Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-02-06
THE AWAKENED CLOWN.


THE AWAKENED CLOWN.
I had noticed an through the last re-
hearsal thar there was something wrong
with joey. He was so slow and clumsy in
some of the trick scenes THAI once or twice
DE pretty nigh bung,ed them altogether:
and he was 50 awful slack at the rallies.
that. lor, we might have been a couple OF
old waSherwomen trying to box each 9TH
er's ears over the tea table.
whats amiSs. Joey?' 1 said as We
walked home together. You'll have 10
play up O. bit smarter than this tomorrow
night. old man. or the governor viii be
down ON Your libby. ! saw him looking at
YOU as black as his hat this afternoon.
He made no answer and We walked on
for few yards in silence
1T is no use. sammy he said AZ last.
It's gospel truth. l shall make big fall
ure.
stared az him with all my eyes. You
could have knocked me down with harle-
GUMS lath. / had never seen joey taken
like that before though 1 had noticed he
had got a bit queer in his habits lately.
and had been once or twice TO some Of
them East End lectures of what you may
call ,,hough I don'U an improving char
acter.
"A big failure says I. bit angry. or,
rather pretending to be. What are you
giving us?'
joey stopped dead still and looked Mt me.
Let me whisper IN your ear, sammy.
. Vii rrg n.l Ike
just for all the world as if ne was muggins
al the gallery boys. Fact is I've found
out something about the comic business
as paraIyzes my artistic impulses. and
knocks me bang of my wires.
"Lor' joey" 1 says. is it as bad as
tha,?"
Yes" be says Its no good keeping it
up I've found the comic business out az
last. And so VIII YOU some day.
What have You found out about the
comic business?" asked in rather shaking
voice for 1 was beginning TO tremble at
JoeyS awful tones.
"Why. this" says he solemniy and with
a sort of glare in his eyes that l never saw
there before not even when they chucked
carrots az us down AT Muggermouth.
where all the sailors comes i'm drum, to the
pantomime Why this" me- says. The
comic business amt comic.
Amt comic 1 gasped
No: not comic. not funny. don't YOU
twig2 Its exactly what the chap called If
NJ the Improvement lecture. Its 'miser-
able bufroonery unworthy of g. reflective
/ age.
Joey" 1 said quietly. after few mo-
/ mouts. Tor L couldn't speak just AT once
| "Jcey. you've eaten something that dis
agreed with you. Let's turn in here and
/ have a drop Of hot Scotch
/ We turned i'm and had q drop. but il
didn't seem TO heartcn him up. He drank
| =, in q melancholy sort of way, and began
pitching the same story over again.
Its no good. sammy he says. The
| Glowing business amt funny. and what 5
more. the kids have found IL out.
| Found fl out" I hollers. knocked hail
/ silly. for. OF course. II that was true we
should have 10 turn it mp. The kids
| found it out, Why. what are you talking
about? You heard EN- screaming at ii
last year"
only the babies" says Joey. in a
mournful sort Of tone only the babies
I TO screaming At nothing. and then they
has 10 be carried out. Its the young one
/ I meau-the s and and 10 year olds. Why
/ 1 watched a 10; OF EN- last year all round
IA ehouse Their eyes got bigger ana big
/ ger as we went. buJ blowed if 1 heard ever
a laugh from any Of EN-.
what. not when YOU rubbed the pave
ment with butter and LOT of people fell
/ down and piled themselves mp one atop OF
/ the other? Dyou mean 10 say they didu
] laugh no that?" joey shook his head with
/ a sad smile
81 believe they have got TO know that
/ You coUida'; make a slide with butter u
/ you tried. and that it would DE very wrong
I 10 90 so if you could
"What? Weren't they amused when you
managed 10 get me onto ii and my legs
/ few up I'm the air9'
I Not a biz. no more than they were when
I 7 picked YOU up again 10y Jhe-by the first
I part of your trousers that came TO hand. "
I Ii was an very surprising 10 me. for !
had always laughed az this myself when I
| was a boy. and 1 could not understand the
stupidity Of young people nowadays in
not seeing the Joke Of it. I thought that
joey must have fancied all these wretched
things. and that had better try him with
/ something else.
What abou, thcairoumonger' shop" I
says
What iroumonger's shoq2" D says.
"WeU. you know well enough. Didn't
/ YOU knock az an ironmoug5r's and lay
down outside his dOo-e And didn't he
come out and
Look here" says joey. quite sharp and
hu0y. Il tell You this once and for all. 7
don't believe that il a dozen iroumonger
had tumb,ed over me It would have drawn
. single grin from the youngsters.
'Wkate'' I says. as ] thought of al the
other old wheezcs that las amused the