Evening Star Newspaper, June 21, 1890, Page 13

SUMMER OPERA PRANKS “Soenes at the Rehearsal of a Funny Song Play. a MORNING AT THE THEATER. — oo 8 Summer Opera is Organized a Conducted—Aa New Onc Each Week— How the Rehearving ls Done—Piaying to a Star Write: es PERA in rehearsal is adierously different t yz, from its performance Si 4G on the stage a0 the pub- y lic sees and hears it— . P more especially summer opera, which has its own methods of man- agement distinguishing it from the winter sort. To begin with, the people who sing in gammer opera are not paid so highly for the same work as they are in winter, for the very simple reason that audiences are not so big and prices for seats are customarily much less. Those who take principal parts get littie more than half-pay may be. while the “ladies and gentlemen of the chorus”, who receive from 815 to $18 a week during the cold months, must content themselves with $12 to 2 the warm season. From this state of affairs springs an advantage for the public, which enjoys the best talent at very much reduced rates. A few “stars” who earn wages up in three figures for seven or eight months of the year can afford to loaf for the rest of the year and amuse themselves; but, as a rule, actors are forced to toil for bread and butter through the heated term. ORGANIZING A SUMMER OPERA COMPANY. A summer opera company is usually made up during the winter as to its principal singers, who are ¢ racted with for the season. Be- fore they are hired, however, the intending manager consults with the gentlemen who are to be respectively stage manager and inusical director, and the entire list of operas for the summer is made out, with the ¢ ters re- quired to be filled in each, &c. Performers suited for those characters are selected and ef- forts are made to secure the services of such as are en—always keeping in mind the ne- cessity of employing only men and women who «are able to fili parts in every one of the operas tobe produced. A summer opera company cannot afford ta letany of its people lie idle even for a week. When the time draws near for the starting out of the company the manager goes to one of the regular dramatic agencies in New York city and picks out from the people always listed at such an exchange as many girls and men as he requires. Then come relearsals, for a traveling summer organization of this sort must arrive at its first stopping place with not less than three complete operas all ready topresent. Costumes for all the operas deter- mined upon for the season are rented from th great New York costumers who make a bi ness of furnishing everything requisite. course there on what is termed in theatrical p: “fake” basis, and which do eve cheaply and badiy as possible. raking their costumes out of the rag-bags of other operas, so to speak, and so on. REHEARSING FOR THE FOURTH. The day after its first performance in the first towu paused at the opera troupe begins rehearsing for its fourth opera as weil as re- hearsing for the comin; week. It is a business necesvity that a fresh opera should be pro- duced each week to satisfy the exacting 6 mer theater-goers. An opera company of the kina deseribed 1s at present spending 2 season of eleven weeks ington. Euch } & new opera is pr and none is rep after its week is up with the exception of the ever-popular “Ermi- nie.” Monday of each week a new opera is re- hearsed for the first time. the company keep- ing always three operas ahead of its perform- ances. Just imagine the difficulty of remember- ing so many parts and figure to yourself, if you can, the task of the musical director, who must held in his mind the entire score of ten or re companies which are got up or eleven operas at once, guide the re- THE HERO. hearsals and lead the orchestra at the performances! The man chosen for mu- sical director at the beginning must know all the operas by heart that are to be given. Performers, too, are selected in large measure for the knowledge they have of the parts to be taker.—both principais and chorus. Though players in summer opera get less pay they have better time in many wavs than during the winter season. Discipline is much Jess strict. | If, as is very likely, they know all their played them in winter, their work is easy and they are not scolded very hard if they are late at rehearsals, AT A REHEARSAL. Speaking of rehearsals—and that was the subject to which this story referred at the be- giuning--a Stax reporter was permitted to wit ness one‘gone through by the summer opera company referred to at Aibaugh’s Theater a few mornings xgo. The spec- tucle was not that of accus- tomed revelry by night. It Was 11 a.m, and the perspec- tive of the mise en scene was o“—- shut off at the back of the stage by the brick wall forming the rear of the building. The scenery was stacked up in the wings, wrong side out; a palpably bogus palanquin lent a bit of color to the Packground and ordinary kitchen chairs were scattered here and there for the accommodation of the performers. A number of men, mostly in flannel shirts and sack coats, and young women in summer hats and ribbons stood about in groups and talked chaff on profes- sional topics. They formed the cast of theopera. Inthe inclosure for the orchestra sata saturnine-looking per- son with all the aspect of a musical genius, lightly paw- TS GIRL. ing the keys of an upright = in a manner merely suggestive of melo- jes unexpressed. “EVERYBODY READY!” y the stage manager eried: “Every- * and clapped his hands. The YOUrs, women im the bright hats and rib- ms dropped conversation at once and came forward to the front of the stage, forming as they did so in an are-shape the width ef the footlights. The musical director at the piano sounded a few chords with his left hand and beat time with « baton in his right hand, while the girls burst into the melodious strains of the opening chorus of the opera, Nearly all of them were noticeably pretty, but of course it is @ part of their business to be attractive, At all events the summer dudes in town would not tronize the show if they were not. The men of the chorus, who had followed the young women to the footlights and joined in after the first few notes, did not look so beautiful in their flannel shirts, sack coats and straw hats. THE SECOND LovER. The chorus sung; there entered a large man who was evidently suffering from the heat, in flannel shirt. with « biack pot hat on the back of bis bead. It was ex- plained by the man at the jano in # side whisper at this was the “secoud lover,” whose duty it was im the opera to play a sub- amatory part with the sis ter of the chief heroine, A conversation followed between the second lover aud certain members of the chorus, which souaded so Lke the multiplication table repeated