davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

nighters for a considerable number of
years, they've become pretty critical and
choicey and things as to the kind Of stage
pabulum that is tossed at them. 1t also
is reasonable to conclude that 1t is no
minor job to keep an exclusively first
night gang entertained. or to work them
up. because they know all or most of the
tricks of the game and the usual effectS
can't even get them winging.
Well. the managers began TO sit up
and take notice of the behavior of the
first nighters some time ago. They op-
served that no matter how excellent the
production or Aow fine the acting. the
first night gang. made up entirely or
yawners who only took in the first pro-
auctions out of a sort of habit and sense
of duty TO themselves and so as not 10
ieopardize their records as first nighters
just sat sullen and bored and tired. i'm
pervious to emotonalism. rocks against
all efforts to brisk them up or release
them from their WEAKNESS; deaths heads
at the feast. in brief, and consequently
well named the death watch.
Now. no matter how excellent and fair
a. dramatic critic may be. he is to a
certain. perhaps unconscious, degree in
fuenced in his estimate of a new play
by the audiences manner of receiving the
piece If the audience is reused, chirpy,
enthusiastic and all like that. why, the
critic. even If he have no exorbitantly
high opinion of the production, is pretty
liable to at least shade his expressed opln-
ION in accordance with his observations
of the audiences manner of taking the
production. If, on the other hand, the
audience sits sulky and dead and wholly
unmoved or unmirthed or untouched in
any way at all throughout a new stage
piece. it is one of the humanest of things
that the critic should in a way partake of
at least a part of the first nighters gloom
and find himself making the mental in
quiry as 10 just why the new thing hit
the crowd so dismally and darkly
Well the managers have noticed that
all of the f1rst-night gangs for a consid-
cradle time past have behaved at the mi
tial productions as If they were there
present against their desire at the inter-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

his own state. This young man married,
not long ago, young woman out
home They got along right tidily on
his 81 900 year. earned as a government
clerk. The old miner had not only known
the young man from his boyhood. but he
had ridden the young mans wife on his
knee all the way to Banbury Cross when
she was little girl in pigtails.
Son. said the grizzled miner to the
young man from his home state, when the
latter was making his call at he-fine no.
tel suite, you and Aggie are keeping
house here, aren't you?''
well. we're living in a little fiat, if
that's keeping house." the young man
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

himself had ever given thought to self
destruction. l remember now, too, how
profoundly affected Frank Bennett was
when he heard, last year, of the suicide
in Washington of his old friend and fell
low member Of the Gridiron Club, Frank
Hosford, the journalist and remark or
two to which he gave utterance upon that
occasion sounded somewhat queer In my
ears as coming from man like Bennett,
whose world for many years had swum
in the rose of his own making.
On top of the difficulties which he en-
countered when trying to make the Hotel
Gotham a profitable proposition Frank
Bennett suffered another stroke of i'll
luck with regard to which nothing has
as yet been printed. He was almost up
to the very last minute booked to become
the manager of the Hotel Plaza here,
the greatest hotel in the world by long
odds Something happened, in no way re-
flecting upon Mr.. Bennett, but miserable
in it's suggestiveness of a continued run
of unbroken bad luck, to cancel this ar
rangement. and l happen to know how
Bennett staggered under that additional
blow. Frank Bennett was as well be-
loved by men Of note and distinction over
here in New York as he was in Wash
ington, and there were scores of wealthy
men in New York who would have helped
him to any extent to regain his hold had
he but asked them. But he wasn't an
asker at any stage of his life, and he pre-
ferred death to even the thought Of any
kind of dependence.
X
g OMETHING is pretty liable 70 come
- of the strong agitation now in prog
ress against the publication Of the details
Of suicides self-removals in New York.
There Is very substantial ground for the
theory of the persons behind this asita-
ton to the effect that the accounts of
suicides that are printed. particularly the
ornate accounts published In the yellow
pross, are the direct cause of other sui
cides. Depressed folk, it is said, get hold
of the elaborate accounts of the self
destroyers methods in shuffiing off the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

