The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1885-12-19
CHAPTER L
DoNALD's DEBUT.

| CHAPTER ].
DoNALDs DEBUT.
As despair of reproducing Pixies happy
knack Of spinning a yarn, I must tell his
| tale in my own prosaic way.
Many years ago Donald Campbell was a
writer to The Signet, in Edinb urgh. As
for his writing, he did nothing but compose
verses, and very bad ones they were. He
was young, we'll born, we'll bred, of pleas
ant and engaging manners very handsome,
and very idle. He was the only son Of his
| mother, and she was a widow".-left with q
! small annuity bequeathed by her husband,
disting uished officer, who fell ct Waterloo
| Donald was an assiduous diner-out, great a.
| balls and lies, plavei capital game as
| billiards, went to the taeatrc frequently.
aud sedulousli cultivated the acquaintance
Of the players, among whom he posed him.
self as a man with expectations. In person
he was young Apollo, tall and straight as
a dart, fair complexioned, pure Greek
face, straight nose, eyes blue as sapphlros
and bright as diamonds, q head OF sunny
about his neck. Yes, the HAIR was very
beautiful, but unfortunately there was not
much worth speaking about under it. His
face and his hair were very much admired
the latter obtained for him the sobriquet
Of "Curly," cognomen which chung to him
throughout his life.
This interesting young gentleman gener'
ally began the day by shaking hands with
himself, and admiring his handsome face in
the glass. Then he condescended to permit
the poor fond mother to worship him during
bis breakfast, after which he sallie1 out for
his morning game of billiards. In the after
noon he summed himself in Princes strest.
ito give the girls treat" as he modestly
put it. After that an early dinner lin those
days late dinners were not in vogue, then
the theatre or the dance, whichever pre-
sented the greater attraction.
Usually his poor stupid head had room
only for one idea; but at last he managed to
smuggle in two at one and the same time.
His first idea was, on the strength Of his
handsome face aud comedy carcass, to make
a wealthy marriage. In order to enable
him to carry out this highly laudable object,
he managed, through his fathers name and
his mothers influence, to get himself nomi-
mated for cornetcy in the Midlothian vol
unteers; and very pretty figure he made
In his uniform whenever he had Chance Of
airing IT. His second, AMI it must be con.
fessed most dominant, idea was to go on the
stage and make his fortune. Others hao
done 50, why should not he!
At that period there were not--at least
not in Curly's set-many manageable
young ladies of large fortune, 80 he con-
templated seeking fresh woods and pas
lures new" But there was difficulty not
wholly unconnected with coin of the realm,
70 he was condemned to vegetate In "Auld
Reekie," at least for the present.
He was now five or six and twenty, and
had never done a hands turn to make him
self useful in his life; nor, indeed, had ha
the slightest intention Of so doing. His
mission was to b. ornamental, and he knew
it. Could he only obtain an opportunity Of
displaying his manly beauty on the stage,
the women-heiresses especially-would bow
down before and worship him. Sublime in.
SEPARATION! He would get up an amateur
performance for the purpose Of providing
the Highlauders of the Hebrides with
klreeches. To illustrate the Importance Of
small clothes, the comedy Of 1.-THE Bellies
6tratagem" was selected, and Curly wa
to be Doricourt. He had alighted on hi.
fest He was born com sdian-he had ami
NAL spirits In abundauce-his laughter was
contagious and he was sublimely and I'M
consciously impuden That he was good
looking no one could deny. In fact, when Sir
George Touchwood exclaimed: 'Confound
the dog, how handsome he looks!" every
one indorsed the opinion. Next day the
blockheads in tue papers pronounced him q
genius full-dedged-that. in fact, he had
only to show himself in London to extin-
guish Charles Kemble, Elliston, Jones and
the rest Of tho London players. The resi-
dent light comedian was very distin-
guished actor, but, of course, he wasn't tt
compare with the new Doricourt!
Curly's mother, a strict Presby terrain, by
no means approved OF her tlarling's dis
gracing the house OF Campbell by exhibit
ing himself as stage player. and several
differences OF opinion arose between them
ON the SUBJECT These jangles eliminated
in fit of apoplexy, which cut short the ole
lady's life and his means ct living, az, o
course, his mothers annuity terminated
with her existence To do the lad Justice
he was very fond Of his mother, and hel
loss was u great blow 10 him. She had lef
him small hoard of two or three hundred
pounds, which she had sclape,i together
with great difficulty; but he soon mad
'ducks end brakes of that, and it wa
melting away rapidly when Harry John
stOn, the Scotch ROscius," as he was called
came down from London for a few night
to ''star" in his native CITY, Johnston wa
a very handsome man and very fine actor
His acting was revelation to Curly VIII
became re lhot partisan, and distinguishes
himself Ivy tho demonst,ative fervor of hi
admiration. On the last night of hisengase
ment the Roscius intimatei that he hat
been driven ut Of London in consequence
of having taken the liberty to thrash tina
fiat Adonis Of forty" the Prince Regent
for insulting his Johnston's) wife, and tina
he had taken the theatres at Aberdeen an,
Dundee, and was now going to settle dow
in management in his native land. Mex
day Curly got one OF the actors to intro
duce him to the new manager, and sue
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