very rap- idly and indistinctly that it was impossible to make out what they talk- ing about. This, it would seem, is the usual metbod of rehearsing the talk part of an opera, the object being «imply to make sure the words are mem- ora.d. it was the same way with the two come- disns who presently ceme on and bered a few Words at one another in monotone withous tbh slightest attempt to be humorous. Each hada paper book of his part and now and then they would pause to determine a question of cues, After they had made half a dozen remarks apiece the musical director struck a chord on e piano and they sang a song. That is to say, they did not really sing it aloud but merely hummed it to an accompaniment. Then the second lover offered some observa- tions, to which the chorus responded with an- swers in unison, = “Miss Smiffkins!” eried the musical director at the piano. ‘Oblige me, if you please, by putting aside that large bunch of flowers which you hold in your hand. Now, we will bave those last few bars once more. La-la, ta-la, la-la-la-la-la-la, That is much better.” Very good, indeed. Brav “Now, Mrs. Tootles, what is the cue word for the chor asked the musica! director from the orchestra inciosure. “Ham!” replied the stoutest of the women on the stage. who had the funny female part and wore a huge black hat with a feather. “And he drank six bottles of wine at a sitting to wash down a whole ham!” “Now laugh!” said the man at the piano. and the entire chorus tittered and guffawed all to- gether. “Very good!” cried the musical director, and struck a few more chords, as there entered from tne back the hero of the opera—an officer of hussars disguised ax a priest. At all events that is the way he appears at a performance; but in this case he resembied neither priest nor officer, being merely a rather short young man in the usual flannel shirt and straw hat, with reddish hair. Nevertheless, the chorus all knelt down be- fore nim to ask fora blessing, which he con- ferred with # song hardly uttered above his breath, for the sake of saving his voice. Several of the pretty girls from time to time caught the eye of Tak Stan man, who sat all alone in the middle of the front row, the only person in the big auditorium. He felt a trifle embarrassed. because on ail previous occasions at the opera he had shared the task of mash- ing the chorus singers with a multitude of Cragg This time there was no one else to elp. After the disguised hussar had done his solo a love dnet followed between one of the come- dians and the woman who took the funny female part. There was a good deai of humor- ous stage business to be practiced about this— more particularly a certain complicated skip for getting off the stage with—which the come- dian could do to perfection, but the fanny woman was too plump to excenta very well, Next came another chorus, but before the first chords for an xccompaniment to that had beon struck on the piano the stage manager, who had come around at just that moment to sit by Tue Stax reporter in the orchestra, got up and shouted: “Miss Emory has been excused on account of illness.” “Nothing serious, I hope,” ventured the newspaper man in a whisper. Fle missed from the bright azray of the chorus a damsel who had anted him a few moments before vy ost Mnmistakable wink. “Cucumbers at breakfast,” said the stage manager. “I told her that they were indi- gestible.” IN THE SECOND ACT. By the timt another duet, a solo anda chorus had been sung. the second act was well under way. Quite a number of things were skipped, and, inasmuch as no pause was made at the point where the curtain was to be dropped in the perform- ance, it was not easy to tell just how far along the opera had got. The mareh of & company of hussars, notin their stage-uniform tights, but in pretty sum- mer dresses and ribbons, was an agreeable incident not requiring the usual opera glasses to view with satisfaction. After this, came a nayelty in. the way: of a topical trio, in which the two comedians and the funny woman took part “What is it?” was their a and in suc- as, responding to supposititious encores, they explained what it was that made the world go round—obviously “love” — what it was that could ac- compiish anything—name- 4 HUSSAR CAPTAIN, ly, “boodle” —and so on, until the last recall of ali, when they sang: THE TOPICAL SONG. What is it makes the audience laugh and cry ~~ rts in the operas pretty well, having | for more and more? What is it makes the chappies chaff; what makes the gallery roar? What is it that we hate to do, and yet we find we must- That racks us players through and through, ‘and yet we do for dust? “Ts it singing? “Is it dancing? “Is it acting? ! We have it! It's too many topical and this is what we think of them:” sreupon the trio gave a comic imitation of the agonies of dying, and the funny woman was assisted off the stage in a condition of in- cipient rigor mortis by the two comedians, while the entire house, in the person of Tur STAR man in the front row of the orchestra, me down with wild applause, ‘All ready now. ladies and gentlemen, for the finale!” cried the musical director. running off a few chords in fortissimo on the piano, ‘The chorus was sung with a fine crescendo at the end and the curtain fell. the audience filing slowly out. More accurately speaking. the singers, a¢ soon as the last note was finished, hurried off the stage and hastened out upon the street in laughing and chattering groups on their way to lunch, while the Rewspaper man went across the way at the invitation of the musical director. ———>—___ THE RIGAT TITLE, How a Young Lady Should be Addressed in Writing. From the New York Pre All women out of their teens are entitled to be styled “Mistress,” says arecent writer. “Miss” is merely a diminutive and is properly confined to young girls, just as ‘Master" is commonly confined to schoolboys, says the New Orleans Picayune, In the daysof Pope “Mrs.” was the common appellation of un- married ladies. Sir Walter Scott, too, speaks of Joanna (unmarricd) as Mrs, Joanna Baill There are nowadays plenty of spinsters—and young spinsters, too—who insist on being ad- dressed a6 ““Mrs.,” and at one or two places in Sussex, curiously enough, the married lady is “Miss,” and the unmarried lady receives the title of “Mrs.” The same custom is found in many parts of Ireland. The form “Mra,” was at one time applied indifferently to persons at all ages. Nowadays our servant girls expect to have their letters addressed as “Miss,” hough there are a few that have more sense. There is a story told of a certain maid-of-all-work who transferred her savings, upon the advice of her mistress, to the Post Office Savings Bank, and she was asked how she did it, “The young lady gave me a book; ma'am,” she said, “to write my name in, and her wrote my name in another book; and her says to me: Mrs, or Miss?" ‘Neither, ma'am,’ I says; ‘am » servant.’ That young woman respected her- felf and her calling. She had not been edu- cated ata boarding school, Among servants generally the cook, whether married or single, expects to be called “Mra,” So do housekeepers, though unmarried. In point of fact, Mrs. or Mistress is a title of re- spect that the plain “Miss” is devoid of, Why actresses who are married women should seek to disguise fact by allowing the mislead. ing prefix of iss to be attached to their names is a mystery that admits of no intelligi- ble explanation. Are they ashamed of their husbands? There are many well-known ex- ceptions to this habit of disguise and mas- querade, but 50 per cont of the theatrical “Misses” are entitled by law and custom to the term generally recognized as Sistiaaelking the married women. Only about 5 per cent o| the entire profession admit that they are mar- ried and are not ashamed to publicly own it on the theatrical programs. oo What a Donkey Can Do. From the Philadelphia Times, The Prussian General Ramin was disliked for the severe treatment of his soldiers, aud there was hardly any one in Berlin who would not | have liked to give the general a token of re- membrance for it. Qne evening the intellect- | ual and amiable Prince Frederick of Brunswick sat at a card table with seve Giana come uae a eae “You have an excellent music corps in your regiment, Finera” said one of the “I enjoyed their playing very much morn- atte ry proudly, vehet his mustache have heard the musio corpe teen ts Lf THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C.. SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1890—SIXTEEN PAGES, 13 SUAVE SCOUNDRELS. Men Who Live on Their Wits and the Oredulity of Others, WAYS OF CONFIDENCE MEN. —_———— Blatklegs Who Impose on the Trust- ing—Some of their Games—How Pco- ple Have Been Robbed in This City-A Detective’s Talk. ——_——_. ETECTIVE RAFF speaking to a Sran reporter about criminals said: “The confidence men or ‘con men,’ as they of all men who get a living through their crooked transactions, He is usually a coward. When he is cornered he hasn't enough manhood about him to muke a strag- gle or show fight, although if he once suc- ceeds in escaping he is « hard man to locate. “A ‘con man’ must naturally be an agreeable and plausible fellow. He mast be good look- ing and able to converse in a business-like manner and at the same time he must have winning ways, for probably one-half of the ‘con man's’ victims are females, Of course the question of matrimony is usually involved, either at the beginning of the game or while the ‘con man’ is working his game. COVERING THEIZ TRACKS, “Many of this class, like other professional criminals, often lay their plans so that if they get arrested their tracks cannot be shown to have been outside the pale of law. In covering up their tracks these clever scoundrels often secure paper writings of some sort from their vietims which would in event of subsequent proseention rob the case of any criminal aspect. “A majority of this class of criminals rope in vietims ‘through advertisements inserted in newspapers, whick are generally answered by some widow or other enterprising female who has afew hundred dollars which she would like to make thousands of, ‘The advertise- ments generally resorted to by the more suc- cessful ones call for a business partner with a small amount of cash, several hundred dollars, to invest, and if he is hard pushed for wealth he is not particular about the amount, A few Pie or something that will sell for a few jollars will satisfy him. A good operator, however, seldom works a game for less than $200 or $300, und sometimes he gets a great deal more. SEEKING FEMALE VICTIMS. “Some men upon reaching a city will adver- tise for a wife and the ‘want-to-be-wife’ must have some earthly possessions other than her- self. Ofcourse the man has no real intention of becoming the woman's husband. Those who respond to such advertisements are in most cases single women. Now and then a widow tries her luck, but as a rule she does not part with her money as readily as. an old maid. The widow's greater experience with men serves her in good stead. Mectings in parks and abont street corners or at the post office is the usual commencement, and the dignified gentleman of course could not think of such a thing a¥ marrying until aftera courtship of sev- eral weeksatleast. Itis during this several weeks that the ‘con man’ gets in his clever work. Correspondence passes between them and he is sure to write one letter that will bring the necessary reply, one that will clear his trans- actions of anything that would tend to make him appear as a criminal. And it also during this time that he tells the fair one of his val- uable business interests, which with only a few hundred dollars more can be made to yield a fortune. Visions of brown-stone houses, fine horses. servants, &c., and a good- looking husband fill the mind of the unsus- pecting female aud while in this frame of mind she parts with her long-saved earnings, if the man gets all she has he of course skips, butif not his courtship is prolonged until he eitner gets more moncy or the fair one ex- hibits dissatisfaction, which leads him to believe that the police will be called in “When the ‘con man’ sometimes suddenly disappears the woman naturally feels humil- iated and it is a serious question with her whether she will tell what has occurred or not, While she is anxious to recover the money she also dreads making her affairs public and. the result is that in most instances complaint is not made until after the man has got out of reach, MAKING A STUDY OF rT. “There are confidence men,” continued the detective, “who give as much study to their business as auy man engaged in legitimate transactions, For instance, two of them will travel together and will have a directory of the principal business men in many of the larger cities. When they reach a city they visit the principal hotels and pick out their ‘mark.’ Then they acquaint themselves with the names of the merchants in his city and the locations of their places of business. Before doing this, however, they rent a suite of elegant parlors, #0 as to have a place to take their victim to, All the preliminary arrangemonts baving been made the ‘mark’ is met in the hotel corridor or some other convenient place. “Why, how do you do,” is the greeting of one of the ‘con. men,’ but the citizen in as- tonishment says ‘I guess you have the wrong man.” believe you are Mr, — and you “Les, that is correct,’ “ ‘Why,’ says the blackleg, ‘I was introduced to you by Mr. —— of your city.’ “By and by the victim really believes the man is telling what is so and he goes off with him. “When the room is reached the men tell how they have just cashed a lottery ticket or got a fortune in some other way. Scattered about on the table is the ‘boodie’ done up in stacka, Probably a game is proposed, or some betting done, until the victim is penniless, and then he discovers for the first time that he has been duped, “Confidence men, asa rule, try to take a trick as near train time ae poeta and disappear as soon as they have made a hit. AN EASILY WORKED GAME, “A few years ago.” continued the detective, “a man from Vestibula, Ohio, was victimized in this city by two contidence men through one of the commonest and yet one of their best games. The stranger arrived at the Baltimore and Potomac depot half an hour or more be- re the time for the departure of a train he was to take, He was seated in the waiting room when he was accosted by a handsome Fc man, neatly dressed and wearing a londe mustache. The man from Ohio was alone, and after conversing for awhile and learning that his good-looking acquaintance was from the same place where he lived he was delighted to know that he would have com. pany on the train, But the newly made ac- quaintance had his wife and sister at a hotel, and the ladies, he thought, would make the trip more pleasant, ‘I'he stranger invited the Ohio man to go with him to the hotel, where he would give him an introduction to the la- dies, He wanted him to accompany them to the depot and wait till he arrived, as he had to settle a bill witha merchant, The Ohio man took it all in and they started toward some ho- tel. they reached the corner of Penn- sylvania avenue the confidence man’s ‘pal,’ or confederate, came along to play the part of the merchant, THE INEVITABLE CHECK. “Why, here comes the merchant now,’ said the slick young confidence man, The ‘mer- chant’ presented » bill for $240, but was un- able to cash a check for $800, It was after banking hours and they did not know what to do, but the merchant suggested that his cus- fomer’s friend might loan him the money until be could get the check cashed, “ ‘Certainly,’ said the Ohio man, and down went his $240. “Something was then said about the ladies and the old man who played the role of merchant said that h d just seen them going to the o- The younger of the confidence men id he would step ina store and make out a and suggested to his Ohio friend that he m depot and wait with the led escription of them, until he came, ave him the check for to hold us security. “The Ohio mau went to the depot, but no women such as described came along. He waited and waited, and finally the train pulled out. Then ho questioned the ticket agent, and was sent by him ice headquarte: spied the two men justas the train was about to pull out of the depot. The young man was seated in one end of a car pretending , while the old man was on an- other seat in the other end of the car. Placing them under arrest we stepped off the train in motion, | Sented, he put in ‘#500’ each time until the jare called. are the meanest and towest | the money that his companion had obtained from his victim. They were each sent away for @ years, HOW A WOMAN WAS DEFRAUDED, “I remember another case of a confidence game in this city,” said the detective, “which was played tothe tune of $8,000. The victim was the sister of a prominent citizen. She kept a boarding house at the time and among those who secured board at her house was the usual good-looking gentleman, This young man did not attempt to work his game for some weeks. When about the house he was a and always showed a desire to do what e could fur the comfort of the proprietor and her guests. Finally he gained the confi- dence of the landlady and accommodated her to the extent of paying her bills. The lady did not dream of his being dishonest and she found itagreat accommodation to sign checks in blank and have her bozrder fill in the amounts to settle her bills. He filled them out, but 1 stead of putting in the amounts of bills pre. lady's $8,000 in the Central National Bank had disappeared. ‘The young man also disappeared, He was indicted, but thus far he has succeeded in eluding arrest. HE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED, “Confidence men as a rule are pretty intel- ligent, and when arrested they claim all their legal rights, Above everything else they pro- testagainst being photographed. ‘Cap’ Tay- lor, one of the most prominent men of the confidence workers and bunco steerers, was arrested in this city and, like all the others, he protested against sitting for a picture. I got down the handcuffs and told him that he would be cuffed and placarded and made to parade the avenue and then he agreed to sit for a picture. An excelleut hkeness of him was cbtained and it was the first obtained by any police force. Applications for copies of it were received from police departments in all parts of the countr. Written for Tur EvEstyo Stan. A Family Jar. “Orland Brown, come right in here, I'm ina dread- ful fix; I've lost the evening paper, and now it’s nearly six, The cook is cross, the rolls won't rise, there'll be & family Jar Unless wheo father gets back here he finds his EVENING STAR,” Her prophecy was soon fulfilled; her husband from afar Cried out: “Fetch me my slippers and bring THE EVENING STAR.” And when he found it missing proceeded “Cain” to raise; He slapped the boy and “jawed” his wife for all her careless ways. ‘The cook gave warning on the spot, and sald she thanked her “star” She knew of places to be had where no such man- ners wert And now appeared upon the scene Miss Angelina Brown, Who'd been to see some bargains at 'tother end of town, “Dear me, I've got the paper; I'm quite ashamed of pa; Tcould not find my bustle, so used Tuk EVENING STAR. - Ttook one peep within it, and saw such bargains there [couldn't wait a minute, but I own it wasn t fair.” Smiles, kisses, harmony restored; the cook was bribed to stay, And papa saw his railroad stocks had all gone up that day. “My dear, this paper tells me that silks are now quite cheap; Make up your mind what kind you want before you go to sleep.” The evening light of other stars is mostly lost in space, But every ray of this one lights up some dwelling place, —Mks. Brown. ——— LET YOUR FACE ALONE, There Are No Harmless Complexion Powders Made, So There. From the New York Evening Sun, Awoman who writes health articles for a leading syndicate says that every mail brings her letters, anywhere from one to ten, from young women, asking her to recommend some harmless face powder that may be used with- out danger of inducing roughness of the skin and sallowness, Will women ever learn that ‘there ain't no sich a thing,” as Betsy Prig would say if she were led to