an automobile over a crossroads was
plainly marked.
"Stung!' said the treasurer of the party.
And the fine was paid.
Memory is but tickle jade. The cross
roads was again reached. yet no sound
rent the air save the whirr of the engine.
foot the horn!' yelled the man who
held the trap line. You don't want to
be arrested again, do you?'
1t is needless to state that the horn on
that Washington automobile was footed
right smartly then. Indeed, while the
machine was within the state of Pennsyl-
vania the tourists gave their unremitting
attention to footing the horn.
1t was suggested to the autoists that an
appeal should have been taken; that the
fine was obviously excessive in expiation
of the offense.
Bright idea, little one'' said the law
yer-tourist. Reflect for a moment that
we were under arrest for committing a
misdemeanor. An appeal would mean
confinement in the county lookup, or re-
lease on bail. Just fancy chasing from
farmhouse to farmhouse to find a bonds
man for three strangers. The result
would surely be a stay in the county Jail
for your Uncle Jimmie"
Why didn't you beat it?" interjected
another listener.
Verify another Daniel. you." said the
come to your knowledge that before
taking car from one state to another a
license must be secured? The state num-
Der was tackled onto the car in bold and
brazen figures. In the Office of the secre-
tary Of state is notation of my license
and the number of the car un.er that
license.
while out of Washington we travelled
in six states. I shall not begin to capitu-
late the monetary outlay for fine. On re-
turning home found three summonses to
appear for trial on charges Of breaking
the automobile laws in two states. In
each instance they charge me with ex-
ceeding the speed limit, though in each
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

and spirit AS is well known, he was
in bad from the very first in his effort
to make the Hotel Gotham a success.
Circumstances which, with all of his
energy and address. he was quite I'M
able to overcome. destroyed his almost
lifelong ambition to successfully con-
duct a great New York hosiery. When
the realization of failure, and failure for
which he by no means was responsible.
was borne in upon him, Frank Bennett
grew old, so to speak, within few days
and he did not get back to his old self
up to the time of his death.
Hard knocks, we are beginning to I'M
derstand, have tendency to make fatal
lists even of human beings whose spirits
are naturally buoyant. / happened to be
present few months ago when Frank
Bennett expressed himself in manner
that, in a sort of way, forecasted the man
ner Of his death. Somebody in the party
adverted to a man who a little while
before had been broken in Wall street
after many years of wealth and luxury.
From that the talk veered around to the
subject of broken men in general. Few
of the men in the party were aware that
Frank Bennett himself had been the re-
cipient during the year of a series of
blows that had all but crushed him. or
perhaps the converse ton would have
taken a different trend At all events,
Mr.. Bennett delivered himself, in quiet.
restrained tone. of some views which I
knew would never have found lodgment
in the spirit Of the man few years be-
fore. He gave 1T out as a general propo-
sition that for the man who went broke
after reaching the age of fifty little re-
manned except self-destruction. He said
that in his opinion, man beyond the
fifty mark was too old to begin again,
and that he considered 1t far better for
such a man to remove himself from the
world than to face the chance of event
ually becoming an incunsbrance to him
self and to his friends. / recall that the
nj Of 0nn
strong spirited man struck and rather
startled me. and. knowing as l did a good
deal of his affairs, 1 wondered for pass
ing moment If it could be possible that he
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19
STORY OF SET OF LANTERN SLIDES AND VERY WISE GUY

with 'em, and that the boys'll behave;
they'll have to. cause they'll be ladies
present I'll see that everybody in Walla
Walla what's broke t lectures'n be on
hand
II suppose maybe there wasn't mama
in that kindly suggestion. I thanked the
landlord. and he had the bunch of slides
brought up from the cellar and busted off.
He not only had the slides. but he had
the recreant lecturers magic lantern and
all the rest Of the gear, all ready to be set
up and put together for the lecture. I
looked the slides over and found that
they were a corking fine lot of views.
II got property man from the new
Walla Walla op'rey haouse who knew all
about magic lantern gear to assemble the
stuff and try it out against a screen in
the hotel dining room after the supper
had been cleared away, and it all worked
on tallowed skids.
Then, with the landlord backing me
up rented the op'rey haouse for the fol-
lowing Saturday evening-it was then
Tuesday-and inserted an on-tick ad. in
the newspaper to the effect that Euripides
Aristophanes Athenesius, the famous
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

