The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-10-09
INTERLUDE ON THE BEACH.
Pair of knOckabout Artists Attract
Crowd and Give Them
selves a Boost"

On the Coney Island bathing beach
the other afternoon couple of short,
stocky men seemed to become involved
in a sudden alteration. They both
jumped up from the sand and began to
talk loudly and menacingly to each
other. A large crowd of bathers i'm
mediately collected about them, and
cheered them on, relates the New York
Sun.
The pair of short, stocky men shook
their fists in each others face and ac-
cused each other of all sorts of things.
Then their rage appeared to become
SO great that they abandoned words,
and resorted to action.
The smaller man of the two depos-
tied a terrific kick on the protuberant
stomach of the other, and followed
this up with an open-handed smack
on the top of the larger mans bald
head that could be heard above the
roar of the surf.
"Ye-ow! but the little feller's trim
min him!" yelled the crowd of bath
ers, delightedly.
But the larger man quickly recov-
cred from his obvious astonishment,
and went at his antagonist. He took
him by the shoulders, spun him around
like top, and every time the smaller
man faced him he slapped him on the
jaw with his open hand He followed
this up by deliberately kicking the
smaller man on the bare shinS with the
toes of his bathing sandals, until it
seemed as if the smaller mans shins
would be dented hike an outworn wash
boiler
Look at 'em soakin' each other!"
shrieked the bathers, enjoying the
scrap hugely.
The smaller man of the two rubbed
himself quite lot after the onslaught
of the larger man, but then he APP
peared to gain his second wind and he
went at his antagonist with fierce en-
ergy. He punched him with what APP
peared to be all his might on the point
of the jaw with both hands. Then he
reached out suddenly and got the
larger mans head under his left arm.
Then, with his right thumb, he pro-
ceeded to press the larger mans nose
so hard that it looked like q mere
squash. After that he belted the
larger man square in the mouth with
his closed fist, and then released him
and jumped back, still talking fiercely,
as was the other man.
Then the larger man took another
inning. He got a grapevine clutch on
the smaller man and threw him on the
sand. Then he kneeled on the smaller
mans chest, stiffened the fore and
middle fingers of his right hand, and
deliberately began to gouge the eyes
of the PROSTATE man with those stiff
fened fingers. 1t was hard sight, and
the crowd began to murmur. How
ever, the man on top didn't pay any
attention to their murmurings. He
jumped up, and then he placed both of
his sandaled feet upon the smaller
mans face and began to gouge his vic
Tins face with his sandal heels. Then
he gave two high straight-up leaps in
the air, and came down, apparently
with all his might, upon his PROSTATE
victims stomach.
AT this point the crowd surrounding
the two began to bawl:
"Let that little Teller upl You're
KILN him!"
The smaller man quickly jumped to
his feet, took hold of the larger mans
hand, and they both faced the crowd
together.
Ladies and gentlemen" said the
smaller man in the regular tone of the
barker, cts all right. Don't you care.
We're just practicing. We're the two
McCacks, the great European team of
knockabout artists, and we're playing
this week at the Teenchy Weenchy
Casino, this side O. the loop-the-loop.
It's the hottest show on the island,
and you on'y have to dig a quarter to
pipe it off. Doors open all the time.
Come one, come ALL"
And the celebrated pair of knock
about comedians placed their hands
upon their bosoms, bowed deeply, and
strolled arm in arm from the beach.