Show STUDENT LIFE casions as this they were also loosely constructed They were planks placed on low were long enough The to support two planks and every other row of scats was closed at the end It was very amusing to watch the young gallants help their ladies over the ends into the seats Long before the elders came the two rows of seats nearest the stage were crowrded with small boys who had come early “to ’old de seats down” This was a delightful experience for them and they eagerly watched the gaudily painted curtain and longed for it to rise The ladies of the audience were arrayed in their very best but very few of the men had thought it worth while to dress up very much and had just put on their best coats with their common vests and trousers The boys went farther than the men and wore “Sunday ties” Some of these would have served well as footsaw-hors- es saw-hors- es lights The crowd was very appreciative and eagerly watched each hole in the curtain and crack in the doors for the chance to see a painted face whose owner might desire a glimpse of the audience After a great deal of confusion and buzz of excited whisperings behind the scenes the curtain rose on the opening act With this men applauded girls expressed their opinions of the stage settings etc and small boys stamped and whistled The first scene was in a western farmhouse with a family and some cowboys seated around a table “See that pretty girl there?” asked a small boy at my elbow “Yes” I answered “She’s my sister Louie and the villain and her beau arc going to fight over her Levi’s her real beau too and sometimes he acts out of the show like he does in it” With this he looked out of the corners of his eyes to sec if I grasped the point in his story The play progressed very nicely except that onetime the deaf and dumb boy forgot to keep quiet and the funny lady’s paper dress came near taking fire from the candle Love scenes scenes between irate father and disobedient daughter lovers’ quarrels and duels all took place in their order foot-ligh- ts 10? One act opened with a darkened woodland scene To the playing of soft music the hero came into view and unmindful of what he was doing began to tell his love affairs to the au- dience Then unknown to him the villain a large man with a dusky skin and heavy black moustache entered and heard all the hero’s plans as he rehearsed them to himself When the hero found out what had happened he became enraged and said something so rash that the villain’s anger was aroused and before the hero could help himself the villain fired a pistol at him But alack the shot was fired too low and the poor hero’s face was filled with powder lie fell to the floor groaning The audience had had a hard time to contain their spirits this night and now it was as if a lighted match had been touched to them The leading lady rushed screaming on to the stage arrayed for the next scene in an elaborate ball gown The actor papa and mama dropped whiskers and wigs in their hurry The audience lost all control of themselves Two women fainted with fright others wept and had hysterics and still others rushed wildly about telling all to keep cool as the I rt was not a serious one The men thought themselves to be the only ones who were doing as they should They sternly demanded order which they did not get They commanded children to keep out of their way and humbly begged the women to keep their senses The villain stood aside too preplexed and bewildered to do anything lie knew that something dreadful had happened and that he had been the cause Some of the people sympathized with him others reproached him for his carelessness in aiming lie almost went mad when a little woman near him who was violently weeping said “To think ihat Ephraim should have turned out to be a mur- derer” After an hour of this commotion and confusion the crowd cleared awaj7 and the injured man was taken home ITe felt himself to be a hero indeed and when he found that Ms hurt was not a serious one he quite enjoyed the situation The poor villain after finding that he could be of no service went out into the warm star- - |