A PRACTICAL JOKE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 18, 21 January 1905, Page 12

A PRACTICAL JOKE.

With his friend Toole. Lionel Brojigh was rather priven to that form of Victorian humour known ns the practical joke. Once they were playing in "Dearer Than Life," a piece of TI. J. Byron's, at the Queen's Theatre, in Long Acre, and In this piece they represented two ancient paupers, dressed in rags and grimy. One day they had nn appointment to have their photographs taken by a "swagger" photographer in tl>> West End. got up as these ragged character?. After dressing, they had to wait for a while, so Toole proposer] thut they should go for a stroll in the streets In their tatterdemalion garb. They found themselves in a fashionable street, and. learning that a lord lived in one of the bouses, they immediately approached the strangers' entrance. On a powerful and duke-like flunkey appearing, they besought to be informed if Lord So-and-So was at home. The footman turned up his nose and ordered them off. "Got away," he said, "or I'll send for the police." They attempted to push past him, and, swore they must see his lordship, and the flunkey, in anger, swore as firmly that he would hand them over to the constable as a pair of beggars. Humble and sighing they withdrew. "Oh, well," they said, "if we can't see him, we can't. But just tell his lordship that his two poor cousins called from the workhouse, will you? Good-morning." And with that they left the poor flunkey scratching his head in misery and perplexity, ~