The Night I Lost My Pants and Dignity

I wonder why some things always happen at the wrong time; of course, I should have been more careful. Maybe I was nervous, though that is no excuse; you cannot leave anything unchecked.

It was a first performance before a well filled hall of our second play of that season and the play was "Smilin Through", which became a favorite of mine. It was a happy play with tears in it, also it was partly in costumes of long ago.

For the scene I wish to tell of, just imagine the scene: a lovely garden bordered with flowers and bushes, a tiny pool and a trellis and gate in the rear. On a seat mid-stage in a twilight effect, sits an old gentleman half asleep and probably thinking of the past. This is a play-back in the play and the gentleman is dressed in an appropriate costume of a long gone period, a long frocked coat, with stirruped trousers and a large cravat over a frilled shirt, collar and cuffs and a cane.

He awakens with a start at a slight sound at the trellis gate and stares in wonder as he sees a figure slowly approach- ing him after entering through the gate. As she approaches him with arms outstretched, he recognizes her as the sweet- heart he had lost long ago, and starts to rise.

The young lady had almost reached him when her pantalettes fell down round her ankles. They slid right down her silken clad legs and piled up around her feet. Only just, did she manage to regain her balance, almost falling over the old gentleman. In- stead of just stepping out of the pantalettes (as any mo- dern girl would) she bent down and as she pulled them up, she turned backwards to the audience, pulled up her dress and the crinoline and retied them into place around her waist securely. Turning back to the old gentleman

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she continued the scene and strangely enough, there was not even a giggle. The play carried on to the end with all the success it deserved.

The cause of the falling was of course in the fault of the tapes not being tied tightly enough and in not checking before the entrance. Tapes were a mistake in their being used and before the later performances, elastic was in- serted.

After the show, though, you can be sure that there was lots of banter and a lot of laughter.

young and sweet me? At the time of the falling pants. At nineteen, it seems a long time ago, the costume has been used quite a few times since.

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