The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-26


try people TO comprehend tie meaning of
fashionable vaudeville" aid the ticket
seller at the Grand opera House is often
called upon TO give a definition of the term.
During the week of the fall festival wom-
an whose appearance suggested some very
remote Indiana locality. Wandered up to
tfie box Office of the theatr: and said. as
she thrust hand. which clFtched quar-
ter. In through the window. DO you give
play here this afternoon?"
Yes" said the young mar who presides
over the box Office, there is one little play
on the bill The rest Of the programme Is
made up of specialties."
The country woman tighthned her hold
upon the precious coin an6 withdrew 1t
al. inch or two. "Oh. then. you don't give
full play" she said. with 1istrust show
Ing itself plainly in her voice"
Yes. we do" answered the ticket man.
1.-The play is complete-what' there is of it.
it runs twenty minutes. anC is one of the
best on the vaudeville stage. But there
are many other good things on the bill be-
sides the play, you know"
But the woman didn't know anything
OF the kind She replaced Der quarter in
her purse. smiled UP at the ticket man
as she said. "I guess you think I'm green"
and then proceeded TO beas hasty re-
treat, no doubt congratuating herself
upon her escape from onei of the city's
numerous pitfalls for robbilig honest peo-
pie of their money.
sfhere are probably less I1isunderstand-
irgs at the Park Theater t.ox Office than
az any other in town. fors year in and
year out the Park audiences are pretty
much the same and most of he people that
patronize this popular playhouse know ex-
actly what to expect in the way Of enter
tsSnment. But some unexpected queries
are fired at the ticket sellet nearly every
day and he has TO be PREPARED to give sat
isfactory answers TO all questions pertain
ing TO the theater and its current attraction.
Oae afternoon recently two young women
presented themselves at the box Office as
TIE orchestra inside the theAter was play
iIg the overture Immediately preceding the
rise OF the curtain upon the first act Of the
play.
Say" one Of them burst forth in one
breath as she fumbled nervously in her
psrse, lis this the same play that was
here last season with the dark, curly
haired leading man and the duel scene in
the moonlight and the pair CT young lovers
that away from the colntry home in
the midst of the troubles oyer the fellow
that was caught in the act of trying to
wreck the-Minnie, for beaven's sake,
where's that so cents?"
AN EXCITING SEARCH.
While the two young women were ex-
cttedly searching their clothes for the miss
ihg half-dollar, the box-ofice man collected
hrs wits which had been somewhat scat
tered by the sudden onslaught, and by the
time the money had been discovered tied
UP securely in the corner 6f a handker-
chief he was ready with suitable answers
10 the various interrogations. The fair
patrons purchased two 2O-cent seats and
harried into the playhouse AS the au-
dience was crowding out Of the theater
at the end of the performance the taIka-
tive female stopped at the ticket window
long enough to say reprovingly TO the box
Office man: II guess you haven't seen the
show yourself. You were wong about the
moonlight scene. There amt none this
year"
The little treasurer at tho Empire The
! ater. Samuel Dawson Sammy" as he is
generally known-Is keenly alive to all OF
the funny incidents that constantly occur
at his window. and he has alfund OF anus
ing anecdotes to draw upon. The best of
them all is one which would doubtless be
greatly appreciated by Americas most IA
nous actress could she but hear him tell
St. 1t will be remembered that Mrs. Fiske
played her dramatization CT Thackeray's
VANITY Fair at the Park Theater last
season, appearing In this popular price
fheater account OF her unwillingness
TO have anything to do with, the theatrical
syndicate, with which English's Opera
House Is connected. Patrons of the bur-
leSque houses will also recall the fact that
ore of the biggest burlesque. shows on the
road during the last three seasons has been
Gus Hills Vanity Fair Bur,esquers."
A tall. raw-boned man stacked up to the
ti.ket window at the Empire one evening
and asked what was on for the week"
= VANITY Fair is this weeks BILL" re-
piled Sammy.
She man opened his eyes wide; then he
chuckled softly to himself; How much
f<r seats?' he inquired.
FIFTY cents. . cents, Is cents, according
&c location" was the answeS.
The mans chuckle became "a loud guffaw
"weiI, IL that don't beat ts.e Dutchr" he
exclaimed. when that show was at the
Park my wife paid $50 to take it in. I've
Eet the laugh on her now. iGive me 25-
cent seatI'