The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-11-16
(By Clarence L. cullen.l


copyrighted. 1902. by Robert Howard Rus
sell.)
For The Post.
"Thc leading man Of the republican,
company OF which was the-er-maRager."
said Ex-Tank No. L. the theatrical mem
Der OF the Club OF Former Alcoholic Degen-
crates. wearing a certain guilty look which
caused the Ex-Tanks assembled to regard
him narrowly. twas one OF these rum
eaters that would chew on the copper coils
OF a wood alcohol or German cologne stlll
rather than go without He wasn't a CON
tnuous performance lusherine. I'd rather
he had been, for he'd have been better able
10 tote his package around II he'd been
one of those hams who Just keep benign
still on oil the time. always standing up TO
their makeup work, and never making bum
understudies or cancellations necessary, II
would have been all right But he wasn't
that sort. He was what the gllt-cure bunch
call a periodical He'd shin aboard the
aqua wagon and perch on 1t for months at
q stretch. generally when he wasn't work
ing and the way he'd round on a pal who'd
ask him to have ball during these hiatuses
or hiatusl OF sobrfety was sure a sin and a
shame, and likewise scandalous Then he'd
fall down Ike a sack O. cement, generally
when he was working and the messes OF
crimson varnish that he'd strew around
then, and the quick stunts that managers
'ud have to work in order to set him TO
the post while he thus toyed with bis
frame were weird-iust weird. he was in
a class all by himself when he got good
and souses. and the pale pink tremors that
he gave his managers before got him are
q part Of the history OF the game.
"He was pretty good actor-man. and l
needed him He was just built for my
rep-uh-toah parts. and ! had to have him.
knew all about his intermittent devotion
To the hagon, but he was the individual
required. and SO ! took chance with him.
When ! hired him at the biggest wages
he'd ever signed for, ! said 10 him;
Son. haven't put anything in the
bond about the Demon Rum, but that Isn't
Saying that I'm not wise 20 you aud your
record with a psir Of the strongest lamps
this side Of Argusville, I'm real nice people
myself and I'm not narrow. There's no
body likes to sit around table and make
rings thereon with the bottom Of an
smphora more than do. But / know how
TO do 1t and to get away with It. You don't
Consequently, yours is vichy and milk for
the whole forty-two weeks that you've
signed for, aud ! have spoke You're q
bright and buxum ace with me just as long
us you keep yourself nailed TO the top OF
the old water pump, but the minute YOU
slide down you're a dog scared two-spot in
workhouse deck, which means that yot
won't be popular with me a teenchy
weenchy little BIT, This. my boy. Is no
merely sociahle conversation which / an
exuding. II is the horizontal merchandise
with the requisite number Of revenue
stamps pasted thereon. SO Just remembe
this little To whom IL may concern" will
your
He looked real grleved. so he did. Il
extended the wistful eye unto me, and like
wise the wounded fawn window. II
passed me the you-wrong me Ermyntrud
ook. Then he began to tell me how IL
enably / saddened him and hurt him b
even dreaming that he would, etc
That's all right Algie, said l. 'Ju;
eliminate the caloric cir and be good an
yOu'n bring down the house with me, that
all. Performance is the pay rock that a
says big 10 the ton on my tablets
We'll, out we went. We got the none
from the minute the barrier went up. III
behavior Of my leading man during til
6rst four weeks was just armorplated an
ropper-sheathed. He was the whole III
worth League. While we were doing III
week stands at Philadelphia, Baltimore an
Washington he was the entire plant an
the ground-ease, ana in those towns use
10 catch myself clutchng my spit-ock an
wondering whether that leading man