discourse upon the topic. There isn’t any such thing as stopping up the pores of the face with powder of any kind without paying the penalty for it in a roughened and discolored skin, The health of the skin de- pends largely upon its ability to discharge its sppropriate excretory functions, and if the pores are filled with a solid substance this is practically impossible. Now, it is well known that the inactivity of an organ tends directly toan atrophy of that organ, as the fishes in Mammoth Cave have only rudimentary eyes, And so with the constant clogging up of the pores resulting from the use of powders is in- duced a greater and greater disinclination for its normal work that finally results in a thick- ened and diseased skin. From time to time we hear marvelous tales of old ladies who have used powder from the days of their infancy, and whose ski t 80 or 90 or 100—for these wonderful old ladies go on living in a frightfully reckless way—are “‘soft as a baby’s,” But has any one ever seen one of these marvelous “baby skins” on any old lady? Really seen for one’s self? We trow not. For nature cannot be cheated. She always ends by outwitting those who ik to get the better of her. And they pay back with usurious inter- est, ——— a You Couldn’t Fool Him. From the Seattle Press. The presence of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught in Victoria reminds the town crier of an incident that occurred in Victoria on the occasion of the visit of the Marquis of Lorne to that city nine years since. There was a pro- cession, among other festivities, and in the crowd of celebrants was a long, lean young man who was born in Yamhill county, Oreg., and who was away from home for the rf ‘at time, He had heard that Lady Lorne, the wife of the Marquis of Lorne, was the daughter of the ween, and was very anxious to seo her, inally some one in the crowd said, when the Marquis of Lorne and his noble wife swept by in an open carriage drawn by four horses: “There's the marquis and his wife, the daughter of Queen Victoria, sitting alongside of him.” “Where! where!” said the excited Yamhiller, at the same time pulling four cards out of his pocket, aud gazing at Mra, Lorne and the four cards alternately. “Why, there in the carriage,” “Yer can’t fool me. She's no queen's dar! I won't have it. Why, she don’t look a bit li any one of these. @ She would if she war a real queen,” he exclaimed,. angrily, at the same time flaunting in the face of the spectators the queens of hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds, taken from a common pack of playing cards, ‘A patriotic Englishman argued with the a Yamhiller for a half hour, and when e got through all the satisfaction he could et was: “I know a queen when I see her; B sl can't fool me. I'm no ijeet, if1am from Yamhill.” ——+e0—______ Another Woman and a Tiger. From the St, Louis Republic, The other night a lot of people were talking about Sidney Rosenfeld’s play, “The Stepping Stone.” Frank Stockton was present, and somebody asked him what he thought of it, He eaid: “Well, I will tell youastory. In @ far-off country, we won't say whei and we won't say when, there was a railroad station where there was just a box for the ticket of and a long, straight platform. Now, there a whole party of people, we won't ~ who, waited to got on the train. After a while they discov: thoy had missed it, and had to stay all night on the platform. They consisted of thirteen young women and thir- teen young men andan eli eron. She didn’t on the end, so she Jast in the center roe women, and feeling that her duties asa properly performed. When ‘the m she woman fel! A GOOD GIFT. The Warder Public Library at Sprivg- | Echoes of the Week From the Great | The field, Ohio. Mr. B. H. Warder of this city has erected at the corner of Spring and High streets in Springfield, Ohio, his old home, a public li- brary in memory of his father and mother, who were early residents of that city. The building is in the Romanesque style of architecture and is planned in the form of the letter L inverted, the arms being of different lengths, and in the angle formed by their junction stands an octagonal tower, 13 feet 4 inches in width, the top of which is sur- mounted by a terra cotta finial, the total height from the ground being 70 feet. The grounds are 100x150 and on the inner side of the High street Lis a porch and cloister, Three massive arches gy ye! on detached columns, together with the mosaic work above in’ three varieties of stone. form a distinguishing feature of the exterior, which is enriched by the carving’ from the architect's designs. ‘The building has a granite base course at the j ietart line and is faced with Ohio buff stone ‘om the Amherst quarries. The dressings are of Worcester stone from quarries in Massachu- tts, the backing being of local limestone and The main roof, together with that the tower, are covered with red ose-made capping for the the building from north to over Akron tiles and pur; ridges, The lenge! sonth is 81 feet 4 inches, and from east to west 90 feet Ginches. The gable end toward High strect is set back from the sidewalk a distance of 40 feet ayd has a carved panel in the apex Fepresenting the arms of the state. rom the porch paneled and molded oak doors, five feet six inches wide, open into the entrance hall, which is immediately under the tower and contains the staircases, Proceeding, another pair of folding oak doors open directly into the spacious, lofty and well-lighted read- | ing room, which is 7 feet 6 inches in length by 36 feet 4 inches in width. The walls have pan- eled oak wainscoting 5 feet 6 inches high, and above that they are plastered and finished with amolded cornice in wood at the intersection with the roofing. The roof of this room is open timbered in Georgia pine, with molded and chamfered ikin| post trusses, having wrought-iron bands an straps, An immense chimney picec in Ohio buff stone, being 12 feet 6 inches wide and 18 feet high, is at the south end of the room. The book room is 49 feet long, 27 feet 4 inches wide and has a height of 16 feet 8 inches to the plaster ceiling. and is well lighted, hav- ing large windows on three sides. The walls have an oak wainscot, the top of which is level with the window board. The room accommo- dates from 50,000 to 60,000 volumes. The inside furnishings of the reading and book rooms possess the pleasing quality of elegant simplicity. In the reading room are six paper racks, six rectangular reading and two reference tables and three round tables. Allare constructed of quartered oak, finished in the natural color of the wood and highly polished. In the book room are located four- oes book racks of black walnut, The floors are waxed and polished with almost the bright- ness of a