I began "spouting" what I had learned, but was interrupted by Buntline: "Tut! tut! you're not saying it right.

You must stop at the cue." "Cue! What the mischief do you mean by the cue?
I never saw any cue except in a billiard room," said I.Buntline thereupon explained it to me, as well as to Jack, who was ignorant as myself concerning the "cue" business.
"Jack, I think we had better back out and go to hunting again," said I.
"See here, boys; it won't do to go back on me at this stage of the game.
Stick to it, and it may be the turning point in your lives and lead you on to fortune and to fame." "A fortune is what we are after, and we'll at least give the wheel a turn or two and see what luck we have," said I.This satisfied Buntline, but we didn't study any more after he left us.

The next morning we appeared at rehearsal and were introduced to the company.

The first rehearsal was hardly a success; and the succeeding ones were not much better.

The stage manager did his best to teach Jack and myself what to do, but when Monday night came we didn't know much more about it than when we began.
The clock struck seven, and then we put on our buckskin suits, which were the costumes we were to appear in.