The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-18
BUY THUNDER THERE.
WHERE STAGE PEOPLE GET
THEIR ENVIRONMENTS.
hoonl Grass aud Wigs Made-Qucsr
Demands by Play rrodaeers Always
FILLED In some way--A FsEs the
Methods.

She has thunder by the sheet. fog by
the yard. lightning by the bon. snow By
the bushel aad the child who cries
for the moon can get II there II be vii.
only walt until Il Il manufactured. Il
won't be made out Of green cheese.
either. but more likely from pale blue
silk. for moons have been made out of
that before nov, and they we're emil
nently satisfactory and couldn't have
been told by any one but a connolsseur
from the real article: and who Is
connolsaeur In moons7 And the mis-
tress OF all these natural elements is
not a Nine. Joye. either. but a nice.
ordinary. everyday sort OF woman.
and this queer collection Of hers is
merely food for herself and her chill
dren. says the New York Times. Not
literally. for even q pretty. pale-blue
silk moon might be indigestible. but
she provides them for "the profession"
and indirectly they become oatmeal
and coffee, roast beef and plum pud.
ding. II IL a modest little place on the
line OF the elevated road. and the
proper business Of the proprietor. when
Il Is called by he RICH, name. Is that OF
dealer In theatrical hardware. The
visitor would not even guess. in taking
a view Of the stock. that the word the
atrieal was appropriate. for nothing
but small articles OF seemingly ordl-
nary hardware are In sight. That is
not strange. as there Is never a demand
for the same kind OF thunder. lightning
or other theatrical appliances which
are supplied on demand OF the property
man or the stage carpenter. and very
little Of anything IL kept on hand.
though they can be had az a moments
notice. The hardware proper IL the
most prOsaic part OF the business.
That consists Of the wheels. bolts.
screws-everything that IL needed TO
make the curtains and scenery OF a
theater stay where they are wanted.
and move when they are not wanted.
Then the carpenter has a great desire
for profile" That IL technical term
and does not mean the profile OF any
thing. but Il consists Of thin strlps OF
board. four feet wide and ten fee; long
not much more than an eighth Of an
inch In thickness. but tough and
strong. 30 that Il will bend and con-
form itself 10 all conditions without a
break Koystones and corners OF the
same serviceable material are things
without which the carpenter cannot get
along. Profile Is a valuable com.
modify. There Is no; much IL cannot
be used for. Il ls In ways like this
that the ingenuity OF the theatrical
hardware dealer comes In. One word
that she does not know Is cant" So
when they brought her a miniature fin.
rikisha few inches long and told her
that a full-grown vehicle TO match the
sample was needed she promised Il i'm
mediately. Then. not she but a clever
son. went to work. and with the profile
nice little carriage that might
have come straight from Japan was
made. the wheels purchased. but the
rest Of the carriage was made for the
occasion. even TO the upholsterinR
The elements are not difficult. They
belong to a regular stock. The fog a
gauze. the lightning l. made by mag
nesium. the snow scraps Of paper. and
the thunder OF sheet iron Of varying
weight. according TO the depth Of the
thunder that Is to be produced Il can
furnish everything but rain" saws this
mistress Of the elements. and guess
| could furnish that II q was wanted &"
One little bit OF natural history that IL
learned az the shop Is that though Won
may not paint the lily you may thea,-
rioal grass. Stage grass shows In only
one shade Of bright green. II may be
French grass. German grass. English
or American grass. but II always grows
In the same shade OF vivid green. II
the big mats Of 10 are not satisfactory
in color. then they are painted. Money
Is one Of the commodities that Is kent
In stock. And the poorest man on the
stage never has less than $40 II he has
a bill. for stage bills grow In that way.
They are regular sized bills. upon
which are the words. stage money" In
large letters upon both sides. an x" in
each corner. and two larger Ks" one
on either side Of the center. Coins are
In gold, silver and copper-those are
the colors they wear-and they may
Amount 20 anything according 10 the
supposed wealth Of the possessor on
the stage. and are coins Of any nation
atty, according 10 the play. for they
are all merely round bits OF different
kinds OF metal that are not marked
Occasionally Il will seem that there Is
nothing In the city that will lust an
swer for n certain purpose One prom
erty man. the other day. wanted some
long. gray whlskers. almost white.
Nothing seemed TO be just the thlng.
until a Martha Washington couture
came TO hand. and that. turned UPSIDE
down, It's precise arrangement loosen
ed. gave as delightfully."- patriarchal A
beard as could be desired. "Old plays
are the most difficult TO furnish with
. properties, says the woman OF Ideas.
Il remember seeing my husband bring
in an old portrait of Washington, with
a shabby old frame before anew any.
thing about the business. They
won't use that will they? | asked.
Yes, and Il Is exactly what they want.
too, he answered. have had 10 fur.
nlsh an old clock face with Romap
numerals upon It once. and something
that ! am sometimes called upon for
and which should not have room 10
keep In stock II wished 70. Is the straw
that covers champagne bottles That
makes excellent matched roofs for cot
tages, II II cut open and laid out in
strips and II Is easy TO work with.
Hardware that we are called upon 10
furnish sometimes Il for rests for llv-
Ing pictures. You think perhaps that
In those pictures the people hold them.