Sagawa!"

Two minutes later they were turnin' trunks upside down diggin' out
costumes to fit. As soon as they began to rehearse, Leonidas goes
outside and sits down behind the tent, holdin' his face in his hands,
like he had the toothache.

"It makes me ashamed of my kind," says he. "Why, they're rocky enough
for a third-rate waggon show, and I supposed they knew it; but I'll be
hanged if every last one of 'em don't think they've got Sothern or
Julia Marlowe tied in a knot. Shorty, it's human nature glimpses like
this that makes bein' an optimist hard work."

"They're a bug-house bunch; all actors are," says I. "You can't change
'em, though."

"I wish I wasn't responsible for this lot," says he.

He was feelin' worse than ever when the matinee opens. It had stopped
rainin' early in the mornin', and all the cottagers for miles around
had come over to see what new doin's Pinckney had hatched up. There
was almost a capacity house when Leonidas steps out on the stage to
announce the first turn. I knew he had more green money in his clothes
that minute than he'd handled in a month before, but he acted as
sheepish as if he was goin' to strike 'em for a loan.

"I wish to call the attention of the audience," says he, "to a few
changes of program. Mlle. Peroxide, who is billed to sing coon songs,
will render by her own request the jewel song from 'Faust,' and two
solos from 'Lucia di Lammermoor.'"

And say, she did it! Anyways, them was what she aimed at. For awhile
the crowd held its breath, tryin' to believe it was only a freight
engine whistlin' for brakes, or somethin' like that. Then they began
to grin. Next some one touched off a giggle, and after that they
roared until they were wipin' away the tears.

Leonidas don't look quite so glum when he comes out to present the
reformed banjoist as Sir Henry Irving. He'd got his cue, all right,
and he hands out a game of talk about delayed genius comin' to the
front that tickled the folks clear through. The guy never seemed to
drop that he was bein' handed the lemon, and he done his worst.

I thought they'd used up all the laughs they had in 'em, but Montana
Kate as Ophelia set 'em wild again. Maybe you've seen amateurs that
was funny, but you never see anything to beat that combination.
Amateurs are afraid to let themselves loose, but not that bunch. They
were so sure of bein' the best that ever happened in their particular
lines that they didn't even k