Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-19
PEEPS BEHIND THE SCENES.

4 There is no rose without a thorn.
Any one who might have wandered
in behind the scenes at the Mon
tague benefit at Booths Theater
the other day-as is the custom
with people who have an entree on
such Occasions-would have been
edited by a number of episodes
which the audience would have en-
joyed as hearty as the play, could
they have been witness to them.
Montague worked as hard in the
wings as before the footlights, and
there was the excitement of a
special ola podrida entertainment
about it all that was highly enter
tanning. Standing at the wings at
the prompt side was such a miscel-
laneOus crowd as such an affair
never fails to bring out. Mingled
with the leading actors and actresses
were the smaller people Of the thea
ter = scene shifters, carpenters,
" dressers," "swell" or two who
had got in to congratulate Mr..
Montague, and the usual shabby,
nondescript women whom we gene
rally hold to be the mothers Of the
minor actresses for want of more
complete knowledge. On the stool
usually occupied by the prompter
sat Miss COghlan watching the
performance after her share had
been finished, and a poverty-stricken
figure in the crowd, with a face
powdered to indicate an interesting
pallor, is perceived to be Kate Clax.
ton, gotten up for the inevitable
blind orphan, a role of which she
declares herself heartily sick. The
pretty girl near her is her sister,
Margaret Cone, who is also an ac-
trcss, and there is Arthur Sewell,
Lester Wallack's son-in-law; the
handsome and amiable Wright
Sanford, of the Union Club; Ste
VensOn, the actor, who wears the
dress Of Pierre, and score of 9th.
ers. When l first come through the
passage way | hear hySterical sobS
from a very little girl, and, soothing
her, the kind tones of Ehie Ger,
mon and Nine Ponisi. The little
girl is Eva French, juvenile prod.
ICY, whose efforts in "a Celebrated
Case" were much admired. She
certainly is used to the footlights,
having faced them over a hundred
nights in one piece; but she has had
no rehearsal for her role in "The
Romance of a Poor Young Man" ,"
and, losing her small head, began
to weep, proceeding which evoked
encouragement from her associates
and applause from the audience,
She retired, sobbing Justify, and
even when Montague reappeared,
bearing her in his arms, she refused
TO be comlorted. Now she is most
wretched. Don't cry, DEAR" said
Miss Germon. 'It's all right, poor
childI said Nine Ponisi. "Of
course, without a rehearsal, poor
dear!" And the small actress
bushes her sobs and consigns her
self to her dressing-room. From
the wings one can see Lingard max
ing his changes. He has a man to
help, and his handsome wife also
lends fair hand with his toggery.
OF course, he maintains his dress
suit beneath it all, but it is warm
work. There is a shout of merri.
ment in the house-Lingard comes
out as "Sarony"-and the audience
"twig' the queer little photogra-
pher at once. By-the-way, Sarony
himself occupied a box at the Park
'rheater the other night, and when
Lingard appeared in his counterfeit
prcsentment, the attention of the
house was divided between the real
ity and imitation. There was shout
after shout of laughter. Sarony
withdrew a little into the box, but
his handsome young wife sat coolly
and evidently not well pleased at
this travesty of her lord. She is a
very pretty woman, with purple
black hair and blue eyes, and is used
constantly as q model of beauty
and "style" by the grotesque little
artist. After Lingard has disap-
peared, there is long wait and a
great deal of confusion and trouble
about setting the stage. The car
Nenter's won't stir a hand until they
are paid by their leader, who has
gone in front with the money, pre-
sumabiv to see the performance. All
one moment Montague is the CEN
Ter of an excited group, giving it to
them well; at another Stevenson
stands there with flashing eyes, and,
in the meantime, the orchestra
plays through its repertoire. FL
nally, the master carpenter appears
on the scene, and matters proceed,
81 can't blame them, poor devils"
says Montague, with bis Wopted