“Now, one at a time, please,” advised the theatrical man. “You’ll each be given a chance. I may add,” he went on, turning to the audience, “that the prizes will be awarded by a popular vote, as manifested by applause. The performer getting the most applause will be considered to have won the five dollars, and so with the other two prizes.” The amateurs began. Some of them did very well, while others only made laughing stocks of themselves. One of the girls did remarkably well in reciting a scene from Shakespeare. At last it came Jack’s turn. He was a little nervous as he faced the footlights, and saw such a large crowd before him. A thousand eyes seemed focused on him. But he calmed himself with the thought that it was no worse than doing as he had often done when taking part in shows that he and his chums arranged. While waiting for his turn Jack had made an appeal to the property man of the auditorium, whom he knew quite well. The man, on Jack’s request, had provided the lad with some white and red face paint, and Jack had hurriedly made up as much like a clown as possible, using one of the dressing-rooms back of the stage for this purpose. So, when it came his turn to go out, his appearance was greeted with a burst of applause. He was the first amateur to “make-up.” Jack was, naturally, a rather droll lad, and he was quite nimble on his feet. He had once been much impressed by what a clown did in a small circus, and he had practiced on variations of that entertainer’s act, until he had a rather queer mixture of songs, jokes, nimble dancing and acrobatic steps. This he now essayed, with such good effect that he soon had the audience laughing, and, once that is accomplished, the rest is comparatively easy for this class of work on the stage. Jack did his best. He went through a lot of queer evolutions, leaped and danced as if his feet were on springs, and ended with an odd little verse and a backward summersault, which brought him considerable applause. “Jack’ll get first prize,” remarked Tom Berwick to his chums, when they had done applauding their friend. But he did not. The performer after him, a young lady, who had undoubted talent, by her manner of singing comic songs, to the accompaniment of the orchestra, was adjudged to have won first prize. Jack got second, and he was almost as well pleased, for the young lady, Miss Mab Fordworth, was quite a friend of his. “Well,” thought Jack, as the manager handed him the three dollars, “here is where I have spending money for a week, anyhow. I won’t have to see the boys turning up their noses because I don’t treat.” The amateur efforts closed the performance, and, after Jack had washed off the white and red paint, he joined his chums. “Say, Jack,” remarked Tom, “I didn’t know you could do as well as that.” “I didn’t, either,” replied Jack. “It was easy after I got my wind. But I was a bit frightened at first.”