Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-04-28

Gieaniags srsas Dramatic aaa social
Life at the Metropolis.

Ltse as the Metropolis.
srrrcH or rRAeKpilS oooxxER-Hs NrxSrros 10
DO rsx curTAL-How mn BrcAxx An Ac1os-A
CONGRESSIONAL rLAywneHr-sckNr II A 49,
sAukASr.
corre.p0ndsnce Of TIE EvESrxe srss
NEW Yoxk, April ~.
pont throw away your oyerripe 90 decayed vegs
etao'es nor the next few weeks There may be Q
5000 market demand for that class % merchandlss
IN washington before long. Jas owen ooonner,
the tarcical uagedian, has announced TINT he n
going 10 40" Washington before Congress adj
)ourns ana IL Washington expects 10 have fun
Win oVonner In areal jovial hilarious way. there
must be provision made in advance Tor plenty Of
oSerripe potatoes, and turnips. aud caunower and
things Not that o'Conner takes produce az tho
oox-ofce In exchange aisle seals in tie orches-
ira, as country editor takes beans ana sluashes
p,ee soI yoa uos ss',s on no You pay ran
along pockeuan OF carrots 10 shy at oconnef.
They have been shyine vegetables AZ o,conper
from all parts Of the star rheater herr every
night Tor Two weeks until this week when he got
mssned ana a9nea the trageiian's mantle Tor
on the stage were commonplace beside the weird
antics the windmill gestures the fog-norn voice,
aud the rocky legs OF OConner. The last-men-
TONED feature set the audience IN a roar the mo-
menL OF the new tragedians nrst appearance. be-
Mere Tbns comesy an thersSi,.. W., 10, Lucy
ana n o'Conner had infused the spirit of the
grandest genius into his Hamlet Rfterward the
audiences would have seen nothing, heard noth-
Ing. appreciated nothing but the cuInlcal twists
and bends ana hiliOcks aud hunmocks O. those
legs And am told that he had them carefully
padded. too. every night before he went on
A friend OF mine, who lives In syracuse, claims
10 know the dramatic history OF OConner, and
this Is what he tells me. When OConner started
out 10 become famous a tragedian he tined his
company and himself on the public at Syracuse,
and got numerically guyed but number OF
praaucal Jokers, visited o'COnner AFTER the per-
Torrance and apologized 10 him In the name OF the
more enlightened and cultivated syracusans for
the uncouth reception accorded the new star, aud
made the poor fellow believe that he was really
the most accomplished tragedian OF the times aud
that his audience at syracuse had been mainly
made up OF uneducated salt boilers who could APP
precfate nothing higher In dramatic art than "a
Hole IN the Ground" oConner readily believed
them, and when they advised him, with the most
solemn protestations II faith IN his powers 20
take his company 20 the metropolis at once where
ciated, oConner thanked them kindly opened a
basket OF wine and made up his mind 10 follow
their advice.
And he did And among the big audiences that
hooted and laughed, aud SHED vegetables at the
unhappy actor Tor the first OF his two weeks M
the star, none booted so loud, laughed heartily
and SHE'D so unerringly as a small knot OF
syracusans sitting In the balcony. I 90 not know
that these practical jokers are at the bottom Of
OSOnner's determination 20 do Hdnicf and Richie
lieu and o hello In Washington, but as WORD
reaches me that O'Conner has talked a good deal
lately OF Washington as the Literary ana art
center OF America may be pardoned Tor having
my suspicious
Has member OF the FIrtieth Congress written
a successful farce-comedy, now being acted In =
] am inclined 10 think so
Has the Hon John Lind, OF the second district of
Minnesota, q member OF the committee on post
Offices and post-roads. with seyen-line biography
In the Congressional Directory, written a musical
comedy extravaganza that IL making people here
nm on Min
laughter?
