The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-14
La gave lac address of bessie arthur 70

aoYM asosa p
!
and gave the address of Bessie Arthur TO
the boy.
newcomer-a middle-aged woman-rec-
ognized a friend in one of the women wait
ing. "How's the children? Where you
been?'
I'm living with mamma now, an it's
dead slow. The children well, an gettin'
along fine You'd ought to see Billy-why.
he's as high as my shoulder. Oh. been
South to Jacksonville and Savannah.
Say, if I ever get there again, I'll never
come back. Just think, two turns day,
an fifteen dollars clear at the end Of the
week. An you pay dollar a week for
your room and eat when and where you
please. Where's Jim and his wife?'
"Workin the-circuit.'
I'm awful glad thew needed work, with
all them children on their hands. I don't
like his wife; never speak TO her. mind
you, for she tries TO cut rates all the time,
but I'm awful glad just the same. Have
you heard anything about Nettie?"
''Oh. she's out of the business"
aims she lucky? Hear that Charlie
Marvin? Nettie's out of the business.
wish / was
You'd all be lucky to get out Of IT,"
responded Charlie.
Wouldn't we though" came in a chorus
from all parts Of the room.
The girl with whom the agent was then
talking had hard cold, and was cough
ing painfully.
That's an awful bad cold you got, FL
G; coL4 he sIa to
You want to take care of ii"
"Oh. said the girl with a laugh, 'Tn
close up for good, I guess, if I don't get
better" (meaning that she would die(.
Got anything for me?" was the ques-
ton one and all of the applicants asked;
and to everyone a negative answer was
given. The little office was crowded for
threc-quarters of an hour; some of the ap-
plicaBts had just gone the round of the
agencies and been given no work. One Of
them has an engagement in one of the
large music halls. She said her husband
was going to England next week, and
that she was going to stay in America
because - ''1itnd to be home" She was
a "hand-balancer"; and she chatted on
to the agent:
HE cher husband has got to work awful
hard now. You know he fell from ira
peze in Kansas City last summer-forty-
five feet-and he's had spinal meningitis
ever since; so i do the under work He
can't use his legs very well, but it's sur
prising how ne does get through 40 turn.
He does the big leap yet you know-off
two tables on his hands-but it's hard on
him. The other night he knocked his
wrist clean out; but he went through the
ten minutes: that's the kind of stun he's
thethe fiji fl etaoi etaoi etaoi etaoetaeta
made Of"
The acts that were applauded thirty
years ago have changed but little. The
search for novelty has been going on
but without any result. The
Hebrew comedian is something compar-
atively new; and the negro minstrel who
can only sing song and play a banjo
has almost disappeared. These are the
great changes. The minstrel can be seen
occasionally yet, but his enga cement Is
only given for "old times sake'--as, in
deed, work is given to many other old
performers. This winter the sacrobats
have found themselves in hard case; the
town is full of acrobats," one agent
said; they are unpopular with the concert
hall proprietors, it is said, because the
interest in their dts draws attention from
buying" which is to say drinking. In the
summer, however, they never lack for
work, what with fairs and exhibitions and
crcuses. The "song -and-dance artist 1.-THE
Irish COMEDIAN the Dutch comedian"
comic is a staple article, and
IL the work is done cleverly, finds a ready
at a salary ranging form''$l0
a week up" less a commission of per
cent, which goes to the agent.
The proprietor of the halls reserve the
right to cancel engagements under certain
as in the following clause of a
contract: 1.-THE management positively
the right to annul and terminate
an engagement. with forfeiture of all
claims for services, at anytime before or
after single performance Of any in |
person, or one whose terms |
are grossly excessive, or when act or
,urio is not suited to the house. Artists !
must do their acts in full at each per-
Torrance, and If required to go in farces |
)r afterpieces they will do so without ex- |
ra charge"
Notwithstanding all, young men and wo- |
men wanting TO enter the profession apply |
At the agencies daily for "a chance" and |
are turned away.