Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-19
GOSSIP OF THE STAGE.
Margaret Mather Determines to
Conquer the Pacific slope.


Conquer the Pacific Slope.
NEW YORK. July lion Saturday
next Margaret Mather starts for Cali
forna to conquer the Pacific Slope. 1t is
a curious fact that during the i've years Of
this actress engagement to Mr.. j. NJ.
Hill she has never spoken to a living soul
of the stage except her manager. No.
body during that time has been able to
get admitted to her rooms, much less inter
view her. She has never been seen in
public except when playing, and not an
authenticated line has appeared in print
as coming from her lips.
This is very remarkable when it is con-
sldered that MISS Mather is one OF the
most conspicuous, best advertised and
widest known OF our actresses. The fact
that she has had nothing to say stands
out in such awful contrast to all the I'M
muZZled celebrities and beauties that one
cannot help wondering at it. That MIR. j :.
NJ. Hill Theoretically seals her after each
performance is said by the people in the
Union Square Hotel to have no founda-
ton in fact, for they have heard her re-
citing in her room. The private veil of
mystery which falls promptly with the
fall of the curtain and shuts Mather off
gerial policy. built upOn the consideration
that Mather has nothing to say. But it
has given rise to all sorts of expedients
on the part OF press men to make Matber
talk.
One enterprisng Bohemian tried to get
admittance as a maid and another as
priest. But Mr.. j.. Nj. Hill always
turned up with a quiet thing in neck
ties with an adage on it of TOO thin"
lou . h. %. V.Ttt fS,-TT ,kNE.
a lover OF long ago who was loved In re-
turn. and who was left out in the cold
when Mr.. j. NJ. Il. took charge of the &C.
tress.
Her contractread: "No interviews, no
female dressmakers, no lovers" and she
had to bid everlasting farewell to her love
of long ago. But one dav he threw
bouquet at her and in it was a card which
read: Learn the deaf and dumb langu-
age. darling. Yours till death, mutely.
AlphOnse."
Her soul babe her obey. She learned it.
So did he. And about the time that she
came TO the Union Square TO play "Juliet'
they had got so they could converse in it
across the foOtlights.
If faith can remove mountains, ii was
plain that love could remove Hill. How
few who then wondered at and admired
the gestures of Mather knew that she
hand box.
1t was in the potion scene especially
that they used to have a sociabe little
chat every night, for that scene of agony
gave her every excuse to use her hands,
and MIR. Steele Mackaye remarked en-
phatically one night, after studying the
play of her fingers, that she had in some
way acquired the psychic Interpretation
through the digital f1eXus. But always
doubted the feXus.
Some of the cOmmunings in this way
were deeply interesting to the favored few
who happened to be deaf as we'll as dumb,
and who got the text from her fingers and
not from her mouth shall never forget
Young lady friend of mine who was a
deaf mute and who went from the theatre
to her Shakespeare to fine Mather's lines.
"What lines are you looking for, my
dearf" asked her with a pencil.
why" she replied with pen, "the
line, How are all the boys?"
Nonsense" II said, that isn'tin Shakes
peare."
'sIsn't it? Well, Pm sure Miss Mather
said it. Then, too, she said, Do you re-
member all the toots we had in the
sweet yesternightP / can't find it in the
play"
''Oh, you must be dreaming"
"No, Pm not. l can't understand her
action at all. In the potion scene she
said Cheese it, his Nibs is in a back
seat They must use version of the text
that we are not familiar with Don't you
think sop
"Yes,' replied, ''she does, but you
must admire her handling oft"
Lucky Alphonse, to thus have his trysts
embalmed on the Shakespearean amber,
and the candle oflove hidden sweetly from
the world, even when it was set upon a
Hill. NYM CRINKLE,