The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-01
A GREAT LAUGH MAKER
 OF THE BYGONE DAYS
tow New York Laughed and Mobile GraveS Played Clown
 for the Buresque Hamlet Ye Dismal Prince"
BY ANNIE kEND RICK WALKER.

Hamlet, come close Wltniil our ioVinS
 reach: Thine uncle. father prayeth loving
 speech
 Hamlet, advancing: " A little more than kin and less than
 kind: No kinde O kin unl1inder to my mind! Tis not alone my inky cloak, good lack! Nor customary suits of solemn black Nor airy custom of the windy sigh, That peach on fruitful rivers in the eye: For I have that within which passeth These but the trappngs and the suits of
 woe
 .Horatio tells Hamlet of seeing his father: 'Horatio-T saw him once He was dry
 old king "Hamlet-'Take him for 'alf an 'alf'
 that very thingr 'Horatio-I came to see the funeral of
 your father "Hamlet-'You came to see my mother s
 wedding rather. Thrift. thrift! Horatio. Fun'ral baked
 meats were able To coldly furnish forth the marriage
 tablet Last week. behind his coffin, sad she
 patters, Like Niobe all tears, tears grief to tat
 ters But ere new shoes, on that occasion Had time to grind her tenderest Indian This grassy widow all her weeds had
 she'd The late lamented warn't the early dead. O, heaven! a beast that lacks discourse
 and reason, Had waited longer, feeling this course
 treason! "Arrangements made. the friends meet the ghost on the balcony. Hamlet ad- jures: Deacons! Young minister of grace!
 and swell Be thou a spirit In health, or quite un-
 we'll Bring me thee airs from Faust. or songs
 from Martha I'll speak to thee and call the Hamlet.-
 father: o, royal deign to answer me, nor let Me on a bust in ignorance now get! Say! Wherefore from the churchyard
 thou dost creep, Where rude forefathers of the Hamlet
 sleepl
 'The ghost backs away; Hamlet breaks from his friends, and follows, to de- serted barroom. Then he cries: 'Whither wouldst lead me? Dad, I'll
 go no farlner. "Ghost-'Thy tone, my son, Is disrespect-
 full, rather. Listen and learn "Hamlet-TIad I ten ears, O! then, I'd ope them to attentvely list tenr "Ghost-I could a tale unfold. whose
 lightest word Would change thy milk of kindliness to
 curd: Freeze thy young blood and petrify thy
 marrow And-though rake-thy very soul
 would harrow; O-O-Ohi-Ol Hamlet, didst thou love- "Hamlet-'Alas, My PapP "Ghost-'A lass? No! Revenge not for
 this trapp .'Hamlet-'Haste me to know, that I with
 wings as swift As Thoughts, may give opinion to their
 driftr "Ghost-I find thee strong; but weaker
 shouldst thou be Than that dull weed most grocers sell
 for tea, Vert thou not drawn by this. Now hear One afternoon, quite overcome by beer, I slept most soundly in my garden chair Soon, thro' my dream, a nfse glowed like
 carbunce-' "Hamlet-'Oh my prophetic soul. My
 uncle!
 
 bound me foot and hand, In strange contrvance With your moth
 CT planned Till signed contract, making abdication' Under each head, as head of this great
 nation: Gave up my wife and swore to keep In
 hiding By day in boarding house of their pro-
 vidingi' trIJamlet-sOh all ve host of heaVen-Oh
 earth! Oh fie Tell me the game, and you shall find me
 fyr "Ghost-.Could the secrets of my board
 ing house disclose, Thy cheek would burn more red than
 Ciaudius' nose: Thy curled locks would tumble and un-
 twine Tho soaked in grease-as If for-porc-
 you-pine! Tell how I'm starved-the steak as tough as leather Beds uniform, but never in full feather! And, ere I dare to close this a-king
 peeper, Most biting bugs abuse the curtained
 sleeper. But, worst of all--where everything is Before each week Is done' they dun your
 dad!
  But hark! Cock crows, and I must mis-
 ling be: They close at daylight, and I've no night
 key!
 ''These are random excerpts. The sol- iloquy. scenes with Ophelia, with Rosen- krantz and Guidestern, "I prithee smoke upon my pipe.' the closet and portraits, the graveyard and combat. all come in and are at least as close to the original as those given. The players scene was done in shadow pantomime. and the fin- ale was a dance in which all took part" Lotta! Lotta! Lotta! The talk of the town-society's faYorite. The show beautiful