Show my aly 11 at the appointed time I 1 proceeded to 10 tit the theater to read tit the piece to the oom company pally I 1 had ead lung long looked forwald 0 o that bright day but now that it had come it way was not so bi blight ight us is my elvid fancy had painted it I 1 had pictured myself in a pillared and cut tallied apartment reading to lofty mannfred mann cred tragedians assembled it in solemn conclave I 1 found myself in a little ark mouldy bouldy room in tile the midst if f a chiong tin dig of low cu comedians medians and singing chambee maids and acrobats and ballet dancers dan cera who paid me no no hespect whatever but regarded reg aided me with maikel and distrust I 1 vad lead the piece amid dead silence no one descended condescended con to laugh but the leader of the orchestra and the low UmP comedian om edian dian told me immediately after maids that that was a deiy bad omen for it was proverbial in ill theaters that when the orchestra gave a pie pic jud judg nent of approval tile piece was wai almost certain to be damned the grave grave md ind solemn looks with which all tit the slunk out of the room alter after the reading made mo me very uneasy until utitia the ho prompter assi nic me that they elways did that and made it a rule never to express their otheir opinion of a 1 P piece cc until tile given out rite flie only gilar laco face that I 1 had flothe noticed ed ambar t flu e company boj banged bonged bon nea ged M is I 1 auit to the pant Pan tuon who walo oi on vy tiani timidly asking iiii avila 1 ho I thought 01 ol tily my production fi aard dd 1011 01 it will du do very well I 1 dare ay but you seo t the lie people qt at this house dont listen to tho the opening 7 always impatient 1 jat for the cor comic ilic bu business sineas the clinic b business was given to meant tile the its is distinguished fruin front the introductory dialogue which was vas not leg aided bioni a professional point of view as ah comic on oil one point my fiend ft lend the pantaloon expressed a very decided opinion the flu piece was too lung ion tile thy people here you see sir air usually whistle fil tough the opening when they got get th tiled ed of whistling they shy the ginger beer bottles and pull up the seats take my advice sir and cut it when the parts had been given out and the actors had assembled on oil the stage ita c for rehearsal I 1 found that the young 0 lady who played pl ayed jack and the low comedian who played the giant on oil stilts and the second old man maii who played mother hubbard in petticoats aiom the pantaloon in tolo lao the young youn lady canic up to me and in an imperative ma manner niter said her part must be whitten wi itten up tip or she would certainly dot play it il she was such a and engaging en 0 agin 11 little lady that I 1 baid I 1 would do anything to oblige her ber but when 1 I spoke to tile the mana manager ol 01 about it lie said sit she must play the part or leave the theater and when 1 l told this to the lady she said I 1 was a nasty man mail and that I 1 might have written up tip liei let part without saying 0 a woid avoid to the Inal manager lager the loading leading low comedian whom I 1 relt felt parotid to neet meet and know assumed a hostile attitude towards me ine it at once on oil being lie was willing to shake hands with rne me and hope I 1 was quite well but lie cleat me to understand that amen amenities itic could 0 go 0 no further while his part remained lema ined 11 as sit it was his cimpl complaint mit was that his part was ivas a cicat deal too choit and that all the best lines line beio gen 1 eai I to jack what lie he wanted tile me to du do was wa to write his part up and give 10 pvc liim hill all jacks good lines I 1 should have been most willing 0 to oblige 0 the leading low comedian to the tull full extent ot of mv ability but to ask jack to 0 give up tip her pet lines w way as mure inure than 1 I daiel do aiom what I 1 had already been ol of jack I 1 lit in the belief that bhe lie would have met illet auy atly proposition of alie tit kind with avid I 1 a hostilo hostile tion lion of physical force the becony old man mail owing as I 1 suase subsequently understood to tile the of lna its and consequently y of ili liis importance in lu the theater theaters did not venturie upon do dr elect lect protest but talked talka at rite me bill it ging ing his shoulders and saying sayin tu othel malcontents loud enotrio enough li for my ine to hear that lie he was afraid afi I id his health would bi under so much study in ili my imagination I 1 had always pictured a att stage c reh reho cisal isal ay as a very pleasant affair affat i r realizing it I 1 found that as the author I 1 was begar ded ab an all enemy by every one who had a part in ili the piece and that I 1 had biad not only made all the acton s inimical to Iny butto each other tile the lending 1 low comedian and tile leadmo young lay had been on oil tile the bibic until I 1 caved sowed tile seeds acs ot of 1 sc colt