Evening star., 1909-02-28

SUNDAY MAGAZINE &c
some of her high kicking in the following act.
Angel Willie said it would not be in accord
ance with the best traditions of art; but the
Doc rather liked the idea.
Let us not" he said, take ourselves too
seriously. In the words of the poet
LET us when and where we may
Blithely add the note of cheer,
Charming WEAKNESS away,
Keeping back the ready tear.
:" If the lady can kick Our audience to joyous
ness, she should be permitted, nay, even urged
to do So.
| happened to be standing near Richards,
who muttered, I'm help you to add the note
of cheer before get through with you!
WILLIE was in no position to take very
w firm stand against the Doc, who thought
it would be we'll also for him to work IN few
sleight of hand tricks as the performance went
along. l had done up the company's percent
age of the money in couple of neat bundles
which the wizard put in his pockets. saying he
would settle with Willie and his people after
the show. good share of the receipts was IN
silver; so the Doc bulged considerably and
was badly weighed down. But he was patient
man in some respects, and this was one OF
them.
The audience went wild in the second act. l
noticed that good many OF the men from the
pottery works had seats in the gallery, and they
liked Miss Fennimores singing and dancing so
we'll that it looked as if they would never let
her quit She was called out so often that she
could hardly get her BREATH along toward the
last, and there might have been serious results
if the Doc hadn't gone on the stage, While she
was feebly tt ying to turn cartwheels, and begun
picking dollars out of the air. The people
turned their attention to him then, and after he
had done some card tricks which took very well
4 H. fo~ 1odX 9
watch Somebody handed one over the foot
lights, and as he stood there holding 1t up ne
said:
Ladies and gents. this is not regular part
of the performance which our splendid company
is in the habit of giving; but it is our wish to
show special favor to the people of this beau
tiful and progressive city We have become
con vinced that nothing is too good for you. l
propose now to make this chrononeter dlsaP-
pear III thin air: but let me assure its fa1r owner
that it will be returned to her unharmed.
Kindly watch me closely. ladies and gents, and
note the fact that have no confederate to
IUST then he dropped out of sight. Richards
> had let him through trapdoor, and he
landed under the stage among some sawhorses
left there. When Angel Willie and found him
he Was lying on his side, reaching around IN the
dark for the watch and making remarks that
proba bly, relieved him some but were not pleas
ant near. lie LnOuSHt dL III 81 thdt OuC VI AAiS
legs was broken; but after trying several times
he was able to stand on it. Then he picked up
a piece of timber about six feet long and started
out to find the property man. He had no luck
Richards had severed his connection with the
Monte Cristo Company. He hadn't even taken
the trouble to close the door of the stage en-
trance after him when he went.
In the excitement over the Docs sudden de-
scent nobody had thought about lowering the
curtain, and the audience was yelling with
great enthusiasm, everybody supposing the
wizard had gone through the trap on purpose
While Willie and the Doc and l were hunting
for the watch, the people above us were clap
ping their hands and yelling and stamping on
the floor and pretty soon we heard Miss Fennl-
more starting to sing again. Finally we found
the watch with the crystal broken and one of
the hands missing. The thing had stopped tick
ing, too.
"Wille," said the Doc as he looked at it, "a
strange feeling comes DER me. l fear we shall
have trouble before we get through with this
performance. Perhaps it would have been bet
ter if we had taken your advice and chung to
the higher and nobler traditions of our art !"
THERE was roar when the wizard limped
l out on the stage again; but it seemed to
me that the audience had quit treating the
company with as much respect as had been
shown at the start. When the Doc would begin
to speak any of his lines, the fellows in the gal
lery would interrupt him and call for more