Told About Sir Henry.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 53

Told About Sir Henry.

Most; people have heard with what care, taTishness, and utter disregard of expend Sir Henry Itviog always mounts the plays produced at the Lyoeutn Theatre, and the two following stories, whioh come from the highest source, well illustrate this fact. One day, about 11 o'clock In the forenoon, Me Haw 6« Craven, the eminent soanfo artist, who ha« mads the Lyceum scenery so celebrated, arrived at the theatre to find a telegram fromManchester, where Sir Henry was that weak acting, to the effect that a most important scene — a front oloth — had been burnt through a rather nasty accident ; and Sir Henry asked if Mr Craven coold paint another oloth and hate it at Manchester by 11 that night, this particular scene only being required towards the very last. The confident answer iv, return was that tba scene should be ready, and a messenger was at once sent to the general manager of one of rhi great railway companies asking thattbe n-~- n when ready should be placed upon « trucir at certain late afternoon express train. .; hers came iv a hitch. The scene would bs «v ten rolled up not less than 45ft ia length, and the railway men all said " Impossible." The matter was talked over in every, way, bat the only thing that the railway people could suggest, 4Dxiou« as they were to oblige, was a special train, price £60; and Sir Henry, on being wired to this effect, replied, " If nothing else posnible, take special." Ultimately, however, the railway manager said, if all risks were waived, that the scene should be lashed along the footboarft.of an express car and carried at a charfc of £10. Then permission had to . be obtained of the police authorities for such a lengthy article to bo carried through the streets during the busy hoars of traffic, and in this way one of Sir Henry's managers was kept running all day. Mr Craven finished a beautiful oloth in time for the 5 o'clock afternoon express, and the special emissary who took the scene down to Manchester arrived just in time to have the huge canvas taken through the streets and hung in the theatre, Sir Henry's comment to a great Lancashire magnate being, M There, I told you that it would be done." When the Lyceum manager was about to play the part of Don Quixote he sent out trusted emiisaries to find for him the most angular and sorry-looking horse they could Ijght upon, for he felt that completeness demanded an effective j Rosinanto. One of the emissaries at last, in the Eas ton road, found a most miserable and dejected animal ia a four-wheeled cab, and this, to the deep surprise of cabby, was brought before Sir Hanry, who bought the animal there and then for £4. The creature was in a terrible condition, and direotly the man had gone Sir Henry said to one of his men, " Take this wretched creature away and have it poleaxed out of its misery." He had actually bought the- animal in order to end its pains and miseries. So tired did he become of seeing the lamentable condition of the animals before him, that he at last bought a very decent horse, and had fitted to this every night a complete suit of canvas, and this latter was mosb wonderfully painted to show angularities and gaunt peculiarities of all kinds. The effect thus produced wss infinitely greater than could have been the case had s> genuine Animal in horriblacase been used. < :\ ,

*— Empty. — Algernon : " Then ai you will not marry me, there if nothing left for me feat to blow my brains oat." Tbe Girli " Now, Algy, don't think to move me \>7 your impty threats^

— Mother: "How did papa's new book get In this condition?" Bobby: "Why, 1 mamma, I beard papa say last night that the book was too dry for him, so I pat it in the hath tab and let the water ran."