Outing . rophe of a puppet falling to the The Most Popular Play in the World 475 floor at the very moment his presence isdemanded upon the stage. The third step of my preparation was acareful comparison and study of the dif-ferent versions of the play, consultationwith professional puppet-showmen as tothe various methods now in vogue withthem, and a thorough reading up ofliterature on the general subject. It proved a vastly entertaining quest andbefore Punch came upon the stage for hisinitial appearance under my management, I was more thoroughly than ever underthe spell of his elfish personali
Outing . rophe of a puppet falling to the The Most Popular Play in the World 475 floor at the very moment his presence isdemanded upon the stage. The third step of my preparation was acareful comparison and study of the dif-ferent versions of the play, consultationwith professional puppet-showmen as tothe various methods now in vogue withthem, and a thorough reading up ofliterature on the general subject. It proved a vastly entertaining quest andbefore Punch came upon the stage for hisinitial appearance under my management, I was more thoroughly than ever underthe spell of his elfish personality. Though I began, as I have said, with butseven puppets and knew that the historicequipment included anywhere from ten totwenty actors, I had little difficulty inadapting a version to my limited cast whichserved every essential and legitimate re-quirement of the play itself and met theinstant approval of my not too criticalaudience. Moreover there was a questionas to the propriety of patterning the per-. The cast. 476 The Outing Magazine formance too closely upon the old Englishversion. In the end I sacrificed PrettyPoll on the ground of questionable char-acter, and Scaramouch, The Courtier, TheBlind Man and Toby, because I did nothave them. Notwithstanding this curtail-ment of the dramatis personae 1 found itquite enough of a play, and quite enoughof strenuous activity inside the templeto compass, within half an hours time, theforcible dismissal or absolute annihilationof every member of the cast save the herohimself. the operator appeared, Pollock expostu-lated with the fellow at this violation ofmost sacred tradition. 1 know it, sur,responded the showman, dejectedly, 1ates to do it and it adnt ought to be done,but ye see, I cawnt elp it, sur, its allalong o these meddlin curates, sur. Though the present writer has yet tosuffer at the hands of the meddlin cur-ates, he has, in deference to delicate sug-gestion and with inward regret, presentedat church fairs and kindred func
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