Evening star., 1898-10-08
SEEN FROM THE GALLERY

| ~ phosperouS-tOO&lnS man Win uIty-
two-inch waistband stopped and looked at
the long line Of boys formed before the
gallery of one Of the local theaters little
before haf-past Bo'clock the other even
ing.
| L USED to be No. 1, ana never worse than
No 10, In that line myself" said the man.
| We never Enjoyed the theater so much
since as 1 did then. When 1 was a kid in
this town, about the age of those boys in
that line, used to take In show once q
week-on Saturday night, always. 1
| couldn't afford more'n a quarter a week
for theatricaIs, for'I was only making two
| and half week carrying bundles The
store that 1 carried bundles for closed up
| at O'Clock on Saturday night, the same
as other nights, and l remember how
| USED TO scramble home and bolt my supper
| SO mat l could get down town again to
ger the pest place in the line before the
gallery door. I'd generally make it by I
CLOCK or a little after, and don't remem-
| Der ever getting left on front seat right
on the rail- 1t used to be as cold as the
uchehs standing in that line, sometimes,
put that didn't make any difference. We'd
Just stamp our feet and crowd closer to-
eetner and the cold didn't bother us. Oc-
caslonatly, too, it I'D rain hard while We
were standing in the line, but that wouldn't
cut any ice, either. l never saw the rain
storm yet that could break the gallery line
up When was boy. l don't know how
that is now
Us boys in front of the line could hear
the man inside walking toward the door
from the inside to open 1t on the stroke of
ai!-past Z, and then we'd crouch and
gather ourselves together for the rush
ine man that opened the door had to hustle
Tor mas life inside the box office to keep US
from running him down and stamping over
him. always had my quarter ready and
pat ana tight In my right hand. and to slap
II ooWn on the box office shelf, get big
pasteDoard ticket and dive for the long
gallery stairs was about as quick work as
ever did I'd surely keel over from apo
plexy If | tried anything like that on now
ne winding stairs were about mile high
put L q take EN- about four at a clip and
In no time I'd be past the ticket taker at
tne entrance to the gallery and falling
literally taliing-down the steps to get
seat on the rail. The gallery 'ud always
be about as dark as a dung con at that
gary nour, ana 1t was a case of cropping to
hhd the aisies in order to fell down the
steps to seat on the rail-
IN my left-hand overcoat pocket ! gen
elalS had paper of peanuts, and I'd
Ihuncn on EN- and watch the gallery fill
Up. MADE it a point to look around a
sood zeal in order to make the boys in the
paGk rows Jealous of me in my rail seat,
right on or close to the middle aisle The
boys in the row behind the rail row would
generally retaiiate on the boys sitting in
lhe ran row by wiping their muddy shoes
oi the OFercoatS of the rail row boys the
oFercoats being slung over the backs of
the seats and therefore Offering tempting
opportunities for that kind of hing.
Along toward s o'clock the boys in the
gallery would begin to stamp md whistle
tne fa!lacious idea being that the stamping
anu "hlstling would bring the lights up and
the orchestra out quicker | no ice that the
gallery boys don't do this any more-but
then, the gallery boys don't have so much
lun as we used to have. l guess. When we
smelt strong odOr of gas We knew that
the Dig chandelier hanging from the ceiling
was going to suddenly light its elf-that is
that the electric current Gt wa.i a new and
WONDERFUL idea them was going to light the
chanaeller jets They had to turn the gas
on hrst hence the premonitory smell. When
one OF the orchestra men 'ud Pop his head
out or the little door underneath the stage
we q all see him at once and give him
great sendoff.i
AND how used to enjoy show in those
Gays! How used to hate the villain with
MS WaXed black mustache and his shiny
pug nat! How / used to feel for the hero
Inc when she'd appear with her shrinking
little boy in the snowstorm, with a torn,
fed-hooded cloak lcarelessly thrown over
her shoulders and seven dazzling diamond
rings on the fingers of both her hands,
now l did think the hero was the real
thing when he said to her. 7 love YOU bet
ter than do me IHer How | used to thrill
"nen the heroine fin reply to the top-coated
Vl!alhs overtures. would twist around and
say to him RagsnaEe royal raiment when
worn for virtues saket And didn't the
struggle on the cliff between the hero and
V1liain for the possession of the knife and
the Forged viii make my spine chill, And
all the rest-au the rest
if the growing hoy only knew what he's
missing by growing.'