THE DIPPERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2337, 3 July 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE DIPPERS.

A mistake as to the meaning of the word "dippers"brought the "Called Back" Dramatio Company into a strange experience at Waverley last week. " You see," said our informant, " When we were told that there were a lot of 'dippers' down there, ve thought they niean,t sheep shearers. We were told not,to go, but we knew that sheep shearers weie splendid fellows for a show, so we wouldn't be put off. Well, we opened there, and at 8 o'clock there were only fourteen in the House, We. thought that was hardly good enough to play "Called Bank" to. So one of us went in front and said we would return the people J their money; but a parky who had! come eight miles to see the performance pleaded so hard for us to give them something for their trouble, that we assembled on tbe stage, behind the curtain, to talk the matter over. We were in all sorts of rig-outs, some of us not at all ready for an appearance, and we wen talking over the matter as to what we should play, when, all of a sudden, up went the curtain, it being raised out of pure devilment by one of the chaps who had slipped aside, The rush to get off the stage, I oan tell you, was grand, Some of us, eveu the ladies, are not small, and as there is no room at the side of the Btage to stand, we got jammed in a side door in our attempt to rush off, But the most killing thing of all was ——, who ,was dressed for his part with his long coat, reaching to his heels, the tails of which got caught in the roller of the dr-jp scene, and it went up he was tugged off his feet into the air, and there be was dangling on bis toes for some seconds, He could not make out what on earth was the matter, Re kept shouting out to be let go, whilst those in the front were laughing and applauding something fearful.

Well, the curtain was let down again after a time, and then we decided to give the audience something. One suited thatJYshould put "Galled Back" all into one scene, and finish up with O'iMaghan on his Last Legs. However, the scene in " Called Back" was this; When the curtain was hauled up, there were two of our fellows, -one sitting on the table, and Bennie sitting by the piano. Well, in came Rede, who, in the coolest way possible, picked up little Bennii from the table, imd carries him off as if he was a child. Kennedy called out to him to bring him back, and that was BUV •' Called Back."

O'Oallaghan geneially lasts about forty-five minutes, but on this evening tho fellows kept it going for two solid hours, and the antics they cut, and the w 'iy they fetched the audience was

mora than I can describe. There were a lot of dogs in the hall, There were more dogs than men. Waverley is an awful place for dogs. As fast as we put one dog out, three others would walk in. Well, they bpt up barking and howling all the time, and the ''house' was nearly rolling off its seats with laughing, The fun. too,, was fast and fariouß on tho stage, It was a lively scene, I can tell you. How on earth ouv fellows managed to spin it out is a caution to, me, but\they did. In that part where the husband is supposed to go into the side room to mejt his long-lost wife—instead of doing that he hid behind the sofa and when O'Oallaghan was not looking, crawled out and gave him a fearful rise behind. Oh, I warrant you it startled him, You should huve seen how he jumped. Well, with these antics the piece filled up the night, and those in front said it was the beat play ever they had seen. They all came over to the pub. afterwards, and we could have swum in liquor if we had liked, There are n .lot of jolly good fellows there, but a fearful lot of dippers, I thought I knew a good deal, hut I never was sosold in my life. What do they call dippera J down there? Why those d—• ranters.

Of course as soon as the narrator began to get improper in his speech our representative'thought it better to part company,with him; bnt he. says wherever he'goes that "dipper" story goes with him.-Tavanaki Herald.