“Certainly not!” said Beresford.
“Well,” demanded the other, “what, then, is the purpose of the damned game?”
§ 185 The Withdrawal of the Candidate
When Miss Annie Oakley, the famous rifle shot, was traveling through the country giving exhibitions of her skill at theatres, she reached a small town in Texas; and her manager inserted an advertisement in the home paper for a smart colored boy to assist in the performance. Applicants were instructed to apply at the stage door of the local opera house at one P. M. sharp.
When the manager arrived he found the passageway congested with little negroes, each eager to testify to his smartness. He made a selection, picking out a spry boy of about twelve. He took his applicant inside and stationed him near the wings.
“You will stand right here and not move,” he said. “When the curtain goes up, Miss Oakley will come out and talk to the audience for a few moments. Then I will balance a small apple on your forehead and the lady will go over on the other side of the stage yonder and shoot it off.”
The candidate grabbed for his hat, his eyes wildly rolling in search of the nearest path to safety.
“Mistah,” he demanded, “who’s goin’ to shoot whut apple offer whose haid? Me, w’y I wouldn’t let mah own mammy shoot no apple offer mah haid, let alone it’s some stranger!”
And he was gone.