oid br bi tween wet li them by proving ig 0 thern them respectively sp ively with tit the parts of jack and the giant J JC JCK 0 O K confided to me illo th chri 1 1 i so far as tho the lines were sho alio would von id much mathei have been the giant while tile giant protested that for tho same beason lie would have infinitely preferred prel erred to to bu bo jck jack there was only out 0 IAO point on 41 which they wele am alad that hatred of rate BOU and their envy of each other the elie discontent if those these two was wag ko bo unreasonable that I 1 could treat it willi arence but t cut me to the quick fo be pitifully med by the tlc alc second old man I 1 had been partly ansti in cating casting on 0 for mother hubbard that liis his line or of business until lie had joined that theater had been tragedy and that lie had been accustomed to enact maebeth macbeth and I 1 had a fellow tooling feeling for the second old man and could have sympathized with him if lie he had ony only been commonly civil but lie would insist on oil altering 1 my couplets and introducing gags which I 1 could not approve thus without ny iny ahyme or aeson whatever lie persisted in substituting r for it a neat joke therul the vulgar If ullo boys there goes g 0 es another guy 0 1 P which lie it baid was sif safe e to bring the houha liouc lio uc down rho rhe giant also alo took similar lib citie a ind and finished lines with elus Vl ills your little game chols your hatter 11 hows your poor fret feet and other lang expressions of the tit sti cots ets which had no iio i elation whatever to the sub eject of the dialogue dialo aie I 1 protected prot emed that I 1 could not allow my name to appear in connection with such nonsense bonsel ise and andi be zed the giaui to speak only the voids sets down for etim I 1 had my reputation to study the giant ie ic totted that tie had ins bis reputation toj to tudy too and he hc had tile anda audacity citi to say that was not a amigh in ill tho the whole piece and that cutill unless its lie was permitted to do something to hit the people on oil 11 it would be damned I 1 had prided myself rny elf upon my iny happy selection of and abild lie he neatness of in my y parodies judg judge u of thic 11 to my feelings feeling in when jack to sing come imre siire my iny love ove lief hei drea dreaming nung and his insisted isted upon skid a ma bak with a comic dance jick jack carried hot her point and tins this encouraged cou coti raged r the giant to to reject tile the cwg 0 of f the cannibal mands which w was wi highly appi in favor of I 1 bif ji f iva with wilh nancy I 1 bich was apropos f t nochim nothing 0 alivie being no iio nancy tit alio piece and no reason fl for or file giant 31 ailL wishing him liim elf self te int but tie he was I 1 nattered flattered Illy myself elf that thele could bo be no earthly objection to my illy t n effective active parody ol ill the grand cello from but alc unanimous voice or of ill all couce ned ined declai decloud iud d lot lor the perfect care with a jumping t accompaniment pani jani ment I 1 had been beell patient and for bearing bearin 0 hitherto hith eito but tin thi s was too much 1 appealed against tile perfect cure care to the manager my dear deal sir was the manager lil reply dont say a woid against die owe cure its a safe e card alway goes we vu had a caico fai cc not lorig long ago acro td that was waa on in the road to alij people be acin 0 ddn to goose it five w aiutes after tile tho curtin wah wa up aloey f icy goosed goofed it alls all through gli what wit a t did I 1 do I 1 went to tk tho wing and whispered to the cast to lance dance no e cure care they did and it aved the piece the curtain fell amid s a storm of applause and the cure was encored the manager had previously expressed him himself elf thus thua lord blesy bless you sit sir when we 11 hivo ive p played y d it fo for I 1 i a 11 0 glit or two you wont know it again 11 chis ass ed before it way was played at ill all and I 1 retired from the last re heat liea sal isal in disgust to find the alm 01 nand pantaloon in ill their practicing diessel di esses at the wing impatiently fat flatting and fuming t at the long time concluded on fourth pago I 1 11 this tin s was the the lingo jingo ta ell ore r contemptuous those worthies applied to that opening which rich had bad cost me days of toil arid and nights of tot ture nrc in the midst of my illy humiliation I 1 1 had bad but one consolation the piece would make me a dramatic dia matic author and as mr maberly said introduce market I 1 thought with me t to 0 the hope of my neglected trag tragedy ey ill in the drawer at home boxing night came and the curtain roie roi cupon upon H jack the giant kal d ler or old mother hulbard hubbard little red riding hood and the field of F fifty efly F footsteps I 1 sat in ill a cot coiner der of 0 the dress encle with ic le elings or of mingled shame and bicad I 1 felt like a criminal in the dock conscious of his crime and beai fully ay