Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-01-11
ELSIE LESLIE.

A correspondent thus describes Elsie
Leslie. the little miss who is the chief
factor in the success of Mrs. Burnett's
new play OF Little Lord Fauntleroy."
He says she is a very remarkable child.
is Elsie Leslie. She made her mark
first when she was only 10, playing a
dramatization of another one of Mrs.
Burnett's stories, .'Editha's Burglar"
This was brought out about a year
. ago and she made an instantaneous
hit and a hard one. The public crowd
ed to see her. and when Mrs. Burnett
rescued her play from the hand of the
English pirates and brought it to this
country it was at once decided that
Elsie Leslie was the only person who
could do Justice to the part of the gen.
tie little lord. She dresses in sap
phire-bue suit, with silk stockings
and pumps. a floating dark-crimson
sash about her waist. IA wide lace col
lar over the little jacket, and her
owp long yellow curls hanging on her
shoulders. the very image Of the Little
Load Fauntleroy as pictured by Birch
in the book. Nothing more unlike
the shrill and self-conscious falsetto Of
the ordinary juvenile actor can be con-
ceived than this pretty infant, who,
by some method "f untaught art, re-
tains herchildish naivete and simply
transports the real child from the
nursery to the boards. Her voice is
sweet and full and the natural voice of
any girl of her age when she is play
ing. She never notices her audience,
they might not exist. to Judge by her
unconsciousness of all the eyes fixed
nnnn her Shu into har
with the entire good faith of .child-
playing visitors" in the nursery, and
for the time being is not Elsie at all,
but the little lord who is petting his
mother, cronying with Mr.. Hobbs. or
tanning the fierce old earl with his
sweetness and confidence / saw her
in one of the rehearsals last week. and
queerer. prettier sight never hope
to see again. She is u perfectly gen
tie little creature, but with so much
innate dignity that not soul in the
company ever thinks of addressing her
otherwise than Miss Leslie Her
mother was always at the rehearsals
with her. and when she was not ON in
scene she went and sat in her moth
eli lap aud watched the others care
fully. for she knew all their parts as
we'll rs her own. in which she was let
ter perfect. l asked the stage man.
ager how they had ever contrived to
teach her SO much charming .busi-
ness" and he eXcla lined:
Bless Your heart, Teach her why,
l wouldn't think of trying to teach her
anything. All that business is her
own. she developed it all herself at |
the rehearsais. Now. just watch her
aud you'll see how painsta Kingly that
Directly there came the scene in
which the mother Is bauished from the |
son and has retired to live at the lodge |
III the park. The old earl is holding
the boy in his arms ut the window. and |
he. looking out and seeing the light
from his mothers easement through
the trees. tells the old earl that Dear
est Is praying for us. She saws:
God bless you every hour" At first
she said it with her arm around the
grandfather's neck and her head on
his shoulder. But AS they were about
To proceed she cried:
stop. I've thought of two other
ways l might have done that, and il
you don't mind l should like to 90
over the scene" So she did, irving
~NA~'~ SOahs ouu Sctticu Oh OuSl- |
ness that was compromise between
the three and great Improvement on
the way in which she had first rem
dered it. There were some little dis
putes between Miss Kydder and herself
As to the correct pronunciation of the
name Beris, which the child accented
on the first syllable. aud Miss Kydder
called Ber-is.
IL think" said the older actress, lit
would be better If we both pronounced
i similarly. and if you wish to say
Beeris l will say it. too"
No" said the little girl with great
"what wish is to be cor.
'sct. and if it is correct to say .Ber-
. l will say it. Mamma"-turning
TO her mother-''is 'Ber-is' the proper
way to say it? Oh. well. then. l will /
10 1t. and please be careful when l am
at home not to let me fall
nto this mistake again. Miss Kydder.
will you please go on?"