before night.

"Spider" Pomeroy, six feet six then, when a boy, (he has grown some
since), celebrated Alfred's return more uproariously than any one person
in the town. Alfred supplied him with a ticket early in the morning. By
noon "Spider" had obtained six tickets, always claiming he had lost the
other one. When the doors opened, "Spider" ran over the small boys in
his way, brushed the ticket taker aside, entering without a ticket he
perched himself on the top of Lee Wagoner's improvised circus seats, his
legs doubled up until his knees stuck up on either side above his head
like a grasshopper.

He sat through the first part. The minstrel with the staying qualities
was laboring with a monologue. "Spider", after his strenuous day, was
sleeping off his exuberance. At the dullest part in the monologist's
offering, "Spider" let go all holds. The skating rink was built on
piles, over the river's bank. One walking on the floor, their footsteps
awakened echoes. When "Spider" hit that floor--and he hit it with all
his frame--legs, arms, feet and head, all at one time, it sounded as if
the building had collapsed. All were on their feet looking towards the
back of the rink. As "Spider" lit, the monologist shouted: "There goes
another old friend of Alf's." It came in pat. The audience grasped it
and the monologist established a reputation for originality. "There goes
another old friend of Alf's" is a common saying in Brownsville until
this day.

The property man that first season was a German, new in the minstrel
game. He is now a capitalist and probably would not relish the
disclosing of his name.

Chas. Sweeny, the stage manager, was a stickler for realism. In the
burlesque of "The Lime Kiln Club," one climax was the sound of a cat
fight on the roof. The cats were supposed to fall through the skylight.
Every member of the lodge was supposed to have his dog with him--colored
people are fond of dogs. When the cats fall into the lodge room, every
dog goes after them. Fake, or dummy cats were prepared for the scene
and used during rehearsals. The first night Sweeny ordered Gus, the
property man, to procure two live cats. Gus, stationed on a very high
step-ladder in the wings, at the cue was to throw the cats on the stage.
Gus was heard to remark: "You all better hurry or send some von to
manage one of dese cats." The cat fight was heard on the roof. The glass
in the skylight was heard to break. The cats were, with great
diff