, 1888-11-21
HIS LITTLE GAL"

"Wel, sir, seeing as ye mintion it, 1
don't mind if l does try er drop O. sumot
'ot. It's very continuing to the innerds,
partickler of a cold night"
This was in answer to my proposal to
old Jim Benton, stage doorkeeper of Asst
ley's Royal amphitheatre, London. The
manager was a particular friend of mine,
so that l had the entree to all parts of the
theatre, and came and went as l wished.
Jim had held his position some thirty odd
years, and could, when he felt inclined "a
drop O. sumot 'ot helped greatly theretol
relate many q good story of dead-and-gone
actors and their text of kin, heroes of the
sawdust. l am an occasional contributor
to the newspapers, and l V would like here
to say that l have been indebted to Jim
Benton for many an odd bit of pathos and
humor. Poor old fellowl 1t is already ten
years and more since 1 followed him to his
last resting place, and the stage door of
Astley's Royal am~phitheatre knows me
no more. This night Jim was unusually
laxative.
"Lor' bless yer, sir" said he, as he
raised his glass of gin and water to his
lips, 81 pities them teetotaleers, 1 does. 1
cum ermost er jining on EN- onct. but
Providence wuz agin it. No, sir, yer
cam pass. L don't know no SIGH name"
This last was addressed to a gentleman in
lavender kids who presented himself and
his card at the door, asking to see Miss
Morrelli, the principal danseuse.
"Ah, perhaps you are acquainted with
my alias2" here added the exquisite.
"Carn't say as l ham. sir. It's not to
be hexpected l could remember all the
gals names. Yer see, we takes on er lot
of hextras come pantomime season. l
can't pass yer, sir; horders is horders."
n the swell withdrew old Jim contin-
ueT with:
"Lor, sir, if I was to pass hall as was
wantin' to git in there wouldn't be no
room behind the scenes fur the hactors;
but it amt nothin' now to what it used
to be when Mr.. Ketchum had the man
agement. Yer orter ha' seen the stage
door then hat was when the madame
was er playin' of Mazeppa,S and a
mighty fine figure of er woman she wuz,
too. Perhaps we've seen her, sir. Ida
Frances Fay was her name"
On my replying that L had never had
that pleasure he continued with:
well, sir, thereT never be another
Ida Fay. There's lots O. gals wot's tried
it on, but it don't work. Yer see, there
WIZ er somethin' er sorter O. takin' about
her wot fotched the swells. Yer couldn't
git standin' room when she wuz er
playin'. Fast, was she, sir?j Well, maybe
she warn't hexactly wot yer'd call a bark
hangel, but she was good to
my little gal, and that's enuff fer Jim
Benton"
"Why, nave you a daughter, Jim2" 1
exclaimed, rather surprised of his never
having mentioned it before.
Had, sir, had Here the old man
paused q moment and stopped down to
pick up q wisp of straw from the floor,
and L noticed his hand trembled as he
did SO.
eyes, sir" continued he, yer wouldn't
think ter look at me that L could have
SIGH a dater. Sich a pretty little thing,
with hair fur all the world like gold, and
eyes that made me think O. the wiolets,
and a sparkle in EN- when she laughed
that all the spangles liver yer see couldn't
beat Yer see, sir. I was pretty well on
in years when Mamie was born. She was
christened Mary, but we alters called her
Mamie. My little gal warn't morn q year
old when the missus wuz took i'll with a
fever and died, and there l wuz left with
a baby on my 'ands; but lor' bless yer, sir,
l took as natrel to t as if I'd been a nuss
hall my life. Brought her through the
measles and whooping cough as right as a
trivet. Many's the hour she's sot on that
ere stool there er watchin' me-. Some
times she'd be as still as a mouse, and
then agin she'd chatter like a little mag
pie. She had kurus ~fancies, had Mamie,
when she warn't no higher than that ere
table.
"tDaddv,' ses she, one day, does han
gels alters ave wingsf'"
eyes, deary.' ses L. 4 alters heer tell
they had
""Then,' ses she, when / die, daddy
of course it won't be for a big, long whilei
little gals don't die VERY much, does
they2-Pu tell God 1 wanter see my
daddy, and I'll fly right down here and
peek in the winder and s'prise yer
Eyes, sir, that's the way she'd talk
sometimes, and somehow it made mt feel
as If some one wuz er pressing a weight
on my chist and l couldn't breathe. Do
you know, sir, perhaps it's foolish, but L
b1ieve she do come to that winder and
look in at her old daddy sometimes-ony-
ways, it's a bit continuing to think so.
"How came l to lose herr That's wot
I'm comm to, sir. Yer see Mamie was
born, as 1 may say, in the perfeshun, in
this VERY theayter. Why, what do you
think, sir, afore she could toddle 1 bought
her a Noah's bark, and wot mammal
would yer b1ieve she picked out fustH A
'orse, sir. All, sir-it was born in her.
h alters a leanin' arter hscting, but
yer couldn't keep Mamie away from the
'osses. Was l afeard of her getting hurtH
Well, no, sir, l carn't say as l wuz. Yer
see the grooms and hall the boys wuz
uncommon fond of Mamie and took a heap
of care o. her.
"Well, sir, when my little gal was
ABOUT . years Old, Dan Maxwell wanted
to break her in to rid with him. At
first l wouldn't hear tot. but Mamie wuz
so wistful fort, and Dan WIZ SIGH a
great, strong Teller, and l knowed he'd
be that keerful of her as II she wuz made
of gold, so 1 let Mamie have her way.
There warn't to be no whip used. /
wouldn't ha' stood that, but lor', sir,
there warn't no need OF. The child tool;
to riding like a duck to water. When /
see her name on the posters in big letters,
1 couldn't 'elp feeling a bit proud, and
livery night when she was on, l used to
get some one to mind the door, while ]
slipped round in front. Sich err picter as
she looked in her bit O. white dress all
covered with ~spanglesl And how they
applauded her, sirl She got most a basket
of ORANGES livery nipht. too"