The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-17

And KITTY King laughs merrily.
GLOW was your house this afternoon i'' in
quires the tragedian in a cOntemptuOus tone.
"Splendid," is the reply.
"Splendid, eh ?" responds the leading man.
"Ah well Pleased with rattle, tickled with
a straw The public taste is sadly deterio-
rating. Why don't they patronize the legiti-
mate Why won't the public rush to see my
Lear for two years at a stretch ~
"Ah, that would be rather stretching good
nature" says Clown.
"The public would have to be as crazy as
Lear was, to do such a thing" says Pan
taloOn.
"Shut up l-perturbed spirit, !" growls the
tragedian; 'and give us a sup of your beer"
Spite of bubble and retoft, it is easy to per-
ceive that there is no ill-feeling here, and that
a spirit of jollity such as is seldom to be met
with elsewhere is prevalent.
think the actor chez lUi, if an actor may be
said to have chez tui, is very different
creature to that which he appears chez the
superficial and unprofessional observer.
The superficial and unprofessional observer
may judge the actor to be a stupid and unin-
teresting creature off the stage. He may
wonder where that genius is hidden which
shines out so brightly before the footlights.
He may even doubt the existence of
that genius, and be inclined to reconstruct
his former opinions concerning it.
The truth is that good actor on the stage is
generally poorer actor off it than any man in
society. He is reticent in speech, often awk-
ward in bearing. Perkins, who is in the dry
goods line, quite eclipses him in all the small
graces. Medoc, the wine merchant, who never
read play of Shakespeares quite through in
his life, spouts bad poetry among his friends
| till they all think he would have made a better
actor than the professional now delighting the
| town, who sits by in silence while Medoc airs
his abilities. Possibly even the professional
himself thinks so.
But put the actor among his fellows-and
| his fellOwesses-an believe me, he will in
stantly become quite sparkling and romantic
! creature, from whose tongue drop constant
| gems.
Among those who can quote back at
him, the actor does not hesitate to
| quote freely. Give him Milton and he re-
| spends with Shakespeare. Give him Pope and
he returns you Byron. And with his quotings
| he will mingle an everyday iargon which shall
| be full of huDlor, and often even of wit.
Mrs. Siddons stabbed the potatoes. My
tragic friend Uno, who plays Macbeth" so
| well, always murders a Duncan when he
| carves his Christmas turkey.
But bless you, there is no Christmas turkey
| here
And what is more
"Now then Lively Everybody to begin ="
The prompter is bawling in at the green
room door.
| Halt-past seven already
''And so ends my holiday hour this blessed
Christmas ~ murmurs the pretty ballet girl,
Kitty King, whom the call boy Smirkins so
strongly affects, but who heeds not his
| affection.
The curtain is up, and Kitty is on with the
rest.
"What did you find in your stocking, Sugar
| plums H'' whispers the call-boy in her ear in
one of her waits.
Kitty starts with surprise.
"Who told yOu to call me Sugar-plums ?''
she says.
'My heart says smirkins, signing heavily,
and placing his hand over his watch-pocket.
''NO offense, hopeH'
"You surprised me So" says Kitty; "for
that is what used to be called when was a
little girl.'
"Would we had met in that happy day.
says Smirkins with another sigh.
Gas for the Stocking says Kitty, "there
was nothing in it,"
"But you did not take it down ?" says
Smirkins.
"No."
"Don't then. Let it hang. Sometimes
Santa Claus comes along on Christmas night
You'll find something in it tomorrow morn
ing"
''Ladies of the ballet - cries the prompter.
"Ladies of the ballet !" echoes the ll-boy.
Kitty being one of the ladies of the ballet,
goes off with the rest in the glare of the foot
lights again.
Smilkins mutters to himself, as he walks
away,
"I'll put something in her stocking, if have
to steal the money to buy it with"
A wicked and most inexcusable resolve, you
think; but them perhaps you never have beer
so much in love as Smirkins was-or at leas
SO often.
At last came the transformation
scene again, and standing on her pedestal as i
went round and round, with nothing to dC
but point at her gilded vase and retain he
attitude, Kitty King thought again of that fool
ish Stocking on the door post.
Oh no doubt it was very foolish Stocking
or at least she had been very foolish to hanl
it there.
But the truth is that when she was a chilt
not very long ago-Kitty lived in pleasant
little village where it was the custom to hanl
your stocking on the door-post.
Yes; but those village girls with whom
was the custom had fathers and mothers, anC
brothers and sisters.
Kitty had none.
And some of them-the big girls-hat
beaux.
Kitty had one. smirkins. Not much of
one, but all she had. She didn't think mucl
of him.
In the first place, Smirkins was too old t.
| suit Kitty's fastidiOus taste. In the mex
place, Smirkins was nothing but call-boy
and rather a stupid call boy at that, and in
capable of taking care of himself, let alone
wife. In the next place, Smirkins was alway
falling in love with somebody or other, ant
making fool of himself in the most unblush
| ino