The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-18
HAVING FUN WITH
 4 BOY COMEDIAN Theatre Attaches Try Out Stage
 Struck Amateur THEY MADE HIM PERFORM
After Two Hours of Hard Work the Aspirant Was Sent Back to the Cracker Factory-A Blight
 ed Career.

From the Kansas City Star.
 It was about clock one afternoon last week when young man went into theatre lobby. He wanted to go on the stage. A practical joker was intro duced as the manager.
 where do you work now?" asked the manager "
 Down in a cracker factory" said the applicant.
 And you want to go on the stage?"
 You bet I do'
 What can you do?"
 "Oh, a little of everything"
 Do you sing?"
 Not very much'
 Do you dance?'
 Never tried before a couple of days ago."
 Then what can you do?''
 q can do a somersault over a chair and just say comical things"
 Tell me some of the really funny ones"
 Well, first I must have a partner, and then I say: Yep. I'm out of prison now; yOu hIiON lHt SONtIIOI ludht eb NAoAl 1O Jefferson City while l was there and we happened to meet in one of the corridors. We bumped into each other and accident ally I stepped on his toe I said, Beg pardon" and I got it.
 The lad with the red hair and the freckles laughed heartily at this, and then he told another one which was worse.
 Well, try your voice." said the as- sistant manager, who caught the spirit of the thing. Strike do."
 q don't know much about that; you see, Pm in the shipping department"
 Then sing this tone," and the lad tried.
 "He has the voice all right" spoke up the musical director' but there is too apparent concentration of the larnyx re- sulting in the inharmonious blending of the staccato with the cadenza. Aside from that it Is all right"
 The lad stared.
 We will take you hack on the stage now and try you out" said the manager, and back they went.
 q know part of My Irish Molly" I" spoke up the amateur and the orchestra joined in.
 He sang a couple of lines in a trembling voice.
 Can't hear that way back here" said a man in the rear of the house. Tell 1t again."
 He did and again and again. Then a feather duster was thrushed into his hand, which he used for a walking stick After he nad sung himself hoarse he attempted dancing. It looked much IIra tl,, f,.I .ffa of ala phant. Hsi acrobatic work followed. He endeavored to turn handspring, light ing in d chair but the result was a rap on the head when he struck the floor. Finally he stood on his head while the audience held the watch. He began to shake after a couple of seconds and the timekeeper sang out, "Ten minutes; that's enough"
 Then with added confidence the lad be- gan his musical efforts all over again. By this time he had removed his coat and vest and the perspiratio rolled down his cheeks in rivulets.
 Now ain't I all right?' asked the boy. 'I want to be one of those comedians. There are lot of other comical things l know, too, but It's hard to remember them all at once. I pick them up all over and when I say them down at the factory the fellows just almost die laughing. Then I have a very comical face that I make. The trouble is that l don't want to appear right here in Kan sas City where people know me. Do you know that if I were to go on here tonight all those fellows would be up here and they wouldn't give me a chance to do anything. They joke with me about going on the stage and some even call me a darn fool. My folks didn't want me to go either, and it took two weeks to talk them into 1t. Finally they said it was all right if l went with a good company. You see it will be different when I ge. away from home and paint my face. Then I'm going to part my hair on the other side and that will help lots.
 I'm going to- practice hard and will come up and take the job tomorrow night Yes, I'll work for $75 week if you promise to raise my salary in tho spring when the business Is better"
 Don't quit the job you have now until you get another" said the manager.
 And the lad Is still at the cracker fac- tOrV