The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-09
BARRELS
GaloreandBad
Boys, Too,
AT THE THEATRE
A Spy AID. Did the Trick in
Great Shape.

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that the ingenuity of the irrepressible
one that has it for his business to ac-
quaint people with novel methods by
which they can be induced to part with
their hard earned ducats, has already
been foisted upon this peaceful burgh.
but it remained for the representative
Of one Of the theatrical attractions now
in the city to spring something entire
ly new upon the long suffering public
yesterday afternoon
This esoteric genius conceived the
ldea of utilizing the youth of the city,
who are found of the show" as they
call it, to advertise his company He
proceeded in the following manner. A
DAY or two ago there appeared in the
want columns of The spy a few lines.
requesting every boy who wanted to
get a free ticket to the show in cues
ton, to call at the rear entrance of
the theater in which it was to be Civ
en- yesterday afternoon, bringing with
him an empty barrel. That was all
there was to it, and The Spy did the
rest. Ii any one DOUBTS that The Spy
IS the only advertising medium in the
city that brings you just what you
want in the greatest possible variety,
that dubious Thomas ought to have
been in the rear OF the aforesaid the
alter at the appointed time yesterday
The glad tidings that there was
something to be got for comparatively
nothing had gone the length and
breadth OF boyville, and had fired each
youthful breast with a determination to
be in at the division of good thing
like that, come what might. From the
veriest gutter snipe of them all to the
Lord Fauntleroys of the social elect,
the word had spread, and in the minds
of all there was but one thought, and
that was-barrels.
When the average boy thinks bar
rels, he gets barrels, and yesterday
there was not a boy in the city between
the ages of five and thirteen whose
sole thought in life was not "a barrel,
my kingdom for barrel" to misquote
unfortunate Richard.
And SO the still hunt for the desider-
alum began. Woe to the unlucky
tradesman who kept his stock Of empty
barrels and packing cases out of doors
yesterday, for when he went TO look
for them he usually found that they
were not. After the manner of more
important items Of this worlds wealth.
they had taken unto themselves wings
and hied them away, each in the loving
charge Of a youth Who has every pos
sibility Of being president some day, If
he keeps on as he begun. But the mer-
chants losses have nothing to do with
the case.
1t was a sight to cure ophthalmia to
see the barrels arrive in charge of the
pirates, who had ravished them away
from their lawful resting places. There
were all sorts and conditions Of barrels
and boys represented, from the tiniest
1yDr PIT kc,4r in, NJ -
the incipient hogshead and the dimin-
utive urchin, who looked like grass
hopper carrying a mountain.
There were flour barrels, sugar bar
rels, pork barrels, gun barrels, barrels
with heads and barrels without heads,
barrels with hoops, barrels without
hoops, barrels with hoop skirts, bar
rels with labels, barrels with tags, bar
rels with tag, you're 1t, on the sides,
barrels with slaves, barrels with
stoves, barrels OF air and barrels of
fun. There were kegs, auintals. hogs.
heads casks puncheons, butts, and
there was everything that
the science of cooperage has turned out
since the world began.
And every bit Of all this spoil of the
Philistines came in company with
specimen of the genus homo. species
boy, cognomen rascal. There were large
boys, small boys rich boys, poor boys,
two girls that were not boys at all,
clean boys, dirty boys, doughboys,
tomboys, houtboys, good boys, bad
boys, old boys and boys.
The aggregation was a great one.
When the whole outfit was lined up for
the inspection of the manager of the
scheme, it looked as though some mod
ern Pied Piper OF Hanelln had whistled
all the youth of the city together and
had provided each one with a shipping
case to take him away in, disdaining
the pedestrian mode of lccomotion in
favor with his predecessor. Until the
muniflcent offerer of the premium for
which all were striving appeared on
the scene, there was the status of af-
fairs that always takes place when
there are more than two boys in one
locality, namely, fight. Not one
fight, but many.
AS usual, the big boy found 1t easier
to get a barrel by the divine-right
kings method than by going out and
stealing it honestly AS the fellow he
took 1t away from had to, and as the
rightful thief naturally objected to CIV
ing UP his prize, there was a collision
Immediately. In most cases the little
chaps had formed defensive and offen>
sive alliances with two or three Of
their comrades in sin, and the result,
of interference of the bully with one
of these combinations was usually his
ignominious route and the loss Of his
head-together with his hoops. slaves,
and chances of drawing prize.
OF course there were scoffers among
the youthful generation, as there are
everywhere else, who stood aside and
jeered, but it was noticed that these
began to surreptitiously steal away
nc 10 hn11p 70 6aTnol1r11ar,f
and soon they, too, had stolen back
and joined the army of the expeotants,
having. stolen barrel also while they
were gone At last the riot grew SO
great that the manager of the affair
Judged it safe to keep the waiting
hordes in suspense no longer, and he
emerged among them. Ranging them
carefully in line, he proceeded to make
q grave inspection of the various OBJ
Jects Of vertu de cooperage that con-
fronted him.
An assistant approached and dexte-
rously pasted on the side of the barrel
a large placard that advertised in big
red letters the show that the astute
manager is interested in. Then
telling each boy to hang on to his
barrel, the smooth one proceeded to
distribute the tickets. Approaching
the first of the line he handed out the
coveted pasteboard and let it fall al
most in the grasp Of the expectant one.
then with an expression Of virtuous In
dignation, he started back and ex-
claimed, Bless my soul. who could
have believed it? Boy, you stole that
barrel. Take 1t back at once where you
got it," Then, having given out the
tickets, together with moral little
lecture on the sin Of stealing to each
OF the mystihed urchins whom he en-
Joined to repair their wrong by re-
turning their spoils at once, the crafty
individual retired to grin all by his
lonesome.
The scheme worked to perfection. No
one who knows the nature Of a boy will