New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-02

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know lust what i'm iesson IS I'm her mind as TO the
quality of her performance. To lady who sho"crc-
her with hsses IN Boston ard told her she hsu ind0
great hit in Little Lord Fauntleroy'" she an
swered al guess It the words that MADE the MI
they're so beautiful II that remark had been made
by young lady of twenty five instead OF by ohiiu o.
| rinc ono vould have understood II. ono woum he'o
seen that the young lady thought she had done SO
| well that she could afford TO be modest bue 'n'S
surprising little child evidently sincere Inc Wy
she speaks OF Little Lord Fauntler0y SHOWS '"a s'0
considers # the most delightful book she has ever
read and for any to assign II 10 an iierior laA
in literature would unQucstionably give her sehsi-
| blities a rude shock
Elslcs short history has been crowded with incident
| Whom che was ONLY three years old she began 10
attract attention by initiating peoples manners ana
| savings Her mother took ner 10 see fatlehce
when It was first produced and for weeks afterward
she was going about singing and posing
You hold yourself Ike ths
You hold yourself like thati
By nook crook you try TO look
Both angular and hat
She was particularly pleased with Bunthorne and she
walked down Pccadlly with poppy or lily In her
| medieval hand TO the intense delight OF all VINO
had the opportunity OF seeing her a desire 10 go Oh
the stage was among her first conscious wishes ana
| she talked about II necessarily. 1t must nave oeeh
born in her, though her mother docs not recognize
II AZ an inheritance Neither her fathers nor her
mothers family had furnished ornaments OF the Ora
| matte profession. And yct tho one thought upper
most IN her mind was to be allowed TO act She felt
that she could do II II only she was let" as she
expressed IT, Her mother began TO feel that II would
be foolish II not wrong TO restrain the development
OF what seemed to be extraordinary talent ana
when Mr. Frohman was looking around for children
with which n deck out his May Blossom Elsie
! asked for a part She did not get IT, Her voice ala
not seem sufficiently strong. year later, however,
she presented herself to Mr.. Jefferson and delighted
him with the dainty way in which she read the lines
OF Little Meene." Elsie owes great deal 10 MT
! Jefferson. He took deep interest in her and me
lessons she learned during the two years OF her
| engagement with him laid the foundation for her
success in Edlthas Burglar The childs character
manifested itself strongly during these two years She
was persistent and intelligent questioner ana her
the idea Of playing them had been suggested to her
| of her mind. She learned her letters
from her blocks and learned to write by
copying from the newspapers. When Mr. Gil
lettc and Mr. Frohman casting about to ma
a child capable OF making an acceptable hhind
alr Jefferson suggested Elsie and trial was suhceh'
to convince them that they needed to look no luher
Elsie had become familiar with Mrs Burnetts
chldren's books long before she attempted to play
| either Of tho parts in which she has proven 10
| ideal character she had read them over and over
| again and was able rccite practically the whole
| OF Editha7 and Little Lord Fauntleroy' before
crestions were all directed toward the imDroVenleht
mind 1t is curiousy the fact that these two stories
| were those in which she took the most comfort anu
delight Her speculative little mind was filed Win
curiosity as TO the appearance Of Mrs Burnett, for
she associates her favore authors with herself ana
| ls not content until she knows them personally
Tom sawyer" is Of her most cordially esteemed
| books and when she met Mark Twain at his nome
in Hartford where he recently entertained her' she
was delighted 10 find that there were many elements
] nv a. fa.-.
| sbc knew, II must be all about himself because she
| didn't think any one could write that way who
| hadn't done Just such things.
~And did you really make the boys whitewash
| vour hack fence Mt Clemens" she asked " and
make them pay you their tops and marbles ana morse
shoe nails for doing ibid you, really and truly y
1t was under Mr. Frohman's apprecistive manage
mon, that Fsis's talents first had fair arce % snow
/ themselves Mr.. Frohman IS the sort OF manager
vbo finds his own interest in enabling his players
| to do their best and all those little effects and
situations which lend attractvcness to performance
| were employcd for Else's benefit MI FOhman ana
/ Mr. Gillette found much 10 Interest them In the
/ child and worked with her so patiently that when
! she went 10 Boston 10 present Little Lord
| Fauntlcrov- she had ceased TO be experiment
II Is particularly 10 Mt Frohmans credit that, having
/ failed To secure Mrs Burnett's play for his own
theatre he should have consented to part with Elsie
that she might add her laures by creating the role
OF the little lord He could nave mahe penny OF
Of her at the Lyceum' ana MS us'n'eres'eu &C
non is cOmmcpdable.
Mrs. Burnatt's friends In Boston welcomed the
little mperonator Of Of her prettles fancies with
multiplied attentions She was the heroine OF
score Of teas and It IS surprising that she came
away from Boston without an impaired digestion and
an enlarged sefesteem. She survived both laudation
ard swcetmeais. however, and returns to this city ap
parently none the worse for her experiences. In
I he Is he bete al
for them She was quite loaded down with memen-
toes of her season. Three little diamonds, moon
stone a ruby or two several pearls books and pct-
ures bronzes and feathers and scores Of other things
pleasing to the eye Of young ladies' of her age and Of
other ages too were lavished upon her She was
driven around town IN the handsomest Of equpages.
/ escorted to see the Dosonesc wonders by largo
part Of Beacon-s and received enough requests for
her autograph TO fill a bushel basket Her manager
regards this last the substantial proof OF undyns
genius "when you begin to receive requests for
your autograph in almost mall" he says. you
can make Up your mind that you have won"
don't know but that there is philosophy in this
Elsie writes letters and enjoys writing them. but
she f. somewhat sensitive about her literary work
she has not quite forgiven Mr.. sohern for permitting
her letter 10 him in which she mentioned that they
we're both lords now, 10 get into the newspaper.
There was bad spelling IN IT to which the paper
| that printed Il rudey called attention. and Esie's
| bride was cruelty wounded or course sothern had
20 20 aud blame II on" the reporters. When public
character be h. politician actor. clergyman or what
| not gets into scrape he always tries 10 shove 1t
OF upon the reporters To shield himself from FL
sizes Indignation sOthern got up some cock-and-bul
Story about the reporter having stolen II. some
thing Of that sort which had the altogether unjust
effect Of producing Ese's mind strong antpathy to
| newspaper men. Mrs leslie does not permit her
to see the notices" she receives the press think
| ng the naterY poured upon her from other
sources quite sufficient that She does not know how
nicely the press has spoken Of her. When | met
Der the other day did my little best to undeceive
her about the sothcrn letter and gave her nv word
| for IL that the reporter was not to blame" at al
and that IL all sothrrns fault that II printed.
| | think she Will have an animated conversation with