mirror. In the entrance to the reading room has been erected a granite tablet bearing the following inscription: ‘This Library Has Been Erected in Memory of Jeremish and Ann A. Wa It is wiven to the People of Sp1 for Their Free Enjoyme And is Left in Their Charge Dedicated June 1%, 1890. The library was dedicated June 12 with pub- lic exercises, Mr. Warder making ® presenta tion speech and Judge Shellabarger delivered an oration. Mr, Warder’s parents became res- idents of Springfield in 1830,and were prominent there for their good works. Mr. Warder in giving the library to the city asked that it be kept open Sundays for the benefit of working people, HIS FIRST $1,000. A Romantic Incident in the Youth of a Wealthy Coloradoan. From the Chicago Evening Post. “Do I remember the first 1,000 I ever earned?” echoed Henry Westfall, a wealthy res- ident of Colorado, in answer to the question of a fellow-lodger at the Grand Pacifie Hotel. “Well, rather. Iwasa young lad at the time and the only child of the poorest family in a coal-mining town of Pennsylvania, One day, while engaged picking slate, I heard a big commotion at the top of the mine. The men were very much excited, and the owner, who was the richest and most devout churchman in the town, was wringing bis hands and implor- ing the men todo something. Running up I learned that the men had fired a fuse attached to an extra-large cartridge and had just come from the mine, when the: discovered that they had left the pret, jittle daughter of the owner behind, She had gone down with her father and while the latter came up for an errand had wandered away. ‘The cartridge had not yet exploded, as the fuse had pur- posely been made long to enable the men to getup. The father, as you may imagine, was agonized. He offered 2 000 to any one who would go down after the little one. But no one would stir. All of them had families of their own—except, of course, myself—and would not run the risk of death. The sum was a fortune to me, especially as my father was, from sickness, unable to work. Jumping on the car I called to be let down, and amid the cheers of the men I descended. Each moment had death in it for me unless the fuse were longer than was thought, But I tried not to think of it, and when I reached the bot- tom the child was playing at the mouth of the shaft. I grabbed her, put her in the car and gave the signal to be hoisted up. But the car did not move. I repeated the signal, but still without avail, In = ged of tear I ape it again and the car still remaining at he bottom I bade the little girl to stay where she was and then I ran into the new drift where the explosion was to take place. A little spark revealed the whereabouts of the fuse. The fuse was still an mch long and I took hold of it and pulled it out, I tried to cheer, but had fainted instead. When I came to I was on top of the ground, taken there by the men who, when in answer to my lastsignal—they had not recived the other two—bad raised the little girl and had then come down after me. “Well, the next day the father thanked me, but said nothing about the $1,000. The men advised me to ask forit. Isrefused. Then some of them asked for me and the owner told them that they were mistaken; he had offered nothing, So mad were aed that nog b threat- ened to throw him down the mine, but the desisted at my request. A few weeks later was discharged, probably because I was an eye- sore to the owner. My father having in the meantime recovered, I went away and obtained work in New York and after a while secured a fair position, One day about fifteen years after this event a charming tbe J lady drove up in her carriage, and, coming in, called for me. She did not st first give her name, but asked me if I would do her a@ favor, Of course I said yes, She then told me that it was she whom I had saved; that her father had died a short time before, and that in looking over his papers she had found & letter from some of the men to him upbraid- ing him for not paying me the $1,000, This was the first she had heard of the obligation, and she had immediately set out to find me. $i,s00, the extra $600 being, she ‘espicinsa, ), the extra eing, explained, the interest. Iwas about to the check, but sh Erne ord. So I took it, with her card, eep my wi er and. she left. What became of her? months later she became my wife.” bof nase Botetcn = 2a Soppnenettt bedy sould’ be ‘committed to therefore, eromatory and, te provence of ps NEW YORK NOTEs. Metropolis. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO CLEAN THE cITy STREETS—CABLE ROADS AND UNDERGROUND RAPID TRANSIT—RULES AGAINST PHOTOGRAPH- ING IN THE PARKS. ‘Special Correspondence of Tur EVENrxo Stan. New Youx, June 20. Again in this boes-ridden town we are prom- ised a citizens’ movement, and this time the initiative and the direction are taken by the clergy. The leaders thus far, at least, are Bishop Potter. Dr. Parkhurst and Dr. Heber Newton, And this raises the question of the expediency of putting the ‘management into the bands of ecclesiastics, The question is an interesting one, and it is one that long ages of experiment have notbeen able to settle, We ] recently had hopeful attempt to eugineer po- | litical reform from the pulpit in the Dr. Me- | Glynn campaign, but this euded in collapse and so have most other efforts of the same class, Time out of mind ecclesiastics have tried hand at practical politics and we all know how, in many instances, they have succeeded. Some of the most astute and successful politicians of the world have worn the vestments of priest hood. We need only recall such names as Luther and Knox to show that dissent can also furnish men who have ruled in politics ax well asin divinity. Those were very hard-headed preachers who fought under Cromwell when “Pulpit, drum ecclesiastic, Wav beat with fist instead of a stick.” But generally, though they themselues are not prone to admit it, clergymen muke poor poli- ticians, In the present case, for example, the doctors of divinity led off with two blunders— first.by opening the campaign prematurely,and, second, by addressing the great exchanges in their official capacity, and hence getting litely snubbed. This is not flourishing | ginning, but for all that the movement mi gather force and lead to great results, There no question that the city needs the energy of all its doctors of divinity and its plain laymen, too. To CLEAN THE STREETS, One would naturally suppose that the most ardent female lover of cleanliness could |at this season of the year satiate her desire for that luxury within the bound- aries of her own home. Some women find even that too wide a field for their abilities and give it up in despair, convinced that since Methuselah’s epoch life has been too short to teach