awaiting ilia his verdict in my anxiety I 1 had no ears cars for the voids arid and the first thin thing r that at illy attention was a round of 0 applause I 1 anxiously inquired of illy my next neighbor what the actor had said to excite sa bo much enthusiasm 7 his IL e I 1 imply was vas your little game and lie sal said d it thi ou 11 his laughter lis as if lie he thought 1 it a very good point indeed another roar succeeded in ind this time 1 I heard for myself the alic joke jok 0 which was so much approved it was mother Hubba eds exquisite witticism of 11 hollo boys goes another guy at this tin s point a friend canio came round lound to congratulate me its going capitally said lie alie audience have taken it from the fust arid and you will see it will bo be all i light ight 11 anrce patted rile me on oil tile sh shoulder milder en ell bingly aliface my face was like a burning coal I 1 could have wished the alie dress circle to open arid and lot let me quietly into the earth my own pet jokes an arid d neatly turned witticisms scarcely cely excited a smile except from some undemonstrative people it in the stall stalls who were to too genteel to appi appl applied and iud my friend evidently took thc jhc redness of my illy face for tile flush of triumph it was tile flush of shame but what could I 1 say was alvas riot not tile the piece as he said going capitally when bithell ill the giant said 11 hows your poor feet 11 a yell of delight burst cioll aiom the ilic audience As for tha cure it was encoe ed twice arid and tile the applause continued for bev e la I 1 minutes arid and was perfectly deafening my friend came round again to slap me decisively on ill alie shoulder and say I 1 was a mado made man my success was too much for me and amid a storm of applause caused IY by jack entirely on his own mobility y asking the giant where lie he was on oil sunday 1 1 I fled fron aror ill alie intoxicating scene and went forth to cool my illy fec voted brain I 1 found myself behind the scenes ill alic of applause so ra raging gi n r mot boic c fi cicely cely than ever it was wa s the e end nd of tile the opening ill arid and the alic transformation scene was going on there was a call it was for tile the manager in acknowledgment of the amount of gold leaf lie he had lavished dav upon poll tile alio bellof deight icie was another call it w WAS is for the it ti t who had designed the dell of delight arid and bpi cad the gold leaf which tile the manager had paid lor for was third call it was for the author and I 1 plainly heard the voi voice ce of my ft acrid above all others ali and d leading thern them I 1 muttered to myself never I 1 but ill manager call came lc up lip at that moment and pushing me inc toward the curtain said baid go on oil I 1 0 o on 1 had bad no I 1 time to resist tile the ill 01 pulled back tile curtain told mo sharply to take oft off my hat the manager gave p mo die a shove above and thele I 1 was ol 01 on I 1 tile the stage bowing bowmil to tile the public all ali little did I 1 dream then that I 1 was bowing my illy neek neck in the dust to be arar trampled upon poll arid and dep degraded 1 next nest nio nor ruing ull tile the critics were loud iu in their praises of uly my it sparkled with puns and parodies arid and smart allusions to the topics of tl the ic day and kept the audience in a roar loar of laughter te r from beginning to end As 1 foi 01 tile the author lie was congratulated on oil the lie that it he would wake that ri joining arid and find himself famous as a writer of pantomime oth c I 1 writers in tile the same hame department were wal bained tied to look to the their ir laurels I 1 must confess that it was with a sense of triumph that I 1 read lead this not that I 1 was proud of my dry af pf pantomime but I 1 was now DOW a dramatic author and the maikut was open ionic to me now for u r my tragedy I 1 took the earliest opportunity of I 1 liying the maikut with that commodity I 1 on eich it right arid and left no one would have it not that the aitrele it tiel V was riot not in demand but no one would buy of me lie my dear sir tragedy 0 is riot not in ill your line stick to pant pantomime antime that is your foite 11 tragedy Tia gedy I 1 my dear fellow oli nonsense if you have got a good short smart tattling latt ling aaice now such aneli was the invariable bable reply and auch lias has been the reply to this hour whenever I 1 have proposed pio posed to do any voik of a higher older than a pantomime a farce or a comic ake sketch yet I 1 am a poet I 1 could prove it to you by a few stanzas only I 1 feel convinced that the conductor of this joul nal would riot not insert them hem what did lie reply ill the other day when I 1 proposed a paper on ill alio sublimation of thought as exemplified in ill ill alio of sophocles this 1 I at am tj rath rather C r afraid of that subject suppose you write something about the pantomime which is moie it in your line lilic 11 well here it w is all AH vic the year round hound |