almost believe Il, and yet
A new comedy extravaganza called .Amanuen-
sis" was produced at Dockstaders Theater last
Monday night II Is an entir ly new style Of
musical farce-comedy, In that IL has good story,
veopment. Besides the song, dance ana funny
eccenIrlclules are ~ interviewer into the plot OF
the piece that they happen quite naturally. The
play Is running now 10 good houses, and lids fair
10 achieve considerable success s.Juhn Lynd" Is
announced on Tue bills as the author, but nobody
seems 10 know ought OF him. According 10 the
Sttn he Is a "a lawyer Of a neighbor.ng city, the
World claims him "a Washington lawyer"
and the Morning Journal declares that ''the
author IS anonymou the person named on the
bills as being the writer having no positive exist
ence, so far as anybody knows"
III the Worlds allegation was true that the
author Is a Washington lawyer THE EVENING
STAR wanted 20 Know all about ais play, 50 1 went
up TO Dockstader's Tuesday 20 md out To my
inquiry at the b0x-Office for Mr. John Lynd the
polite young man inside said thai he was out
Had he lett town.
Was the author a Washington lawyer?
The young man couldn't exactly say as 70 that.
He understood Mr.. Lynl was a Washington man.
an Official or Congressman, or something Of the
sort; but really tae young man didnr Know much
about him, and he couldn't think OF anybody con-
nected with the theaJer who knew any more aboat
Unable 10 ma Mr.. John Lynd In the flesh.
hunted for him In the directories The Washing
ton city directory said In nonparei bold-face caps
that John Lind. NJ. g., boaried az the National
Hotel The Congressional Directory said In a more
modest type that John Lind came from New Tim,
Minnesota; was born In sweden thirty -four years
ago and had been a Mlnnesotan since 1865; that
he was a lawyer and republican, ald was elected
20 the nftieth Congress by majority OF eight
And now, later In the week. comes a rumor with
out much solld foundation. 10 the effect that
Franklin File and Congressman Amos Cumminys,
both OF the sun, wrote "Amanuensis;" that they
didn't care 10 own up 70 IT, and that casting about
for an ulegitinate Sire for the comedy, Amos re-
marked:
Frank, say that John Lynd wrote It. ana
give out . few hints that Lynd Is a Washington
public official and lawyer by profession. tn
make some fun for the boys In the House"
Iwonder n IL Is "maklng some fun for the boys
In the House." II IL isn't and II Hon. John LIND.
uensis the next congressional directory Will add
few more lines 10 Mr. Lnds meager seven OF
this year. for "Amanuensis" Is clever bit OF work
and Is bound 70 90, ana should bring It's author
fame and fortune.
have been dining for a good many years at an
newspaper and magazine writers, some artists.
and many theatrical people eat regularly. The
attraction Is an excellent dinner q half a dozen
Courses ana bottle OF wine for 30 cents Recently
have made an Interesting discovery. have for
some time remarked that the couples OF opposite
sexes VINO dine there 10 company are only inter-
mittent patrons, and that IN an astonishing num-
Der OF cases they do not arrive together but that
the walters always bring 10 the INST arrival,
whether IL be the gentleman or the lady, portions
for two people. and that the other member OF the
party Of Two Is never many minutes behind the
1rst conner. From certain conversations I acci-
dentally overheard at cl0se-adJolning tables. I
solved the problem. IL f. a Tact, corroborated By
the oldest waiter himself. that the restaurant Il a
trystIng place for men who dine with other women
than their wives and women VINO sip wine a nd eat
spaghetti with other men than their husbands
While paying my modest score TO the Italian
sonora who presides at this restaurant the other
evening well-dressed ana refined looking young
woman came H. and as she bowed 10 the sonora She
inquired as ingenuously as can be Imagined, "Has
my husband come In yeti"
The sonora looked confused for an instant but
rallied and answered low but decisiyely. "les,
madam; he Is care by re window wiz anozzer lady
who calls him husbandw
The young woman glanced toward the Indicated
table. her cheeks afiame and her eyes flashing.
She started once as II 10 approach the couple who
were entirely unaware OF her presence. then sud-
street.
''Eet is too bad" apologetically remarked the
sonora 10 me, "Dut Zare are fye ladies who come
here and say 'Has my husband come In Yet? And
Eat poor gentleman zare he Is &c husband VI &c all
hye. Eet Is too bad"
A curious bit OF Bohemian life In New YORK came
TO my notice last week. An old painter OF over
three score years, alone In the world, earning
pittance by his studies OF animal lie, has studio