Miscellany.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 486, 11 March 1881, Page 2

Miscellany.

MR. EAFT'B DEBUT

Mr Tornado Raft has recovered from hie injuries. The way he got hurt was this :—Mr Raft was appointed by a certain up-country missionary society to investigate the theatre and ccc if it is a really wicked thing. Hβ came to Boston and called on a manager and explained his business, and the manager told him he was to go behind the scenps of his theatre and witness how things were done. Mr Raft accepted. The piece being produced that night was a spectacular one, and Mr Raft wandered about among imps and goblins and fairies until he got under the stage ani,. unperceived and unaware, stood upon a trap.

A devil was to be shot up through that trap to the stage, and, just as ho came up, somebody on the stage was to make a vicious wnck at him,which he was to dodge. The machinist who worked the trap just simply glanced at it, caw that & big man was on it, thought it was all light, and shot it up. Rift felt himself going up. Raft, bewildered by his novel position, was not prepared to dodge it, and got the blow, a poAverful one, over the head. It sent him flying clear across the stage It was in the play for every ont to kick nt the devil, while he was to dexterously dodge every blow, and the man whom Raft fell near didn't, in the excitment of the moment, notice that it wasn't the devil, and kicked at Raft, and as Raft didn't ho got hit and was lifted clear up the stage to where another man kicked him, and then he was terribly scared and b"gan to yell, and the audience, which thought it was part of the play, cheered, and then another man kicked him and then another nnd another, and shrieking wildly he flew about like a foot-ball, until finally he rolled at the heels of a trick mule on the stage, and the animal kicked him into the orchestra, and as he fell he broke two fiddles and a trombone, while hie head got stuck into a kettle-drum.

Thin wildly excited the orchestra, and by that lime the actors had found out that there was some mistake, as the real "devil" came up through the trap. So proceedings were stopped while Mr Itatt was extricated and taken to :hegroen-room. The manager went to him and .nsked him what (lie Old Harry he meant by getting upon the f-tage and disturbing the piece, and Raft said it was a conspiracy to slay him. Finally the matter was explained, and Raft w»e sent to the hospital on .". hack. He has repotted to (lie society that the theatre ia the wickedest place in existence and actors tho wickedest people.