New-York tribune., 1901-06-16
y PAIR OF VAGABONDS.
From Black ana White.

From Black ana White.
l first met the old man ard his dog in a red
not provincial melodTama, in which Alcibades.
as thr dog WAS called. and ms master were en-
gagged for a kind If Speciality part.
II was sh'ckinely ridiculous piece. Ia lly put
on The stage ana Vilau"uslN acted was man
aS"r MYSELF and played the chief part.
ought Ia knoW-but there Was one item in our
entertainment which Was worth all the money
Sharsed al The doors ! mean the performance
given lH old billy Ecclestone and his dog.
The part supported 10y Billy Ecclestnne Was
that uf "A drunken lazy. kindly old NasahOnd
who supported himself 10y means of a perform
ing dog. There need for him act.
All that ne ma to do was L. be natural As the
author said al rehearsal "pun't my Ia Toe more
~ Nagahond than you really are Billy. N'u'H
oyerio H."
- Billy used To loaf on the stage just as he
l"ated IN a public house baI-the dog did the
rest
Nou talk about acting-I only wish you could
have seen old Billy's dog. That animal combined
IN" intelligence Il a senior Nr2nSler with the
SINUS Hypocrisy pf Chadhand a., could look
miserable ana half-starVvd walk deaf lame. and
ga blind one minute. and next time you met him
hr would he Eo.ns through long ana cempl-
caied Performance With unnatural activity and
dash.
suppose The shfiy. rowing life had weak
ened the dogs moral mature. hut / can only say
than he rose To heights of deception which I
thought were only possible 10 human brinss
lie would shoulder arms. march L. war
and die Tor his country in the pres nee
- a "lstrlct visiting old Woman, with such a
chaSte air II lious resignation that have seen
tears trio king down the spectators checks. In
some curious way that ahand, ned old dog could
suggest holy n.artgTdum combined with a desire
for social reform just when he liked.
Ieint mhtT seeing an old woman 50 carried
away hoy The dogs air 4 noble patience that
she gave Ola billy siNprnce, and then CROPPED
himdlN IN her bag Tor biscuit for th' dog
Whether she VAS :" overcome with emotion
than she didn't notice what she was doing |
can't say, hut instead If Producing biscuit N.
handed thr animal "A Temperance tract. entitled
shall O,t Drunk Tonight 80
The dog TcSe 10 the occasion SuperhiY. To
he sum. when sh" srop"d ln heT bag there
a slshtly worldly look in his Eye. which re-,
minded me II the expression "a parsons face
hen the plate Is h-ing carr.-i round. hut when
Ia" tract Mas produced the old missionary
pr,ssion returned. and with a glance At the
heading he carried il Ia his master and wags~d
his tai.
I regret To add that as soon ~ the DID wnIn-
ans hack was turned Alcihiad-s led The Way To
a public house.
fornance in a music hall his manners were quite
different The look Of nobl" I, r,Signation gave
Way Ia one q reckless and diabolical enjoyment.
There Was a sly twinkle in his eye THAI suggest
"a comic songs with double meanings. and he
seemed la he on the point ~ telling a yarn COM
pared with which French farce would d.. in
noc~nt and pure
I am confident that il the abandoned expires
sion that dogs face had ono, caught TN. at
tention II the County Council they would have
refused Ia renew the license of every hall " here
he appeared
Several years elapsed between the breaking
up II our provincial melodTama and my next
encounter with Billy ana his dog. believe they