of stage hero. What we would like for a change would be a man who
wouldn't cackle and brag quite so much, but who was capable of taking
care of himself for a day without getting into trouble.



THE VILLAIN.

He wears a clean collar and smokes a cigarette; that is how we know he
is a villain. In real life it is often difficult to tell a villain
from an honest man, and this gives rise to mistakes; but on the stage,
as we have said villains wear clean collars and smoke cigarettes, and
thus all fear of blunder is avoided.

It is well that the rule does not hold off the stage, or good men
might be misjudged. We ourselves, for instance, wear a clean
collar--sometimes.

It might be very awkward for our family, especially on Sundays.

He has no power of repartee, has the stage villain. All the good
people in the play say rude and insulting things to him, and smack at
him, and score off him all through the act, but he can never answer
them back--can never think of anything clever to say in return.

"Ha! ha! wait till Monday week," is the most brilliant retort that he
can make, and he has to get into a corner by himself to think of even
that.

The stage villain's career is always very easy and prosperous up to