Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-11-30
MERR|AM'S THANKSGIVING

Tinkle-tinkle, tinkle-t inkle, tinkle-tin-
kle
The leading men, engaged in an at
tempt to remove a black spot from his
dress cravat by means of an application
of white grease paint, paused and lis
tened
Its a mandolin" he said That's Il
new wrinkle. We've had all kinds of
fiends in this company since we started
out, everything from cigarettes to bicy-
cles. Who's the musician. [ wonder?
wagon?"
Oh, | say, jerks! jerks! Who's the band
There was a step in the narrow pas
sageway that led to the dressing rooms,
and jerks, the property man, appeared
in the doorway 'Shr' he said, mot so
loud. The old man'n hear you
The leading man started 1.-THE old
man, did you say-not Merriam?'
Eyes, Merriam in a whisper.
The leading man sat on his trunk.
''That beats me-" he said ''The Ancient
Mariner tinkling a mandolin. Now I'm
prepared to see Father Time playing sen
timental dItties on jew's-harp."
jerks did not laugh. fact which
helped to sober the other man. Its go
surprise to me-" said the property man
grayely. Il says to Mrs. jerks just be
fore l left the hotel, says [, Mrs. jerks,
you know what night this isF Thanks
giving she says. why, right says [,
and it'll be a hard night for Merriam
Poor old man. says Mrs. jerks, a.
wipin' Of a tear. Poor old man, l suppose
he'll be playing of his mandolin again
That he Will, says l.
He hasn't missed it, as near as [ can
Judge, for thirty years. AS sure as
Thanksgiving night comes, just SO sure
he gets out that old mandolin of his and
tinkles away. And it's always the same
tune. God. But it does make my mind
60 back. III never forget the first time
he played it. You See me and Merriam
have been together off and on, so long
that l know his story most as well as he
does himself. Not that ne ever talks
about it. Tonight, after the show, that
instrumental go back to the bottom of his
trunk, and it won't come out again till
this time next year."
The leading man was all ears
Thirty years ago | was stage door
keeper at the old California theater.
Now, the stage dOorman amt SO unim-
portant as some folks think. There's
mighty little gees on that he don't know
something about. He gets the flowers
first, and he usually sees the cards. He's
q good friend to the actor when the ac-
tors a friend to him, and he can do a
favor now and then that's worth the
while
Merriam was just beginning to climb
up the ladder in those days. He had
come into the stock three years before as
utility, but he was a handsome chap,
with brains and ambition to back his
good locks, and it wasn't long before he
got to playing leads. Say. when Mer-
riam went on as Romeo at the matinees
you couldn't see three rows in front of
you for the bonnets. Mrs. jerks used to
live in a regular garden those days, for
Merriam wouldn't have none of the flow
ers the silly girls used to send him.
When I'd offer to bring them home to
him he'd laugh. and tell me he reckoned
my wife cared more for flowers than he
did
"But l often noticed that he came into
the theater with a big bunch of violets
or roses that he'd bought himself to give
to the little woman who played opposite
parts to him. / asked him once why he
didn't give her the flowers the girls sent
him, instead of spending money that way.
/ took Il kind of fatherly interest in Mer
riam in those days. Lord bless you, to
look at him now you'd think he was my
grandfather. He looks that old.
''WPll | seen how things was going
with him and Nellie Moore. and every
body else seen it. too. When she was on
the stage he stood in the wings, and his
eyes followed every move she made. |
remember one of the women saying that
it was worth while to have a man care
for you like that, and certainly Nellie
seemed to like it. She came to me one
afternoon-that Thanksgiving I'm telling
you about-and said that she was too tired
to 90 home after the matinee. She asked
me if I'd run across the way and order
dinner for her. Then she whispered in
my ear that she wanted it served for two,
and asked me if ] couldn't fix bunch
light on the stage. so she and Merriam
could have 4 coy Thanksgiving dinner all
alone.
''Of course / done it for her, and while
they was eatin' / went over to my board
in house. There was to be a change
of bill that night, so l came back early
to get my props in shape, as l had them
to attend to as well as looking after the
door. When / came back into the theater
1 heard Nellie Moore playin' a mandolin.