spirit
WHAT" / says. ''rhe baby and the po-
Hceman and the red hot
Everything says Joey confidently.
You'll see how it's done, old man, the very
first time l trip you up
We'll" says l, after few moments, to
get over this surprising news, you may
make big hit with it, joey, and hope you
will but my belief is, and may well tell
you at once, that the day after boxing night
the governor will give you the sack
A Forecast.
1t was in the gorgeous autumn time in