Sand As An Understudy

Jack Moynihan. knowuchiefly tofarne from the fact that he managed a play called "The Soarecrow, " which was ■written by a Chicago newspaper man, and which ran oue consecutive night in St. Louis, tells of the only actor he ever knew as being legally executed. On the day before the execution the couderuned man called the sheriff to his cell. "Arewegoing to haveagood house?" he inquired of the official. "Fairly good, I guess," was the reassuring answer. "Have yon papered the town pretty well?" "Twohundred tickets totbesad event have been issued." "Worked upanyfake about confession and previous crimes to rouse interest and give free advertising?" "I think the newspaper mea have been pretty vigilant. " "Do yon think you care to rehearse the thing so as to get your lines?" "I don 't believe it %vill be necessary. Everytbing has been designed pretty well. We tested the gallows and rope with a 400 pound sack of sand just an hour ago. " "Sand? Saud? The tbuuder yon say ! Do you mean to teil rae, a inan who has gone ou with Forrest and Keau, tbat yon are using an iufernal dumpy sack of saud for my understudy, and that you depend on your rehearsal with it to see you through? Here you've goue aud got a paoked house just on the strength of my star part, and yet you insult the dignity of the professiou by running on a sack of sand to rehearse the leads with. Well, 111 waru you of one thing - if your rehearsal fails of effect, and yon find you've forgotten your lines, you needn"t expect me to invent a lot of business at the trying time and to make a gag talk just to fill in a stage wait. I'm a game sport, but my dignity has been stepped on by you and your sack of sand. -