Will Rossiter's Original Talkalogues by American Jokers — John Shaqi
Will Rossiter's Original Talkalogues by American Jokers
General
Will Rossiter's Original Talkalogues by American Jokers
American wit and humor
Scene 1: Curtain rises to terrific snow-storm. Thermometer 906 degrees
below faro—zero. Heroine, as poor flower-girl, enters in an automobile;
bunch of violets in each hand, bunch of roses in another, while with the
other she holds herself—erect. She wears a beautiful sealskin coat, and
a sad smile, for her parents have only five million dollars apiece and
no coal, and she has to help support the family by selling violets and
daffodils at so much per daffi.
“Fresh violets! Fresh roasted violets!” she cries. Enter chorus and sing
song in answer to The Maiden’s Prayer.
Exit chorus, enter villain, an icy smile on his face. Can you blame it?
“I have come to ask you for your hand.”
“I have only two. I have none to spare—I need them both!” the maiden
cries.
“O, car-r-ses! car-r-ses! and once again car-r-ses! Can nothing thaw
you?” the villain thus speaks.
“You are a bum actor. I cannot give you a hand. I can only give you the
frozen face.”
“Filed—foiled! in act first, but watch my smoke in act two.” Curtain,
VERY quick curtain.
ACT II
Scene 2: Same as in Act I, only more so.
The snow is still snowing. Nothing is heard but the howling of the
audience—howling of the wind. Enter the villain and Mickey the Mouse.
Villain bribes The Mouse to kidnap the heroine, tie her to the cold,
cold snow, go down to the river, bring it back, and make the heroine
take a cold plunge—to death.
Mickey the Mouse accepts. Enter Chasem Cheese, the brave detective. He
has been on the trail of the mouse so long that he has grown stale.
The Mouse smells Mr. Cheese. Exit The Mouse. Cheese follows closely,
still strong on the scent.
Heroine enters.
“Hot roses! Red-hot roses! Please buy my roses!”
Enter The Mouse. Womanlike, she screams at sight of The Mouse. He seizes
her and is just about to splash her into the river, which the
property-man has just pushed on. She begs him not to throw her into the
cold, cold water, but to wait until it’s warmer. “You had a mother
once,” she cries.
He did happen to have a mother once, and he relents; he waits until the
ice thaws, then he throws her in.
She is about to swallow the river, when the hero comes on and does a
song and dance. One more swallow and the river would vanish forever, but
the hero does not wait. He plunges in and gets his feet wet—all for the
love of her.
“Shaved—saved!” she cries; “you have saved my golden hair from being
lost forever!”
O, joy! exceeding joy! Exit sorrow until act third.
ACT III
Scene 1: Home of the poor flower-girl, on Fifth Avenue, New York.
Heroine discovered in boudoir of her wretched million-dollar residence.
Enter French maid with card.
“’Tis he!” the heroine screams—“my brave hair-restorer!”
She glides down the marble staircase; she would have done a two-step,
but the glide is more fashionable.
There is no handle on the front door, so she opens it with a glad smile.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account