The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-21
Nat Goodwin's Story OF His
First Appearance.
prsOwNED ACTORS FIAsto.
r Get Ne Position In r
shoe store''-Nary Anderson
General News.
Goodwin $ First Appearance.

~ wild IahCy ~
u Ian it is is needless to say, have
VIZ. W. realized. Shakespeare had been
y. inseperable companion SO long that
p ~ memorized the lines of 0thello
1I Richard; and, encouraged by my
,and mamma, really believed myself
onobIe of achieving wonders. had
Saan successful as a recitationist, and
r.s no doubt, goaded on, as many an
atber bv the lavish applause of friends
mon occasions when "Shamus O'Brien"
I'D Little Jim" were rendered from
The platform of the High School Chape.
Mr. is this the only excuse for imagin-
ING myself destined to make Edwin
Bootb pale in comparison with me, Il
confess to having had such an exalted
oniSSionl for distinctly remember how
vas Summoned into the front parlor
Nv NV narents. time and time again,
md commanded under penalty of be-
ing sent supperless to bed, to speak my
little niece for the deiectation of group
nf admiring neighbors (and the poor
old ladies who were forced to be my
suditors. would talk aside to one an.
other in tones just audible enough to
he heard by my fond parents, uttering
such comments as wonderful How
like the elder Booth" ETC.. etc., Such
cOmmendation from those who formed
a conspicuous part of Boston's culture,
naturally impressed me, and l conclud-
ed to adopt the Tragic muse. u
II - n 4 haan huf VOC tardaC SbpTld
have no fresher recollection of the
ecstAcy which was mine on the 10th day
of November, 1873, wren, obeying my
mothers call, left my little study and
went TO her in the library She hand
ed me a telegram that had Just been
delivered, which contained the Joyous
intelligence that place had been Sc
cured for me in the stock company of
the Providence Theatre, of which Mr..
William Henderson was then the man
ager. When l started for that city |
was as sure of success as was the sport
ing gentleman when he remarked to
friend who had backed him to eat
brace of quail a day for sixty days.
Why pard, make it turkeys and Wen
have 4 walk-over!"
1 firmly believed that the American
stage had at last found its Edmund
Kean; and, as l glanced about me, |
pitied my poor fellow passengers who
seemed so lamentably unaware of the
presence of a young Roscius in their
midst. Thought 1, How different will
the return trip be. Ny success shall
have been heralded broadcast, my name
shall be on every tongue and | shall
receive the homage paid me with lordIy
cOndeScenSion. What If | was on nv
way merely to play second juvenile in
an obscure country theatre. Every
great achievement must have It's insig-
nifcant beginning Ny opening part
was Sir George in a play called Tie
Bottle" a rather ominous title, by the
way, for debUtdnt who had been Wean-
ed on pint OF fraped ;PommeTy! Es-
pecially when it is considered what sad
havoc the reality of the title has created
in the rank and file of authors and
actors. | had memorized the lines be-
fore the first rehearsal, and when l ar
rived at the theatre my self-conScious-
ness made my new associates apply TO
me the words of my brother comic,
Dixey. He knows his business! !"
Every lady and gentleman in the cast
had played in the piece before, and, by
my exquisite etfrontery. l convinced
them that | had also. Therefore. the
lines were simply mumbled, and. being
apt at m'micry, | mumbled with the
rest. At the conclusion of the rehea--
sal, the stage manager, who had been
masked .in behind the promp-tabie
stepped out, and with a very dignified,
Important air, directed that every body
should come to the theatre that even
ing letter-perfect. This seemed to strike
the leading man as a personal allusion
Ut was he, by the way, who had pro-
cured the engagement for me), for he
heW into great rage, and said to the
stage manager, who had produced a
play of his own some little time before,
- When your play was put on 1 m sure
l spoke all my lines to which the
stage manager replied, Eyes, Ned. but
none of minern Ned lit was he OF
Black Flag fancy was completely non
plussed at this, and calling the bows out.
he took us to an adjacent beer saloon.
fttingly acknowledged his knock out"
paid the bill, and dragged me off 10 his
hotel. He was the only one in the com
pany that was "onto me" and endeav-
ored TO coach me in the part. But. asI
knew all about the business, as a mat
ter OF course | declined his proffered
aid. l restlessly wandered about the
hotel, and although l did not go on till
nall past nine, a quarter TO five found
me waiting at the sage door. When
ihe lanitor arrived, half an hour later,
oo@ld not convince him that | was the
new actor, and the lord emily knows how
long should have waited before J e
would permit me to enter, if a member
u the company, who lived II the
theatre building, had not looked out
anu ended the dispute by vouching for
Ine correctness of my assertion. One
oy one the several employees arrived,
ana fully an hour before the curtain
arose was made up. l roamed about
tne wings and in and out OF the green
room, buttoned up in the queerest rig
ohe could imagine. had hired a wig
some OF the boys had suggested fine-cut
.ooacco for side-whiskers (which sug-
sestlon had adopted); 1 wore pair of
shoes stuffed with cotton at the toes,
4nd-wel, l shall not 90 into more
minute details concerning my apparel;
Iulnce II TO say, every article [ woIe
IaG been Unfortunately borrowed
nom the members of the company;
ana, as l weighed but hundred and
YEN and the lighteSt among the rest
weighed a hundred and fifty, my ap
pearance may be imagined. The first
~ oeing over, m.y cue was soon to
sone. Nervous2 Not II Nv frs
S re was to follow on the virtuous
lung girl of the NAV orah her arO,,nd