Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-28
LOUISE VI. ALCOTT.
Her First Story and Her First Five
Dollars.

Mrs Moulton. in a newly-published work on
notable women, thus writes of Louise Alcctt:
Miss Alcott's first full grown romantic story
was printed in 'Gieason's Pictorial. and for this
She received five dollars. All. who of us scribes
does not remember the pride and pleasure
with which we received our first five dollars
earned by literature; and why is a beginners
recompense always five dollars. no more. no
less' This first published story appeared in
1891, when Miss Alcott was nineteen years Of
age The next year she sent TO the Boston Sat
muGy Ercntng Gazette The Rival Prma
Donnas which was accepted. and muniicently
as II then seemed. rewarded with ten dol
lars and request for more. Nor was this all:
for Miss Alcott herself dramatized the tale. and
it was accepted by Mr.. Thomas Barry the man.
ager of the Boston theater. The play was
never really put upon the stage owing TO dis
agreement about the distribution of the parts
between Mrs. Barrow and Mrs. John Wood. then
rival actresses at The Boston, In spite of this
mischance. its author considered il transcend
ent success since. for its sake. free pass was
given her. and she went to the theater forty
times that winter. Think of the unmti.,ate
rapture of those forty evenings to very stage
struck young lady.
$50 strong. indeed was Miss Alcott's passion
at that time for acting that she made an engage
ment TO appear upon the stage herself as Wtdo'c
Potte in The Jacobitc, and was anxiously
friendly manager broke his leg. and in conse-
quence his contract. and thus came to an un-
timely end the young girls dream of dramatic
glory.
"A farce, of her composition. was actually put
upon the stage. and she tells me that she we'll
remembers the wild beating of her heart as she
sat on this glorious occasion in stage box.
holding an enormous boquet. presented 10y a
friend as stage struck "a herself and saw MI. w
H: Smith. Josie orion and Mr.. lie Nome enact
Nat Bachelors Pleasure Trip for the benefit of
Mrs. Smith,
:" The Rival Prima Donnas' afforded Miss Al
colt another glimpse of glory, which she her.
self described as follows:
" One of the memorial moments of my life is
that in which. as trudged to school on wntry
day, my eyes fell upon large yellow poster
with these delicious words:
Bertha, new tale by the author of The
Rival Prima Donnas' will appear in the .Satu-
day Erening Gdztte.
Il was late; it was bitter cold; people jostled
me; | was mortally afraid should be recog-
niZcd; but there stood. feasting my ewes on
the fascinating poster. and saying proudly to
myself. in the words of the great Vincent Cruinm-
les, This. this is fame!' That day my pupils had
an indugent teacher; for, while they We're
struggling with their pot-hooks, I was writing
immortal works and when they droned out the
multiplication table 1 was counting out the
noble fortune my pen was to earn for me in the
dim. delightful future. That afternoon my sis
tiers made a pilgrimage to behold the famous
placard, and finding it torn by the wind, boldly
stole 1T. and came home to wave it like a tri-
umphal banner In the bosom of the excited fam
lily. The tattered paper still exists. folded
away with other relics of those early DAYS so
hard and vet SO sweet. when the first small VIC
tories were won. and the enthusiasm of youth
lent romance TO life'S druIUpry :"