Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-08-09
Rise and Fall Of a Star.

Miss Marion Taylor-born Mary Ann
Tayler-was to be AN actress. The
fatss had dscreed it. and she very
strangely. ageed with the fates. Even
her parents. though good. God fearing
people. were willing that she should
exhibit her manifold gifts and charms
to the paying public at $3.50 apiece
for orchestra chairs.
The troable began when she was at
sohesl. Her teacher (himself an elo-
outiouist of no ordinary gifts. &c. &c.
his great speciality being the Queen
of the May) advised her to leave
school and study for the stage. In
fact he himself was so Kind rs to
coach her some in Lady Macbeth"
Queen Catherine" "Medea" and like
parts. Mary Ami mean Marion
was at that time bashful, awkward
girl OF sixteen years so that the wis
dom of tho teachers selection of parts
was hey ond question.
After that the desire to shine forth
as Il star was always with her. Having
taken few lessons ir elocution from
a lady teacher of tho art, she read
several times at church entertain
ments and her great success with the
critical audiences that are ALWAYS pres
ent at such places encouraged her in
her ambition.
During this time. too. she impoved
in her appearance and manners. and
by the time she was eighteen years
old she had quite reputation as n
beauty IN her native city. Any of her
friends would have told YOU at that
time that her figure was perfect; her
CARNAGE. grace itself; her head. Greci-
an; her voice, the soul of music. These
things taught her the folly of opening
rs Lady Macbeth" she knew now
that Jul ct" was her forte.
When she saw various managers take
out various ambt Gus young ladies for
starring tours. with elaborate printing
and wardrobes filling several trunks
the young ladies generally furnished
the cash. but she didn't know about
that-sho wished that heaven had m AIDE
her such man. The fact that they
usually came in soon aga n--sometimes
minus the trunks-did not bother her
in the least. for she knew that she
would be more successful with the
public.
The advertisements of the new stars
that spring up 10 "til the place" of the
dead "Vlrginius" or Hamlet an
sOuscs that man is found for every
emergency. Though this does not
apply TO managers. Marion at last
found hers Mark Downes was the
son of man that had grown rich in
this way: He came TO Ii. Qhe birth
place OF both Marion AMI Mark when
IL was not yet out of its swaddling
clouts and started a general supply
store on small scale. b. attending
TO business (much OF what he charged
OIL his books as ''molssses" would not
have borne inspection by the prohibit
tory officers of that daO, and by in
vesting his profits in real estate in the
growing city. he was In II position be-
fore we make his acquaintance to retire
from active business life. The father
was a coarse. vulgar and illiterate man;
the son. though he had profited by q
liberal education, showed traces of his
ancestry.
He had been acquainted with Miss
Taylor but short tine when it was
apparent that he had out run all his
competitors in tho race for the lovely
ons's favor. Whether or not his am
pie income had anything to do with
this is q puzzle that does not concern
this narrative. 10 be interested in
l., -, 20 h. .,Na 4
signs on the stage, and Mark was soon
rs enthusiastic over her powers as she
herself But there was more method
in his madness, for it was not long be-
fore he had made arrangements to
take her out for tour. This was
quite in his line, as he augmented the
allowance his father made him by specu-
lation. at which he was highly sue
cessful; and he felt that this new VEN
ture would far surpass anything he
had before undertaken. And it did
but time enough for that
Being unacquainted with the theat-
rical business himself. he had the good
sense to secure really capable mana
ger to direct affairs for him. A COM
pany was engaged aud put in re-
bersal; 4 theatre in one of the large
cities was hired for week; the COM
ing star was worked up in every way
known to the experienced manager.
But we will pass over these prelimina-
ries. which are. after all, too well
known to be of interest to any body,
and come to the night of Marion's
first appearance.
or course she was to open as "Ju-
liet" Ii was her choice. and the i'm
fatuated hacker would have allowed
her to play "Falstaff" il she had so
elected. At the rehearsals she was
worry attentive to the directions of the
stage manager SO far as business was
concerned, but she required no in
struction from anybody in regard 10
speaking her lincs-at least so she
thought and she soon taught the sta re