The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
THEIR FAT BENEFACTOR.
SOME PLAYERS ~ HARD LUCK COVE
ACROSS MR.. PINCkNEY.
Il Was in Alabama. where Audiences Are
small and the Hearts Of Hotel KEEPERS
Are Hard Fine Exhibition Of Philanthropy
on q Rainy Nixht-Mr. PInckney's surprise.

Arc hlT0 Elue w
on . Rainy Night-Mr. Pinckney's Surprise
IF It hadn't been for this i~tinerant philan-
thropist that I started to tell you about ] guess
we'd all be down In Brewton. Escambia county.
Ala. yet. said the slightly bald MN with the
purplish. close-shaven face. who went out
with a ChicaRo-organi7ed repertoire company
last winter. I'VE got into Brewton from Mont
eomery. II they'd only egged US or some
thing In Montgomery II wouldn't have been so
bad. for egg throwers have got to pay to get In
with their eggs. and we'd have been that much
TO the good, anyhow. But they wouldn't come
at all In Montgomery; there were thirty-two IN
the house at both performances and the man In
front gave EN- back their money and told EN-
10 70 and play the cotton market with It. The
manager tried 10 SvcnRali the hotel man, but he
couldn't get away with it. The bill for the
twelve Of us was sis and we had fully 81 worth
of luggage installed In the hotel. The hotel
man declined to be hypnotized, and so the man
aQer did a wire-dig on the Chicago angel for
$50. Along with the $50 anne the angels mes
sage: That's the last, Know when I've had
enough
The Montgomery hotel man was settled
with and our tickets bought for Brewton out OF
the $50. Then the $50 looked like a naught
Win LN0 III u vi nSI u uO'h' S~"c
left Of the half-century. The man ahead had
wired that there was liable to be a good house
In Brewton, which encouraged US some. We
needed encouragement. for none Of the COM
pany had seen the color Of n shinplaster for
over a month. We were taking In our own
washing. and glad We had our gear left TO wash,
at that.
I'VE got into Brewton on n rainy night in
-..r, II uaa altar p,idpi1ht and pyen IL
there'd been calashes at the station they wouldn't
have been for us. so We tramped about a
quarter Of a mile through the muck and the
dark and the rain TO the weather. boarded hotel
where the man ahead had arranged for lis to
put up. We were all feeling and looking seedy.
When We finally stumbled into the hotel
shack we found the advance man engaged in
eloquent converse with the hotel man. The
hotel man looked natural. He was a twin
brother OF the hotel man in Montgomery, upon
whom our manager had wasted his eloQuence.
and the Montgomery twin had wired his Brew
ton brother TO look out for a bunch Of hams
headed his way and TO make them do the pre-
liminary dig. The advance man was trying 10
convince the proprietor of the Brewton plant
that the Montgomery twins telegram was the re-
suit Of temporary mental alteration or something
when we fell in. cold. wet. weary. thirsty and
hungry. The hotel man stood with his back
to the red-hot baseburner with his hands in his
pockets and was %grinning amusedly and shak-
ling his head. NO. sub, no SIGH convuhsation
was uh-goin' with him, sub; he had done heearn
from his brothuh up in Montgomuhy that We
all was in financial stress, sub, and while he
was ve'y soh'y, he wasn't uh-runnin' no hotel
70 his health, sub, an the bode an keep To-
one day, 'mountin' tub SIS TO the twelve of us,
would have tub be paid In advance or he couldn't
ses his way tub 'commodate us. sub, an that
was all there was about it, &c.
We'll, 1t looked like a bad job. The ad-
vance man passed IL up TO the manager as
soon a he saw US coming in. but the manager
couldn't make IL stick any better than the
advance man. The manager tried eypostu-
wrath. and all the rest Of the up-stage stunts
but, the hotel man only snapped the %elasecs
grinned. and said. No sub. which is the Brew
ton. Ala. equivalent Of nothing DOING Mean
while We stood on one leg and then on the
other our clothes steamine from the heat of
the office. and wondered why cholera infantum
hadn't ragged ia our native villages when we
were nine months or so old The five women
Of women. and dead game, put we, d been getting
more knocks than werg actually coming to
y.ss snd fo ,,s No !, S "I nd nn , "a i IntS tho, l9ok Siaca 9Sont
gold grand-stand play. He pulled of a four
s tSe sa paSs's and he st attended, s q fsir i to at the hotel tie % maS
with great grandeur of manner.
Here, said he. Just take this stone--its
a. So, security gy for my "I people 'pEis and ii ri redeem sSEs nit i
after the show Tomorrow, night. ! take y
darned hard of you. though, that you should
be - heartless as to Insist on such a thing.
"fhe ~fat-faced hotel man reached his hand
out for the ring. gave one look at II, and passed
SAh tuhk nh piece O. beer bottle like that
once befo' rum uh actuh like yo' all. an All
don't intend tnh be fooled no second time.
;Ss. hue, he said tocy with 2ashpsfity; as he n handed a. back nG,
eoip' tub bald. an All want tub close up this
Then 1t did look like the real thing. But
the manager went az him once more and while
he was chewing. the philanthropist strolled
In with a fine alllgator-skin grip in one arm
He'd come in on the Southern train, The
phllanthropist was a huge, bald-headed man.
with pink cheeks and a pair Of big blue eyes.
end flowing side w%hiskers He wore a silk
bat and an expensive macintosh, and when
he threw the macintosh open we could see
that his buds underneath were the right kind,
kinds OF blue-white rocks. The hotel man
had his back 10 the door and didn't soc the
phIlanthroIi't when he came in The big
group. and probably catching some of, the
manager .hot-air phrases. directed Mt the bont-
tacs, stood ,o.osdd IN IN tie doorTay win his rat cigar
80 ''' ''''' ssNa 'ifH s'f ~ ~ ''A'at NAI''-
the game In. The managers airy persihage
was growing more spellbinderish all the time.
Here, he said to the hotel man, are five
cultivated ~gentlewomen. all OF them tenderly
reared, all Of them used to all Of the comforts.
nav. all Of the Injuries, that the world provides.
and YOU are cruel enough, you are h~eartless
enough. you are inhuman enough, TO tell me
that, because we have had a bit Of III luck lately
from which We are TO emerge triumphant
tomorrow you are TO condemn them to wander
through these dreary streets all night in the
rain. and -~
Here said the big man with the flowing
side whiskers, suddenly rushing IN to the
manager and the hotel man. Wait n min
ute! What the devils the matter here! Have
you, SIR flying the hotel man severely with
his large blue eyes. are unRallant enough
to refuse accommodation 10 this party Of strollers
AS | Judge them to he because they have
not the few paltry dicats where with 10 pay you
In advance Is this the case, sirrah? Answer
me-!
THE hotel man visibly impressed bv the
eplendor OF the huge mans external makeup
mumbled some kind of reply.
"Damnation sir, this Is outrageous broke
out the man with the -ders, kissing the cnss-
word SOS the women couldn't hear II, Wait
a.minnte, Is there another, hotel in this miser-
able apology for a town.
SHY, that the other hotel in the place besides
his own was closed for repairs.
Huh. Too bad, that, said the huge man.
Too devilish bad. I promise YOU. sir. again
addressing the hotel man with marked dis
approval that II there were so much n a
cave where ! could secure shelter for these
distressed people and for myself. you would
not benefit by their patronage or, mine, VIII
you he good enough. sir addressing the
manager With "A ppurtlv how 10 pNplaiD in