Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-03-15
(ContInucd from Popc l6rooJ

urd from lHpr lNlfcl
marchug column directed NJ me- ana /
instantly made mp nay mind That our
sketch should Immediately run IN OPP
position o. 'Rllghly-Whnt llopo7T
When we returned 10 our billet from
the march, Cmlcy Wallace, my the
ntrlcnl partner, came running over TO
me and snld he had found a Hwnnky
place in which 70 produce our show
After taking off my equipment, and
followed by the rest Of the section,
went over 10 the building hc had picked
out. II was monstrous barn with a
platform at one end which would make
an Ideal stage. The section got right
on the Job and before night had that
place rugged out In npple-pe order
The next day was Sunday and after
church parade we put all our time on
dress rehearsal, and II went iine'
| made four or five large signs an
nounclng that our company would open
up that evening at the King George the
Fifth theater on the corner of Ammo
street and Sandbag terrace. General
admission was One.half franc. First
ten rows In orchestra one franc, and
boxes two francs, BY this time our
printed programs had returned from
London, and | further announced that
on the night Of the FIRST performance
n program would be given free OF
charge to men holding tickets costing a
frame or over.
We had an orchestra Of seven men
and seven different Instruments This
orchestra was excellent, while they
were not playing,
The performance was scheduled to
start at @ p, IN.
At 5:l5 there was mob In front OF
our one entrance and II looked Ike a
big night. We had two boxes each ne
commodatng four people, and these
we Immediately sold out, Then a
brilliant idea came to key Cohcnstein.
VIII, not use the rafters overhead call
them boxes, and charge two francs for
a seat on them2 The only difficulty
was how were the men to reach these
boxes, but to key this was Il mere de-
tall
He got long ropes and tied one end
around each raflcr and then tied n lot
Of knots in the ropes, These ropes
would take the place Of stalrways.
! We figured out that the rafters
would seat about forty men and sold
that number of tickets accordingly.
When the tlcketholders for the boxes
got glimpse Of the rafters and we're
Informed that they had to use the rope
stairway, there was howl Of lndigna-
ton, but we had their money and told
them that If they did not like 1t they
could write TO the management later
and their money would be refunded;
hut under these conditions they would
not be allowed to witness the perform
unce that night.
After little grouSing they accepted
the situation with the promise that If
the show was rotten they certainly
would let us know about il during the
performance,
Everything went lovely and It wp' "A
bowling success, until Alkali Ike APP
peared on the scene with his revolver
loaded with blank cartridges, BehiAd
the bar on n shelf was a long line of
bottles Alkali Ike was supposed to
start on the left of this line and break
/ six of the bottles by firing at them with
his revolver. Behind these bottles a
piece of painted canvas was supposed
to represent the back of the bar, at
each shot from Alkals pistol man
behind the scenes would hit one Of the
bottles with his cntrenching tool
handle and smash IT, to give the i'm
preston that Alkali was a good shot.
Alkall Ike started in and aimed at
the right of the line Of bottles instead
Of the left and the poor boob behind
the scenes started breaking the bottles
on the left, and then the hoyhollcr,
turned loose; but outside Of this littl,
nasco the performance WAS a huge sue;
cess ana we decided to run it for a
week
New troops were constantly coming
through, ana for six performances we
had the IS. Il, o. sign suspended out.
side.
CONTINUED Next Week.
SUMMING UP THE EVIDENCE.