the New York Bridget to sweep in the corners and dust bric-a-bric. But there are women here whose ambitions in that direc- tion can be confined by no pent-up Utica of a flat or even of a four-story brownstone house. No less a field of warfare than the city’s streets contents them, and each successive street cleaning commissioner has learned to dread the battle cry of the Ladies’ Health Protective Association, which usually takes the form of « petition, It is true he has usuaily found it the simplest course of action quietly to ignore these unreasonable requests to remove in jess than twenty-four hours the garbage that fes- ters in the hot summer sun under our windows in the picturesque ash barrel or to detail forces of sappers and miners to reduce the breastworks of mud and refuse that embellish the down-town gutte The present commis- sioner, Mr. Beattie. is, like his predecessors, a man of far-reaching’ theories and very ¢ | tracted practice, and though he has skillfu’ | caused to be circulated rumors of vast in- tended reforms by which the city streets would be uniformly sandpapered and pol- ished these experienced women are not to be headed off with rumors. Politely but firmly | they have interrupted his visions of future cleanliness with a petition apropos of ash bar- rels and have followed it up with a fell resolu- tion that if this petition is ignored they will in person take ® to the mayor. As they took the recaution of sending it to the commissioner by @ messenger, who doubtless demanded a re- ceipt, there would seem to be no loophole of escape for Mr. Beattic and he might as well take his broom and dust pan and go to work. CABLE FOR HORSE POWER. After a protracted contest, lasting between two and three years, the Third Avenue railroad has at last won the right to substitute cable for horse power, and within a short time the old, slow, dirty and unsatisfactory method of pro- gression will be superseded by two hundred new, clean and swift cable cars. It seems strange that so manifest an improvement should be opposed by any one, but human in- genuity is often batted in the attempt to solve the intricate problem of tne wheels within wheels of city government methods. ‘The origi- nal charter of this line was to allow the run- ning of stages, and when the law was passed in 1889 aowing strect railroad companies to change from animal to electric or cable power there was au inscrutable decree of the lower courts that the charter of this road would not permit it to make the change. Since that time the Third Avenue railroad has never grounded its arms, but has fought persistently and systematically through court after court until finally victory bas perched upon its banners, and the court of appeals has overrrled the lower courts and granted the company’s application for a writ to compel the commissioner of public works to permit the opening of the streets along its route for the laying of cables. All the other street-car companies will lose no time in fol- lowing this example, and it will not be long now before the jingle of the horse-car bell wil! be entirely superseded by the startling gong of the cable cars, and it is hoped that those relics of barbarism, the great squares of car stables, with their noise and dirt and generatly disa- greeable odors and surrdundings, will also be superseded by something more in keeping with the progress of civilization. UNDERGROUND RAPID TRANSIT. Real rapid transit seems also to have taken a fresh impetus from this stimulating circum- stance, the natural and almost inevitable route from down town to 42d street having been selected for a four-track underground railroad, Had it not been for the popular jealousy of the — of the Vanderbilts this line would have wen decided upon long ago, as it is the natural axis of the island; but the mere fact that it was desired by the Vanderbilts and the New York Sentral made it undesirable to the rest of the world. PHOTOGRAPHING IN THE PARKS, Strange and subtle are the vagaries of the official mind and its ways are past finding out. For some inscrutable reason, whose mysterious depths no scientific research ean sound, the professional photographer is not allowed to take and sell scenes in the parks, though the amateur may doso if armed with a permit, Superintendent Jones, who has authority over the wild and beautiful ands of Prospect Park in Brooklyn, takes the lofty ground that this rule includes ail artists of whatever grade who are successful enough to be classed as “pro- fessionals.” It is probably fortunate that this little eccentricity of Superintendent Jones ran across the plans of two professionals as well known as Hamilton Gibson and William M. Chase, for their indignation at being refused a yearly permit to use the natural beauties of this park for their sketches, though they might be allowed to sketeh a specifically named object under a definite permit carefully limited, has called public attention to this absurd use of au- thority, and it is more than probable that either Mr. Jones or his regulation will bave to go. ‘The artist naturally fumes a little at being classed with ~ photographer, and the whole incident is rather suggestive of the sign of the ferry boats which, broadly “musicians, lers and other beggars are not allowed Page boat.” THREE EXPLOSIONS IN A WEEK. For the third time within s week the pipes of the Steam Heating Company at Broadway and Fulton street were on Weduesday in an active state of ion, and it would seem esuvius were # residence of A SUBURBAN RESIDENT. Kind of Man One Cannot Depend Upon. From the New York Tribune. “There's Jim Jones, I declare,” exclaimed a man in an elevated street car to his companion the other day. “I have not seen the old boy for a long time—since he got married and took * house in the suburbs, in fact, Let's go over and sit beside him.” “No,” said the other, “don't let's do any- thing of the kind. I've seen Jim a good many times since he got married and took a house im the suburbs.” “Why, what's the matter?” asked the firet *peaker in surprise, “4 thought you and Jones were good friends.” “So weare,” was the reply, “but for all that I don't care to hear anything today about Jones’ garden and baby.” “Why,” said his companion, laughing, “ Jones talk of them much?” standbaes “They all do.” said the other, who takes « house in the s: burbs, he buys it, seldom talks of anything else for two or three yearsafterward. He persuades him- self that everybody else must be as much inter- ested in that garden and baby as he is, and he is roady to maintam against all odds that his own particular suburb px ages than any other; that it tak horter time to reach it from the city hall than it does to go to Harlem; that provisions are really cheaper there than they are in New