I'd had the prescience and foresight to
pay my board with my last kale two
weeks in advance upon hitting the town.
Now you needn't be surprised
whole lot I told the good-natured land
lord, if 1 stick your night clerk up one
Of these nights and take to the chaparral
with whatever small change he happens
to have in the till. Pm all in, and don't
see anybody in Walla Walla making fea-
Their beds from the poldings of the an
gels around here. How about a bell-hOps
billet. if you expect me to remain honest.
or a berth as head bootblack of your dog
goned old TAVERN
ut was at this stage of it that that
whole souled innkeeper of Walla Walla
got busy in framing up scheme in my
beheSt and behalf.
Never done no lecturin,' have you,
buddy?' he asked me.
Seeing that he was taking an interest
in me, l thought that I might as well be
on the level with him, and so told MIN,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19
o.. @S\%Aes4e2n@~ ~ 90

traveller and professor of the University
Of Athens, would deliver his noted lecture
on ancient and modern Greece at the
opera house on the following Saturday
evening. with the finest set of Jews il
Illustrative of his subject that had ever
been got together.
The landlord. who was considerable of
a citizen in Walla Walla, got busy plug
ging for me, and when the tickets were
put on sale at the drug store they went
like hot Waff1eS near a city cab stand.
The lantern was set up and the slides
were thrown on the screen in rotation
rehearsal, and Saturday morning it oc-
CURED to me that 1t wouldn't be such
bad idea for me to think up something to
say to go with the pictures.
Il had never been any nearer to
Greece than Sandy Hook but | wasn't
bothered much by that consideration. I
didn't stand in much fear that the Walla
Walla folks would be stcklers for the ex-
act figures as to ancient and modern
Greece
And as a matter of fact, they weren't
The lecture l gave them was all right
and it went through with a clatter. I
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

spread 1t on pretty thick about the con-
quering hosts of Alexander of Macedon.
and l let them have plenty of The Isles
of Greece, the Isles of Greece. where
burning Sappho loved and sung'-in fact.
l think I handed them that quotation
no less than nineteen times during the
lecture just to fill in the desert spaces.
Sappho was always a great favorite of
mine, anyhow.
Il mentioned. too. quite number of
times. how the mountain looked on
Marathon and Marathon looked on the
sea, and 1 logged in Aspasa and her
friend, Pericles and did the best l knew
to whitewash the little unconventionalities
of those two. l devoted few moments
to Diogenes, as well as to Socrates. and
1 kind O. puzzled them and aroused their
admiration by dwelling upon the Peripa-
tetic School of Philosophy-they didn't
know what the devil 1 was talking about
and when a lecturer gets an audience in
state of mind like that their enthu-
siasm for him increases with each tick
of the chronometer.
After it was over I counted up the
gate receipts and found that there was
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

song lists and the verse volumes and all
such like are just stuffed with praises of
the worlds mothers; but the old man gets
little or no notice from anybody; what's
expected of him is to go out and fetch
in the money, and after he's through
frisking himself to meet the bills, why
he's out of the picture so far as any SEN
timentaI consideration goes.
In view of which it is one of the
surest things you know that we haven't
the slightest desire or intention to pick
on fathers, we absolutely have NOT.
But-BUT,-
There is going to be an observation or
so unspooed, right here and now, about
the fathers that insist upon telling
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

