第56章

The next scene discloses a large square box.Several colored persons are seen standing round the square box.The mariner who was killed in the last scene commences knocking off the cover of the box.He pulls the cover off, and up jumps the obedient slave and his wife! The obedient slave and his dear Julia fall out of the box.Great applause.They rush to the footlights and kneel.Quick music by the orchestra, in which the bass drum don't warble so much as she did."I'm free! I'M FREE! I'M FREE!!" shrieks the obedient slave, "O I'm free!" The stage is suddenly lighted up in a gorgeous manner.The obedient slave and his dear Julia continue kneeling.

The dead mariner blesses them.The Goddess of Liberty appears again--this time in a beaver overcoat--and pours some more incense on the obedient slave.An allegorical picture of Virtue appears in a red vest and military boots, on the left proscenium, John Brown the barber appears as Lady Macbeth, and says there is a blue tinge into his nails, and consequently he is an Octoroon.Another actor wants to define his position on the Euclid Street improvement, but is hissed down.Curtain descends amidst the admiring shouts of the audience, red fire, music, and the violent assertion of the obedient slave that he is free.

The play will not be repeated this evening, as was announced.The notice will be given of its next performance.It is the greatest effort of the kind that we ever witnessed.

1.62.A MAYORALTY ELECTION.

Messrs.Senter and Coffinberry, two esteemed citizens, are the candidates.Here's a faint attempt at a specimen scene.An innocent German is discovered about half a mile from the polls of this or that ward.A dozen ticket-peddlers scent him ("even as the war-horse snuffs the battle," etc.), see him, and make a grand rush for him.They surround him, each shoves a bunch of tickets under his nose, and all commence bellowing in his ears.Here's the ticket yer want--Coffinberry.Here's Senterberry and Coffinter.What the h--l yer tryin' to fool the man for? Don't yer spose he knows who he wants ter vote for, say! 'Ere's the ticket--Sen--Coff--don't crowd--get off my toes, you d--d fool! Workin' men's tickets is the ticket you want! To h--l wid yez workin' men's ticket, 'ere's the ticket yez want! No, by Cot, vote for Shorge B.Senter--he says he'll py all the peer for dems as votes for him as much more dan dey can trinks, by tam! Senter be d--d! Go for Coffinberry!

Coffinberry was killed eight times in the Mexican war, and is in favor of justice and Pop'lar Sovrinty! Oh gos! Senter was at the battle of Tippe-ca-noo, scalped twelve Injuns and wrote a treatise in Horse-shoeing! Don't go for Coffinberry.He's down on all the Dutch, and swears he'll have all their heads chopped off and run into sausages if he's lected.Do you know what George B.Senter says about the Germans? He says by -- they're in the habit of stealing LIVE American infants and hashing 'em up into head cheese.

By --! That's a lie! T'aint--I heard that say so with my own mouth.Let the man alone--stop yer pullin--I'll bust yer ear for yer yet.My Cot, my Cot, what tam dimes dese 'lections is.Well yez crowd a poor Jarman till death, yer d--d spalpanes, yez? Sen--Coff--Senterberry and Coffinter--Working Men's--Repub--Dem-whoop-h-l-whooray-bully-y-e-o-u-c-h!!