The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-13
A PAIR OF EAGABONDS.
TFrom Black and white. ]

from Black ana w intel
first met the old man ana his dog
in red hot provincial melodrama, in
which A1cibiades, as the dog was
called, and his master were engaged Tor
a kind of speciality part
1t was a Sh0ckingly ridiculous piece,
badly put on the stage and villainously
acted was manager myself and
played the chief part, so ought to
know-but there was one item in our
entertainment which was worth all the
money charged at the DOORS m can
the performance given by old Billy
Ecclestone and his dog
The part supported by Billy Eccle-
stone was that of a drunken, lazy.
kindly old vagabond, who supported
himself by means of a performing dog
There was no need for him to act. All
that he had to do was to be natural
As the author said at rehearsal: Don't
try to be more of a vagabOnd than you
really are, Billy; you'll overdo it.
So Billy used to loaf on the stage
just as he loafed in public house bar
the dog did the rest.
You talk about acting-I only wish
you could have seen old Billy's dog.
That animal combined the lligence
of q senior Wrang1er with the SNUG
hypocrisy of a Chadband. He could look
miserable and half-staryed. walk dead
lame, and go blind one minute, and
next time you met him he would be
going through a long and complicated
performance with unnatural activity
and DASH
suppose the Sn11Cy, rowing lie 0du
weakened the dog moral nature; but
] can ony say that he rose to heights
of deception which I thought were only
possible to human beings HE would
shoulder arms march to war" and
die for his country in the presence
of a district visiting old woman, with
such a chaste air of piOus resignation
that / have seen tears trickling down
the spectators cheeks. In some Gu
rious way that a abandoned old dog could
suggest holy martyrdom combined with
a desire for social reform just when he
liked.
I remember seeing an old woman so
carried away by the dogs air of noble
patience that she gave old Billy six
pence, and then CROPPED blindly in her
bag for a biscuit for the dog. Whether
she was SO overcome with emotion that
she didn't notice what she was doing
I can't say, but instead of producing
biscuit she handed the animal a tenn
perance tract, entitled Shall I Get
Drunk Tonight"
The dog rose to the occasion superb1y.
To be sure, when she CROPPED in her bag
there was a slightly worldly look in his
eye, which reminded me OF the express
sion on a parsons face when the plate
is being carried around; but when the
tract was produced the old missionary
expression returned, and with a glance
at the heading he carried it to his
master and wagged his tail
I regret to add that as soon as the
old Wonan's back was turned Alcibf-
But when AIc1bladeS Went through
his performances in a music hall his
manners were quite different. The look
of noble resignation gave way TO one of
reckless and diabolical enjoyment
There was sly twinkle in his eye that
suggested comic songs with double
meanings, and he seemed to be on the
point of telling yarn compared with
which French farce would be inno-
cent and pure.
am confident that If the abandoned
expression on that dogs face had once
caught the attention of the county
council they would have refused to re
new the license of every hall where he
appeared.
Several years elapsed between the
breaking up of our provincial melo-
drama and my next encounter with
Billy and his dog. 7 believe they rubbed
along in their usual fashion. Alcibf-
AIDES was a dog of some resource. When
things were very bad, he was capa bic
of abstracting a piece of meat from a
butchers shop and bringing it in tri-
umph to Billy's lodgings His master
would then graVely reprove the dog
and cook the meat.
Once Billy sold him to a young dog
trainer, who thought Alcibiades would
exercise a good m oral influence over his
younger pupils. The price agreed upon
was 35, but within q week Billy bought
the old sinner back for 20 shillings, the
reason being that Alcibiades not only
Obstinately refused to perform tricks of
any KIND Tor q stranger, but displayed
his annoyance at things in general by
killing a valua BILE fox terrier.
came across them again at Brighton.
Billy and his dog We're giving brief per-
formances on the beach. They both
looked little older. and a little wick
eder. Poor old Billy was going down
hill rapidly. Strange as it may sound,
he was a man of HIGH education and
had once held a good appointment as
master in q public school. The down
fan had been brought about by the
usual causes. and now he had degen-
Grated into a thorough vaga bond.
1t was rather a pitiable spectacle to
see the good natured. weak old fellow
and his dog going through the same
tricks; Alcibiades looking as pious and
vigiIant as ever, but little more ragged
and trihe stiff in the joints.
But it was here that Alcibiades put
the finishing touch to a remarkable
career. It was a browning stroke of
diplomacy and sagacity. for which at
least three people owe him an everlast-
ing debt of gratitude.
1t happened that at that time I was
working extremely hard to win the af-
fections of a certain young woman, who
weighed me in the balance with a jul
dicial exactness which was rather ex-
asperating.
However, we had at least one common
peculiarity-a profound respect for dogs
and when / told her of Alcibiades
and his master, who We're then perform
ing on the beach, and how, at one time
1 had been their comrade and cOmpan-
ion. she was delighted. I had rather
feared that her fastidious little mind
might have been shocked at the notion
of my having once been intimate with
such a pair of vagabonds. but, on the
contrary, she was rather pleased.
think she considered it a great honor
for any man to be intimate with such
a dog as Alcibiades.
When we arrived on the scene Alci-
blades was extremely busy balancing a
Japanese umbrella on the end of his
nose. He Winked at me. and dropped
the umbrella but redeemed his repu-
tation by playing d concertina. As
soon as old Billy saw I had arrived. and
was accompanied by a lady he judged
it a favorable moment to take up a col
lection. So Alcibiades was sent round