ment of the deceased. They were found
to be yawning and sleeping and glooming
around upon each other as II they'd give
any conceivable money to be away from
there Their manner, in fact. went a
great way toward causing all hands to
believe that the new piece was hopeless
dead one. Then the managers found that
the audience present on the following
night. an audience made up of wholesome
folk not addicted to the satiating first
night habit, enjoyed the piece immensely
and gave it the large, ponderous mltt ana
went away boosting and telling folks that
they wanted to have a bully evening Of
it, and SO on.
1t was when this comparison of first
and second night audiences was made
by managers whose new productions were
jeopardized by the dank. weary behavior
of the first nighters that the knell Of
the death watch was sounded.
Last week the managers of all of the
best New York theaters gave orders to
their box Office people that the lists of
first nighters should be destroyed, and
that no seats for first nights should be
reserved for the crowds who had been
enjoying that privilege during these many
years. Instructions were given that seats
for first nights should be sold only at
the box office windows, and that no mail
orders should be attended to. That was
an effectual method of breaking up and
dispensing the old sad gang of first night
ers, and already the scheme has worked
out excellently. Two new productions,
neither of them very strong, and both of
them almost certain to have been damned
had the first-night audiences been COM
posed altogether Of the old-time death
watch" were sprung last week, and both
of them caught on quite fairly with the
initial night audience, which was made
up of folks not sad and not tired and
with no tirst-night records or traditions
to preserve You see, the death watch
had got the gloom thing down so fine
that it was deemed bad form, not to say
bourgeois. among them to do any hand
clapping or acclaiming Of any kind, and
that sort Of thing not only served to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

candidly, that. curiously enough, I had
never been engaged in the lecture field.
well. that amt sayin' that you
couldn't spin 'em talk, s'posin' the
chanst swung your way suggested the
landlord. Now, I've got tucked away in
the cellar lot O. lantern slides-picters O.
Greece, ancient an modern, is what they're
labeled-that was left here couple O.
years ago by a lecturin' son of a skunk
that never got sober 'nough tn hull time
he was in an around Walla " ALA t on
reel his talk, although he advertised his
lecture four or five times. never pullin' it
off. He was plumb loco from booze all tn
time he were here, and he disapp'i nted
tn population so often. after promisin' t.
oliver his lecture, that the las time he
falls down on EN- they gifts tgether an
runs him out O. camp, an he never
streaks back no more. Consequent, I'm
tn heir an assign forever o. these yere
slides O. his'n that portray all what is
bout ancient and modern Greece. Now,
there's your tip. hombrey, and you can
work the rest of it out FIR y'rself You're
welcome t use them slides If you want to.
an I'll guarantee you'll draw houseful
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

make the new thing bear all the ear
marks Of the deadest kind of dead one,
but threw the spell of sadness and bum
cheer over the actor folk and caused
them to just hobble through their parts.
no matter how hard they tried to buck
up
So now we can take on a show on the
first night and. if we like it, get as busy
with our clapping machinery as we like
without having a whole gang of really
tired and make-believe tired ones glare
at US as if we'd just wandered in off of
an alfalfa lot where we'd been seeing
East Lynne and Uncle Toms Cabin"
under a tent as our only form of the
atrical amusement.
CAN we'll imagine the sense of loss
1 and genuine sadness which must have
depressed many hearts in Washington
when the news of Frank Benefits sui
eide spread down yonder at home. One
would find it difficult to put his finger
upon any man, in any business or pro-
fession, who was better liked in Wash
ington than Frank Bennett. Nor was
the wide affection which was felt for the
man the result Of any handshaking or
insincere overbubbling on his part to-
ward the world of men in general. He
was, in truth. especially in his latter
years. a bit brusque in manner, and he
never was an easy man to become ac-
quainted with. But he was sound, whole
some, manly to the core of him, deeply
sympathetic for folks in trouble, helpful
to the needy and distressed, with his
hand always in his pocket for the victims
of vicissitude or mischance; and he
never inquired or cared whether the diff
ficulties of such victims were through
their own fault or the fault of fate or
destiny.
had met Frank Bennett several times
during the past year over here, and it
was plain to one who had known him
for many years that the difficult battle
he had waged from the start in this
town had told heavily upon his nerve
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

