He Got the Part.

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 82

He Got the Part.

When Bertie Badactor took to flying, his company took to wondering how long he would remain ail in one piece. And on© day the inevitable happened. Bertie Badactor soared away into the blue skies and. never came back.

“There, that’s done it!” groaned the individual who combined the duties of manager, prompter, ticket-collector, and pro-gramme-seller. “No one can do those lightning change® like poor old Bert, and, besides, we haven’t a spar© man!” “Try stiokin’ a notice up outside the ’all,” suggested the orchestra. They tried it. The notice read, “Wanted at once, a'quick-change actor to play Roderic the Ruffian in “Office Too Often.” And it brought a lean, longhaired specimen of humanity to the stage door.

"You look villainous enough," agreed the manager, "tout are you any good at quick changes?" "Am I?" replied the applicant, with a wink. "Well, listen, to this. I was playing in 'Fighting for Life.' Know it? In the third act the hero and the villain have a scuffle, and a friend comes in and separates them. I was the villain, but one night the other two fell ill. Would you believe it, sir," lie concluded impressively, "I played all three parts 1"