gnaled with his
hand. Everything went along smoothly enough until _King John_ (Mr.
Hammer) came to the passage, "Ah, me! this tyrant fever burns me up!"
Just as _King John_ was about to utter this the manager brushed a fly
off of his nose, and Schenck, mistaking the movement for the appointed
signal, blew out a frightful blare upon his bugle. The _King_ was
furious and the manager made wild gestures for Schenck to stop, but
that estimable German musician imagined that the manager wanted him to
play louder, and every time a fresh motion was made Schenck emitted a
more terrific blast The result was something like the following:

_King John_. "Ah, me! this tyrant--"

_Schenck_ (with his cheeks distended and his eyes beaming through
his spectacles). "Ta-tarty; ta-ta-tarty, rat-tat tarty-tarty-tarty,
ta-ta-ta, tanarty-arty, te-tarty."

_King John_. "Fever burns--"

_Schenck_. "Rat-tat-tarty, poopen-arty, oopen-arty,
ta-tarty-arty-oopen-arty; ta-ta; ta-ta-ta-tarty poopen-arty, poopen
a-a-a-arty-arty."

_King John_. "Ah, me! this--"

_Schenck_ (ejecting a hurricane from his lungs).
"Hoopen-oopen-oopen-arty, ta-tarty; tat-tat-ta-tarty-ti-ta-tarty;
poopen-ta-poopen-ta-poopen-ta-a-a-a-tarty-whoop ta-ta."

_King John_ (quickly). "Tyrant fever burns me up."

_Schenck_ (with perspiration standing out on his forehead).
"To-ta ta-ta. Ta-ta ta-ta tatten-atten-atten arty te-tarty
poopen oopen-oo-oo-oo-oo-oopen te-tarty ta-ta-ar-ar-ar-te
tarty-to-ta-a-a-a-_a_-A-+A+-+_A!_+"

_King John_ (to the audience). "Ladies and gentlemen--"

_Schenck_. "Ta-ta, ta-ta, ta-ta, poopen-oopen, poopen-oopen, te-ta,
tarty oo-hoo oo-hoo-te tarty arty, appen-arty."

_King John_. "There is a German idiot behind the scenes here who is--"

_Schenck_. "Whoopen-arty te-tarty-arty-arty-ta-ta-a-a-a tat-tarty."

_King John_. "Blowing infamously upon a horn, and--"

_Schenck_. "Poopen-arty."

_King John_. "If you will excuse me--"

_Schenck_. "Pen-arty-arty."

_King John_. "I will go behind the scenes and check him in his wild
career."

_Schenck_. "Poopen-arty ta-tarty-arty poopen-a-a-a-arty
tat-tat-ta-tarty."

Then _King John_ disappeared and a scuffle was heard, with some
violent expressions in the German language. Ten minutes later a
gentleman from the Fatherland might have been seen standing on the
pavement in front of the theatre with a bugle under his arm and a
handkerchief to his bleeding nose, wondering what on earth was the
matter.