The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-01

de Vega. 7 believe. As an instance: When
we are all gathered on the stage ready for
the performance. there was some delay m
raising the curtain. Ii appeared from
what could gather from the very indiffer-
eut English spoken by the stage manager,
that he dared not raise the curtain until
the civil governor. or his representative.
was in his box TO review and pass upon
the opening performance. They had a law
recurring that all advertisements. even 10
scenes on the Autographs. must he carried
GU, TO the dot, else the performance would
be stopped. receipts contiscated, the
manager fined and imprisoned. and posi-
bly, the wors, actors garrofsd. don't
know about the latter. for ESCAPED alive.
But 1t was on record that Decastro. the
oldtime magician. advertised on his htho-
graphs the decapitation of man. OF
course, ha used the old device. bat the
mob that filed the house on the first night
declared that he had not carried out his
contract, because they saw no blood, and
the authorities shut up his show.
Consequently We wete pretty nervous,
and awaited the rising of the curtain with
trembling. Suddenly the stage manager,
after pesking through the curtain . see
IL the official was there. pounded on the
stage with q big stick two or three times.
and then waving it toward the flies. shout
ed out something in Spanish. Immediate
~ two husky stage hands. who had been
awaiting the signal. jumped for the rope
that wound up the curtain. and their COM
bfned weight served as a counter balance,
the canvas rolled UP as they came down
rapidly from the flies. This was their
primitive method of raising the curtain,
and these two stage hands had nothing
else 10 do but hang onto that rope ana
come down. But what paraiyxed me on
this occasion was the fact that they came
down plump through our big bass drum,
usry n
asshing both heads completely, aud
could think Of nothing else throughout the
rest CT the performance but whether the
governor would put US all IN prison pe-
cause that bass drum did not appear on
tina stage as 1t did in our autographs.
However, as / said. we escaped.
q 9 Q
Frank Daniels. of comic opera fame,
got even the other day with fresh man
ssa,nst whom he had had a grudge Of
MANY years standing. The fresh young
man was talking loudly about patriotism
Daniels liz something Of a patriot himself.
"Yes." said the fresh young man, L hear
Won actors talk and sing lot about patri-
otism, but / don't notice that any or you
enlist" WELL said Daniels II don't
want to blow too hard, but just to settle
this thing I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll go
down 10 the recruiting office with you and
The fresh young man got red in the face,
but his friends were present and looking
hard at him. He had talked himself right
into a trap of his own making. There was
nothing for him to do but to accept Dam
iels' offer or back straight down. He
hadn't the nerve to back down. 80 he put
on the best face he could and followed
Daniels They reached the recruiting Of
flee. and to the surprise of some of the
party who expected him to quit what they
supposed he intended for joke. Daniels
ran up the stairs
Daniels said that he and his friend
wanted to enlist in the navy. The recruit
ing sergeant told them TO step forward
and they did so together. The sergeant
took Daniels friend first. passed him, and
went with him TO tho examining doctor
who passed him O. L.. and then the man
signed the articles and became warrior
more or iess bold.
Thereupon the sergeant went for DAN
iels and TO the horror and wrath Of his
enlisted companion, who was now in Uncle
Sans service for three years. Immediately
rejected the popular comedian because he
was three inches too short. Thereupon
Daniels. with solemn face, passed out. but
sent back to the new recruit pretty bunch
of forget%ne-nots,