Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

speak, hoping the clamor would die
down. But his words did not reach
the second row of seats.
Ansel slipped forward to his side.
''This is a put up job" he ex-
claimed, shouting to make himself
heard above the uproar. "They are
pretending to applaud because they
think you dare not call them down
for that. They'll keep it up all even
ing if they get chance, and you
won't be able to speak ten words"
In a front orchestra seat man
stood up waving flag and bawling:
"Standish! Standish! We want
STANDISHw
The rest ofiBilly Shevlin's carefully
drilled cohorts took up the cry, and it
was chanted hundred times to the
accompaniment of resounding sticks
and boot heels.
The mayor beckoned deputy sher-
if from the wings. Pointing to the
front-seat ring-leader he commanded
Put that fellow out"
The deputy descended the steps to
the orchestra, grabbed the vociferat-
ing enthusiast by the collar and
an instant as though the action were
]
house was as still as death. And
through the silence scared the shrill,
penetrating protest of the man who
had just been collared.
"You leave me bew he yelled. Owe
got as much right here as you have.
An I'm earnin' my money"
What money!" shouted trained
querist in the gallery.
"The cash Mr.. Standish promised
me for leadin' the applause of course.
He's payin' me an the rest of the
boys good, an we're goin' to earn our
dough. Standish! Standish? We
want"
Then pandemonium broke loose.
Hundreds of voices caught up the
rhythmic refrain, while hundreds
more shrieked "Fakew and a counter
rhythm arose of
Fake! Fake! Fake! Fake! Fakel
FAKEw
Standish, abandoning all present
hope of making the audience under
stand that the shrill-voiced man was
a hireling of Conover's and that the
whole affair was a gigantic, well-re-
hearsed trick, turned to face the
group on the platform. But there, at
a glance, read in dozen pairs of
eyes suspicion, contempt, disgust.
I'm sorry, Mr.. Standish," sneered
the little mayor, that your friends
are over-zealOus in earning their"
DO you mean that you-that any
body-can believe such an absurd
ity?" cried Standish. Cant you
see"
II can only see," said the mayor,
rising, chat i have evidently misun-
derstoOd the purpose and nature of
this meeting. Good night"
To Gives horror the little dignitary
walked off the stage, followed by two
thirds of those who had sat there with
him. The majority of the boxes oc-
cupants followed suit. The few who
remained on the platform did so, to
Judge from their expression, more
from interest in the outcome of the
riotous audiences antics than through
any faith in Give. For by this time
the erstwhile orderly place was in full
riot. Individual fights and tussles
were waging here and there. Men
were shouting aimlessly. Women
were screaming. People were hurry
ing in a jostling, confused mass up
the aisles toward the exits, while 9TH
ers beloved to them to sit still or
move faster. And through all (both
factions of shouters having united in
a common slogan) rang to an accom-
paniment Of smashing chairs and
pounding feet that endless metrical
refrain of
Fake! Fake! Fake! Fake! Fakel
FAKEp
Standish, Ansel at his side, was
once more at the platforms edge,
striving in vain to send his mighty
voice through the cataract of noise.
One tough, in the pure joy of living
and rioting, had climbed over the rail
of a proscenium box-the only one
still occupied-and, throwing an arm
about the neck of a young girl, sitting
there with an elderly man and wo-
man, tried to kiss her. The girl
screamed. Her elderly escort thrust
the rowdy backward, and the latter,
! his insecure balance on the box-rail
destroyed, tumbled down among the
orchestra chairs. The scene was
greeted with howl Of delight from
Kindred spirits.
The youth scrambled to his feet
and, joined by half dozen intimates,
once more swarmed up the side of the
box. The girl shrank back, and fu-
! tllely tugged at the closed box door,
which had become jammed. The old
man, quivering with senile fury,
leaned over the box-front and Crap
pied the foremost assailant. He was
brushed aside and, amid hurricane
of laughter from the paid phalanx in
the gallery, the group of half-drunk,
wholly-inspired young brutes clus-
tered across the box rail. The whole
incident had not occupied five seconds.
Yet it had served to draw the multi
divided attention of the mob and the
rest of the escaping audience to that
particular and new point of interest.
And now, dozens of the tougher ele-
ment, seeing a prospect Of better
/ sport than a mere campaign row, ell
bowed their way to the spot.
The girls cry and that of the wo-
man with her had barely reached the