, 1875-01-10

you see there was to me- grain OF humiliation
| in it. and would have borne hundred mea
humlliations first. l made desperate effort +
tight myself in the wrong way. and after secu1
ing respectable "Wardro5e" and havin
studied up my old F." lines pretty thoroughly
started IN for another tilt with Thespis at for
time. Bob; it didn't take. Tie critics went s,
| Tar as to intimate that WAS ''stick." and
poor one at that. But this stage business seem
ed my last resort, and clung to it as tenaciouai
Al did to my meauness &nd air-castles.
Contemptible as they show mo to have beeu
| Bob have gone over these things to show yor
my ability and special fitness to assume the car
and responsibility OF organizing and managing
the Grand Star Combination Company.
This was about the time the Dearborn Theatre
was completed, aud q little horid, baid-headed
man by the name OF jones' from Boston, was
the manager. lie was engaging new company
throughout. I had assaulted alI the orher Chi
cago managers without SUCCESS, and Bob. this
was my only hope. secured an interview with
this Jones at his ho1el, and came fatty to bust.
ness.
"Mr. Jones, I wiah to do your Juveniles"
This Boston MAINLAND haye had = kind Of
| grudGe against Boston ever since for it,-turnet1
his weak, bleary eyes upon me ferocious1y, CON-
menced Mt my toes, and took in all tho territory
| to my uppermost hair, slowly reversed the in
| spechon, and then said with pouDce:
You have tho liberty OF the door, air!'
bad heard, or read, that Thacheray once ap-
earlier
works, and, being refused, said: SIT you will
not iet me sketch, I'll wxlte." It came to me
like flash, and raising myself from tho blow to
my fullest height. I hurled .: him with all the
naeagre thunder Of my best practiced voice, sIf
you won't let me act, ri naoase." and, with
the conventional sage stride md Aide. mado y
magnificent exit as he smiled and mildly nur-
INJURED. Manage, and be id to you'll" My fate
was decided uas committed to nsnnse1inl
career; and from that moment ] Was to Ill per-
sons sons the stern, bsusque unappEoachable, the
demt-god theatrical manager. To this day
cannot so back to that time, though SO recent,
and classify the emotions and experiences which
came to me. / know that WAS : gigantic ftand.
az many other managers are but, after the cir
cumstances OF that morning had est&bllahod
their consequences, they followed naturally and
in order. Aftsr the fact Of my project became
known, suddenly found myself the ceutre OF
interest to vast number of dissatisfied '@a1tists
who wete in many instances. I must Say, good
actors; !; but the horde Of sticks," 'supes,"
and ballet-girls that infest every large
city, skirmishins around theatres and
where and how, that began renovating old boot
tops, Boiled tarletans. and other defnnct So prop
erties," and besiesed me- for gagements,"
could only be numbered by ona who could count
the STARS Or gather the leaves in autumn. had
never before felt that thrilling intoxication in-
dulged IN By the managerial and journalistic pro-
tession, Of welding absolute potoer had never
experienced the sublime satisfaction Of compel
ling bettor men than myself to humble, disclose
and abase themselves before me, that their M
plcations might seem the moro menlal, and their
refusal the more bitterly unfeeling; and NAV
heaven forgive me for the cruel edlcts that fell
from my managerial hrst
Bob copied the masters Of this science faith
fully.
As told you, the firms namo Was Guial L
Damsham. auial had been my stage mama. Yoa
will always find that stage.xtruck persons ara
either too ashamed, or proud, Of their real names
to use them. Damsham wea entirely fiction.
He stood for the bank; stood mine, too. My
first transaction WAS 1T tho printers. Orders for
elaborate letter-haads and cards,-for yon see
the thing must have solid and aristocratic air
about it,-half-sheet block letters, aud treble-
sheet posters, away up into the thousands, we're
given. An advance-agent was secured, a score
or go ''opera-houses leased, and the Iouta
billed in q most magnificent style.
As my schsme-so far ~ it twas Developed
vaa mast6Fly, so was epicurean in tho solec-
ton Of my people. Guial s Datnsham's Grand
Combination was not to belle its billing. My
wasre-basket careless1y held tho fates Of hun
dreds, and Hospitality received countless appIi-
cations spurred into eloquence and bad spelling
by the agony of unsatisted ambition (Iike my
OWN, OF the keener scourgo Of pressing board
bils.
But at last tho tina had arrived for the dep.r-
ture Of the Grand Star Combination Company
NY purse WAS empty, and my leading lady, OF
whom haa informed ths pubic 10 glowing style,
ana u2oa "hom MOST depended tor compelling
applause anu sheRels. had not arrived as engas-
ea. Parts had been assigned and rehearsed; !;
teunAs mere packed everything nus ttco things
my teaang lady and money-ready. The next
morning, snonid she not come, We would be
Waar1ns away to the West to bankruptcy and
ruin. Darlng my eho1f lease OF snobblsh power
1t bad not come to the managerial mind that
mistakes Of this Kind might occur, but now, as
they stared me in the faee, was half frantic: I
rushed to tue Western Union Telegraph Office,
and after doing a. immense business, sending
messages to Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, New
York, and to BROOKLYN, WheEo she resided. re- |
selred the reply: Your company fraud
S.aA retqan hundTea dollars bonus Jgf fTottole*"
When fully reallzed What relation that an
swer bore to my affairs at that time. was all
'ut crazed- My tlrst impulse was to deliver my
'eH mp TO the doubtful mercles OF my deluded
:ompany. IL was too MUCH | couldn't do it, /
Bob. Being = mornl coward, | couldn't do it.
The next. was for money, fight, and for soma
'ther huge enterprise. was then on the corner
u Clark and Lake streets. SAW by jewelers.
lock-mJ watch had been "spouted that
here we're fifteen minutes before the last train
1ould leave on the wisconsin Division OF the
}hlcago d northwestern railroad; and pluog-
ID for the h1nzle street depot
Bob, was going home!
~ that nayN. |