element is intense, for these kale-an-
neXing souls try to make one carriage do
the work of twenty or Whereabouts. The
driver of one OF these get-riCh-quick car
riages received an order from his stable
foreman to go land carry the Cuban
minister to the White House"
With a crack of the whip and a care
full assembling of the reins he prepared
to obey the order. when a clerk in the
establishment shouted. real gently. at
him and told him 10 hurry around TO the
Rochambeau
The conflicting orders worried the not
overbrilliant brain of the colored man
and hurt his feelings nightly. SO he
called fellow-empoye to look after his
team and proceeded to the office. where
his employer was literally surrounded by
carriage orders and chaos
See yere boss" his voice meandered.
81 is suah disturbed bout desc yere or
dahs. Mr.. B. J. say Go an git de Pc
culiah ministah' an de clerk say Hurry
l wants fer t know who is de ministah
/ is to git
The most valuable work the driver did
that night was to give occasion for the
good laugh which followed. The sur
charged air cleared and every order went
out on time.
Xxx
MOT so very long ago when a certain
= musical comedy company was in town
well known youth of the city was in a
very hard way. No one exactly knew
the cause of the soulful looks that he
emitted on occasion. but he kept it no
secret that he went to the theatar as
much as every night in the week I, see
the same show.
OF course no one on earth could keep a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

was After I'd been there for a couple of
weeks, with nothing doing, I began to
reflect that if something didn't happen
pretty soon I'd find myself begged, or
yagged. or something.
I'm a moment of confidential gloom
impaired my tale of woe to the land
lord of my hotel, with whom happened to
be all square-yards for the reason that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

Ut long ago a
griZzled millionaire
miner from the
far west dropped
into town. He oc-
cupied a superb
suite in one of
Washington's most
luxurious hotels
during his stay
here Among his
callers was a
Young man from
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

Nv, nobody wants
to be or means to
be severe upon
fathers. Certainly
NOT. 1t wouldn't
be a fair deal to
be severe upon
'em, because, you
see, they get
mighty little credit
as it is for being
fathers. The story
books and the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

-, yes, tney GER
tainly are tying
the can to the
tired ones over
here.
Now the death
watch" is to go.
The theater man.
ayers had to do
5 o M e [ h i n & or
$ o m e b o dy, be-
cause a slew of
plays a lr e a d V
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

HE man who had
been everything
but a barber and
a policeman was
narrating things.
when 1 first
struck Walla Wal
la, back in the au-
tumn of So" he
said, Il found that
town a whole
heap more pros
porous than l
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

on the chiffonier. She had the habit OF
leaving them there where burglar could
easily find them instead of putting them
in the clothesbag and hrve him scare her
to death searching for them.
The wind blew stronger in at the WIN
dow At the same time the mattress
creaksd and groaned louder than ever
The motion of the wind seemed to nave
something to do with the movements of
the burglar.
Would nothing happen? Must she lie
there and die of suspense?
BY and by the wind died down and
with it, to her aStoniShment, the gyrationS
of the burglar Perhaps he had thought
better of it and was taking quiet nap
under the bed Perhaps he would creep
out like a gentlemanly burglar. take her
jewels from the pincushion and go with
out killing her-without even disturbing
her sleep.
At the thought her heart quit humping
and she lay so still that she presently
went soundly to sleep and slept until
morning.
Daylight was streaming in through the
windows when she Sprang up and looked
under the bed for her burglar. There
was no burglar She looked on the pin
cushion and there were her jewels, safe
and sound
She looked under the bed again and
there, hanging Imply from the wire mat
tress, was large tag.
Then she knew how it all happened
The wind blowing in at the window had
shaken this tag and kept it beating
against the mattress-the tag which she
had failed to remove when the mattress
was delivered.
TT happened the night of big reception
at che White House last winter. The
local livery stable men were preparing
to annex big chunks of musty kale, and
they were busy rushing carriages hither
and thither. On such occasions the ex-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19
ITY the District

ITY the District
automobilist. He
has his troubles
when he goes
afar, for as hard
as home laws
seem, they are
not a marker to
the regulations in
other common
wealths of this
broad land. A
Young AUTOMOBILE