Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-10-10
Anecdotes o: The STAGE

Mr.. Gilbert relates the folloE!uz IN
ciieui II regard 20 a. actor Oi the ullea
school EArsed FOOte This geutiesaau.
when lie ~As sober, Uas = valuable al
clifton 20 any eulEauy. ba;, like =
crea, MANY otasr valuable u4eu % tie
stage at thAi iime-nen Of = class Los
s-ld.tn net wIih-Ee would so.zetlIaes
drink more than bis legs would carry.
one evening Sben IN this condition he
came into the theater and announced,
Just a. the curtain Ms gong up. that
he hal not been able g. learn his part,
but that lie vas sure he could read 1t
correctly Il tie audience would allow
h,m To 10 80. In despair the stag
manager went before the curtain, stated
that Mr.. Ioute had been too unwell to
learn his part. and asked Il the ever
generous public, etc, would bear with
him while lie read 1t. The :" ever gen
erous public. represented by the gal
lery boys, consented to Lear with him,
and the play commenced. When 1t
was time for Foote to 60 on, however,
he suddenly discovered that he could
not see To read, and wildly called for n
pair Of spectacles. Again the stage
manager. who seems to have been a
rather innocent sort of person, went to
, the footlights, and asked if Mr.. Foote
, might wear his spectacles while read
ing his part. The occupants of the
gallery, who were particularly good
humored, cried Eyes, yes; let him have
his spectacles," and the manager bowed
his thanks and retired. But still Foote
- ..t;.E,.l 10 .1nnl.raI chat N
spcctacles were not enough, that no
gentleman could be expected to strain
his eyes in the dim light of the stage,
darkened as it would be during his
scenes, and in all earnestness he vowed
he would not read his part unless he
was allowed to do so by the light of a
candle. This was more than even the
easy going manager could bear, and the
curtain was rung down, while arrange
ments were made to supply Foote'S
place.
While at the Princess Theater, dur
ing Mr.. Gilbert's engagement, Mr.. Mac
ready was playing Richelieu" to a
crowded house, and seemed to be in a
particularly good humor for him. All
went we'll until one scene in which,
while the Cardinal" is seated at one
end of the stage, Joseph goes to a
door ut the other, and, opening it, an
nounces Marion Delorme." Mr.. Gill
bert was playing the part of Joseph"
and at the proper time went to the door,
opened it, and made the announcement,
standing aside to allow the actress who
was playing,the part Of" Marion" to en-
ter. She did so, staggered across the
stage to where Macready was waiting
for what he made one of his great scenes,
and dropped ut his feet so limp and
powerless from drink that she could not
speak word. With look of mute ap-
peal to the flies, aud the ejaculation,
Great heaven what have l done to
deserve this p he began slowly to rise
fr,m his chair, and the curtain fell.
AS it did so, Macready, still enacting
the part of an old and feeble man, even
after he was out of sight of the audi
ence, tottered feebly to his feet, looked
ut the PROSTATE actress, and muttering,
- Beast beast y still with the shaking
limbs OF Richelieu, walked slowly Off
the stage to his dressing-room.
Then there was an uprOar in the the
ater; the occupants of the pit cheered,
the people in the galleries shouted, and
the stage manager, at his wits ends,
went TO the 'star dressing-room, and,
knocking timidly, called: " Mr.. Mac
ready Mr.. Macready!'
"Well, sir, well; WHAT it?' came
in slow and measured tones from the
dressing room.
~ want to know what we are to do,
sir" walled the unfortunate stage man
ager.
"Do, sir, do-how the devil do
know what you are to do? It was not I
who made Marian Delorme' drunk |"
But if you please, Mr.. Macready,
won't you go on the stage again ?"
"Of course l will, of course-I am
here to do my duty, but must have q
sober Marion Delorme.' Don't stand
there Whispering, now, but set me a
Marion Delorme,'" and straightway
tho manager rushed to find some one
who could play the part. At last he
succeeded; Macready was induced to
take his seat on the stage. The curtain
rosa. Gilbert announced "Marion De-
lorme," and the old woman of the COM
pany, very fat and ugly, who could
have played " Mother Frochard" to the
life, tramped across the stage to the
Cardinal Macready looked at her,
raised his shaking hands to the flies,
and groaned aloud, but she was sober,
knew her lines, and he went on with
the play.
EARTH EATERS. Many Indians eat
clay. partly to still hunger, partly to
create inward comfort, and partly to
season their food. In many regions of
Africa clay or loan is devoured, simply
rs an article of food, as Munge Park
states. In Tripoli the women eat an
sh.gray earth called maulun, as Rau-
wolf informs us. In the time of fam
inc the most various substances are
eaten. During the thirty years war,
fossil dust was consumed in Pomerania,
Dessau and other places. Travellers in
the polar regions have often cooked
and eaten the soles of their shoes. In
Java, China, Siam and Bengal clay is
generally eaten; even vessels of clay