Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-08-29
DAILY SHORT STORY
ONE OF THE CAST.

Davisburg. / had been bounced out OF
a job here and a job there and was
making for an old shed in which to
pass the night when 1 was hailed by a
young man with:
Stranger, didst ever attempt part
behind the footligmtsE'
u never did,
He was advance man, manager and
leading man in an Uncle Toms Cab
in troupe that had started out to do
the country towns. They were to play
in Davisburg that night-within two
hours, and the cast was short by three
people. They could double up on two
of the parts, but it was necessary TO
have q Marks, the lawyer. Within ten
minutes l had contracted for the sea
son at the munificent salary of So a
week and found.
As soon as L could get a bite 10 eat
] began studying the part, but had non
learned one-tenth of it when / was
rushed on the stage.
There was an audience of sixty peO-
pie. The first corners We're charged an
admission fee of - cents. Those who
arrived later got in for 20. i and 10.
seized with stage fright. but was told
that l had acquitted myself in cred
liable manner. ! had II cold in my
head at the time. but the stage director
declared that this was decided point
in my favor. 1t gave me the voice and
intOnation OF n real lawyer
When ready TO leave the town next
morning there was an hours wrangle
with the landlord of the hotel before
he could be satisfied that the bill
would ultimately be sent on. and then
came the parting with Aunt Ophelia.
She had been out with the company
for ten days and walked eighty miles.
She had drawn no salary and received
no curtain calls. She had n fellow
feeling for the manager, but she also
felt that she owed a duty TO her hus-
band and seven children. While the
manager swore she wept. When her
tears ceased to fall she kissed every
one in the cast and turned her back
on US and set out for the depot TO hit
u freight train. We never saw her
again.
At The next town we mad to ring in
the cook from the tavern. She had
just diilN I'll liOlll AiC1dl4Nl anu VI Ou-hA
her broguc along. but that made no
difference to the audience of thirty
i've If it did il was all in her favor.
She was told that she might say any
old thing instead of committing her
lines, and she took advantage of the
occasion to announce that she was not
satisfied with her place and that the
tavern keeper and his red haired wife
could 20 to- She offered TO go with the
company for dollar a week and
found. but as she wanted - cents OF
her salary in advance she had to be
left behind.
As n tramp workman | had been
afraid of landlords, but our manager
had way that taught me a great
moral lesson. When the company had
breakfasted and was ready to set out
for the next town lie would go down
and face the landlord with swelling
chest and the manner Of a millionaire
and say:
Sir. l owe you drOss. BE kind
enough 10 name the amount"
The landlord would give the figures,
ana the actor would grandly wave him
aside and say:
"'Tis the veriest trife. Draw on me
through the First National bank of
New York.
On rare occasions a landlord would
protest and argue and talk of the law.
but buff generally carried the day
II was the same with owners of halls.
The next TO leave after Aunt Ophelia
was Simon Legree. His toes We're out
Of his boots, his coat ripped up the
back. and he looked forlorn specimen
generally, but his theatrical ambition
kept him with the cast until he had
blisters all over his soles and soft
cornS between every toe. When he
announced that he was TO leave the
company and go as farmers hired
man at $40 per month and washing
and mendInG the manager stood up be
fore him and exclaimed:
Depart. thou truculent varlet-de-
part Ger the rising sun has climbed
high enough To shed his lustrous rays
On thy uugrateful anatomy. It's
Thespians of thine ilk who have de-
generated the grand profession. Sal
airy? Darcst thou to speak to me of
shekels at time like this? Regone
and be a dog
When Legree had disappeared there
was more doubling of parts. A week
later when George Harris gave up the
guost. I had three parts on my hands
ut once and read them all from the
book None OF the cast had less than
three parts. and there was serious talk
OF putting Little Eva in breeches and
making her play Uncle Tom as well.
She would not have Grumbled a the
transformation, but the trouble was TO
find the breeChes.
At length, when my enga cement had
lasted four weeks. the cast was re-
duced to the manager and myself l
limited TO him that we should have hard
work getting through before a critical
audience, but he gave me a glance OF
mingled pity and scoTn and the two Of