this helped but if it hadn't been for me it
would have been a bad failure. It was all I could do to keep it
going; I nearly worked myself sick. I'm going to ask Palmer to
raise my wages. Palmer praised all of us, but I know he was
lying because every time Jake or Tom made a mistake he cussed.
Palmer does all the talking for all the characters; the way he
can change his voice you'd swear there were several people
talking. He is hid from the audience and of course they think
it's the characters that talk. In spite of Gideon's advice,
Palmer gave Jake the part of Christian. The first scene is a
field. Jake, as Christian, is discovered standing in the middle
of the field. Here is where the pilgrimage begins. Jake is
supposed to be reading a book and asks: "What shall I do to be
saved?" Jake held the book in his hand, not looking at it but at
the audience, smiling. From behind the scenes Palmer hissed;
"Look serious! Look worried! Read the book! Hold the book up! Oh
you dam Dutch galoot look scared!" Jake only smiled louder. I
know Jake didn't hear a word Palmer said. I could hear him
breathing from where I stood. You know Christian is dressed in
ragged clothes, he has a burden on his back. Palmer wrapped an
old coffee sack about a big stone and this was fastened on
Jake's back to represent Christian's burden.

I was Evangelist. I had a long, white robe on and wore a wig
with long curls; not yellow curls like you used to make me wear,
but black curls, with a blue ribbon around my forehead. I walked
solemn towards Jake; I looked at him a little while, then I
raised my hand, pointing the roll of parchment and, in the most
saddest way I could speak, I said: "Wherefore dost thou cry?"
Jake said easy like, "Not by a tam sight." Palmer came right in
with the proper speech: "If I be not fit to go to prison I am
not fit to go to judgment and thence to execution. The thoughts
of these things make me cry." Here Jake looked at me, then at
Palmer; then he winked at me. I could scarcely go on with my
speech: "If this be thy condition, why standest thou still?" "I
don't vant to, I'd rather valk to Bedford dan stan' dis way
still," was Jake's reply. A number of those nearest the platform
overheard Jake but Palmer came in quickly with: "Because I
knoweth not whither to go." I didn't give Jake