An Eccentric Moon

Thomas Brown was employed at a theater a few years ago as a kind of utility man, and one night the manager put him behind the scène at the rear of the stage to take care of the moon. Brown had a candle on the end of a long pole, and it was his duty to hold the light behind the moon, which was merely a round unpainted spaee in tho ourt.iiii, and to pull the curtain slowly up to represent the rising of the moon. Brown seated himself on a piece of baronial castle, and while waiting for the order to go to work he feil asleep. Presently the tragedian on the stage said to the heroine: "Swear by yoa bright moon," etc., etc., and turned to point to it; butthe orb of night was not there. That stage-manager flew around and gave Brown a kick, and in a frenzy ordered him "to h'ist that mooa quick!" Brown was bewildered, and without waiting for further orders he ran the curtain clear up with one jerk, when the cord broke and down it carne again. Another string was hurriedly rigged on the pulley, and the moon began to rise properly; but Brown's nerves were so unstrung by fright that he couldn't hold the candle steadily behind ie, so that there were fifteen or twenty eclipses during the ascent, the light meanwhile wandering all over the curtain, to the infinite amusement of the audience. However, the luminary got safely up at last, and the tragedian again observed: "Swear by yon bright moon;" but before the words were fairly out the cord snapped again, the curtain unrolled with velocity, and broke loose 'from the X'Olier, reVealing Brown. tLa }.,...,- oio vator, roaming around in his shirt sleeves with a candle on a stick. A moment later the manager was fumbling among his hair, and that very night Brown closed his theatrical career.