y evening. The company
had no knowledge about the "Pinafore" scheme. When Handy was questioned
about it, he satisfied his questioners with the assurance that it was
all right, and he would explain matters later on. His assurance was
sufficient. The company knew their man.

Wednesday night the tent was put up. That day Handy succeeded, for a
consideration, in inducing the country band that played during the day
at the fair to perform a like office for his show at night, and do the
duty of an orchestra for the performance.

The afternoon of the day of the show an unexpected storm loomed up,
which threatened the enterprise with destruction. It seems that Handy
had visited New London before with a somewhat similar venture, and had
been compelled by financial circumstances which he was unable to control
to depart the town in a hurry, leaving behind him an unpaid printer's
bill. Now a slight omission of that character very easily escaped
Handy's memory. The printer, on the contrary, being a thoughtful man, on
finding that Handy was the manager of the new all-star theatrical
outfit, made his appearance with the sheriff and a writ of attachment.
For a time the aspect of affairs was anything but cheering. The printer
was as mad as the traditional hatter. Fortunately the sheriff, who was
an old Bowery man in days past, and a pretty decent and sympathetic kind
of a fellow, discovered in Handy an old acquaintance, and magnanimously
came to the rescue and volunteered to help him out of his difficulties.
The kind-hearted official guaranteed the payment of the printer's bill,
to be taken out of the first receipts that came in at the box office.
This arrangement being mutually agreed upon, the preliminary work
progressed actively.

The night brought a crowd, composed mainly of the country people who had
attended the fair. It was the biggest, best natured, and most easily
entertained audience a theatrical company ever played to. There were
more bucolic auditors gathered together in the tent than the troupe had
seen previously. Handy had the country band well in hand. He made them
play down the main street and parade up to the tent. Then he got them
inside and astonished his auditors with such a liberal manifestation of
music that those present could not well decide whether they had come to
listen to a concert or have an opportunity to see the real "theayter"
actors. Handy evidently was determined to furnish them with music
sufficient