York, that | the water is better, air is better, gas is better, society 1s better and that he would not come back to live in a New York flat if he got it rent free.” “Oh, well now, old man, you're just a little sarcastic,” said the first speaker. “Jones isa good fellow, « vestryman in his church, and no matter how much he is wrapped up in bis home surroundings. I'm sure he would not say any- thing about them tha ot strictly true.” “He wouldu’t, eh? “you bet? to one in dollar bilts? “The man pecially if ° Now, y » door at ation I'll refer to his suburb and Tl bet you he'll win the bet for me and tell a thumping lie as slick as any horse jockey. Let's go over now so as to have a little tame for it.” They got up and advanced upon Jones, who eat near the do began the disbeliever in the complete ¥ of suburban residents. “How are things looking now in South Lemon? Summer come yet?” “Well, the season is a little} replied Joue ut the things in “I was speaking to Brown here,” broke im the skeptic, hastily, as he nudged his compan- ion, “only a moment ago about going to the country this summer and he was objecting to the mosquitoes. I told him that I had spent « summer two years ago at South Lemon, before you moved there, you know, and that we did | hot see & single mosquito there in all that tin | though people in neighboring towns com- plained a little of the pests South Lemon, I pelieve, is particularly free from them, is it | not?” A poculier smile lit up Jones’ face ashe re- plied: “Come off, Smith, what ar me u giving ? know well enough there are plouty of mosquitoes in South Lemon and the only reason | moved out there and endure the din advantages which lite in the suburis possesses when compared with life in the city is that I am buying my own house by degrees, a thing I never could hope to do in the city, and thus saving a little money every month agaiust my old age, money which would otherwise be ex- pended in rent, leaving me nothing to show for it.” lunnershteenst,” yelped the guard, “Lost my money,” ‘growled smith, as the pair passed out. “A man uever can rely upon 4 suburban resident, an. se Kicks From the Arizona Kicker. From the Detroit Pree Press. We extract the following items from the last issue of “The Arizona Kicker A surprised man,—Last week we had a friendly criticism ou Jim Taylor, who keeps the whisky ranch at the other end of the bridge. We stated that his den was probably the nearest imitation of hades to be found on earth, and that the people of this section were not doing their duty in allowing Jim to con- sume so much oxygen and hydrogen. It was intended asa pleasant hitthe caution to Jim to set his shanty on fire and go hence, but he didu’t take it that way. On Wednesday of this week he came over to take our sc He didn’t drop a bint as to his intentions. ut when we caught sight of him « block off we . sew by the jerk of his eyebrows that he mennt us If Mr. Taylor expects to make « success in life he must caretully observe two or three things. Don't pull your gun too quick. Don't shoot before you get ready. Dou't yell when you shoot, as’ it ouly rattles your n nerve, He opened on us at a distan 200 feet, which was 180 feet too much. He was in too great a hurry to take aim aud his bullets were wasted. His yells took away his breath, When he had fired six bullets at us we closed in, put him on his back and made tum holier in about sixty seconds. The look of surprise and aston- ishment on his face as he tound himself licked was a laughable sight. The boys put him in an empty barrel and rolied around until he was thoroughly weary, and yesterday he was chased out of his dive and departed for the mountains, It didn't fs .—Last Saturday the Granite Hill Savings Bank of this town failed to open its doors, and a notice was posted up to the effect that it would open in about a week and pay at least 50 cents on the dollar. The buys got together about 10 o'clock and Mr. Duggan, the president, was invited to explain matters He said be hadn't time just thea, but after a rope had been passed over his neck he ex- plained that the failure had been caused by over-confidence in silver mine investments, The boys doubted this, and Mr. Duggan was taken to the bank and compelled to show his books and his cash. After figuring for about two hours a committee found that there was money enough to pay every depositor #1.47 the dollar, and it was accordingly pa and the bank wound up in ship-shape fashion, It was no failure, but simply goimg out of business. Mr. Duggan had calculated on a little scoop, but the boys got ahead of him. He left town on foot, carrying a spare paper collar in his hind pocket, and he will probably look for some hayseed town in which to begin life anew. We have a failure here in trade now and then, but we permit no bank to fail unless all depositors are first paid in full. For other fields.—Ex-Judge Jim Harrison, who has been a familiar figure on our streets for the last year and who was supposed to be aretired flour merchant from Miunesota: out here tocure his asthma, is with us no more, He departed yesterday in charge of a detective, and will bring up at Joilet as the end of his journey. Judge Jim objected to the course of “The Kicker.” He didn’t like us one bit, and when he saw us walking to the front he felt it a per- sonal hit at himself. He threw out his hints that we were trying to run the town, but th he would make us chew cactus before he done with us. Oue day two weeks azo he t to force us into a personal quarrel, and we learned afterward that he had a Derringer in his pants pocket and snapped it at us, but it failed to go off. Believing that we could run the town better than the judge, we began hunting up his pedi- gree and in the course of a week discovered that he was an “escaped gentleman” from state prison. He went away saying that he owed us one, but, as he has seven years yet to serve, we shan't begin to worry for some time yet. ———— +e : Confronted by a Memory. From the Lewistou (Me.) Journal. Apropos of the movement to furnish books to the prisoners in Auburn jail, a Norwegian lady, resident in Auburn, tells in her pictur- esque way an episode which occurred in Charleston, 8.C. Years ago a mother took her five-year-old boy into prison when she went to see his father, committed for some trifling offense. The little fellow stepped into the shut the door, but at the little fellow’ i passed. The boy's father aud mother died. His uncle be! him and gave him money to get to New He fell in with bad company, squan- Then his shan’t ever shi and he den's condition. she ary = his mother should be proud. by bis whom Sip eee Ss eee S ee oe tive formed by the warden, provided for isears also by the for i and could ‘hardy. belive ‘bat it was be who had occupied ‘66,’