The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1889-01-05
A STAGE TRICK.
Miss Carey OF the .'Dark secrct' Exposes
Secret


ooh, but ] don't mind it in the least.
Just as soon as l come out of the tank |
have good, strong girl to rub me down
until my flesh is all in glow. My prin-
cipal care is to avoid taking cold after
come out of the water. In the way OF
clothing while in the tank wear flannel.
Then, under that, am carefully padded
with cotton over the vital portions of my
body. Cotton repels water, you know.
l sometimes stay under water as long as
a minute at time, but 1t is not nearly SO
difficult as it appears to be.
II just throw up my hands and strug-
gle about in the water and cry.
'Help-p.pl in hoarsc and drowning
tone of voice. Then | sink and come up
again and scream for help some more,
Just as the brave young fellow takes his
life in his hands and jumps into few feet
of lukewarm water in q desperate effort to
drag me out while there is still spark
of life left in my body. 1t is all very
terrible from,the front, no doubt, but, as
said, have long ceased to share in the
general feeling of excitement. 1t is not
n very lofty stage ambition, perhaps
this Jumping into a tank of water every
night--but il commands q large salary.
That Is my chief motive in connection
with such role
Miss Edna Carey, the pretty young
woman who almost frightened the au-
diences out of their wits ut Whites
Theatre every night last week by jump.
| ing into a big tank of water furnished
by the Ozark Secret" Company. leaned
back in luxurioi lounging chair in the
Cadillac parlors yesterday afternoon and
smiled fascinatingly. The idea that SO
palpable "a piece of stage effect could
really alarm anybody seemed to amuse
her exceedingly. 1t was an everyday
matter with her-this taking a plunge
bath-and the novelty had long since
resolved itself into history. And in her
elaborate black costume, Miss Carey
really looked as though actual peril and
herself were strangers. With dancing
black eyes, n mischievous smile and q
slender and graceful form. she has little
| in common with the grim and awful
King of Terrors.
SIS not this daily immersion injurious
to your health?" she was asked.
ooh, don't know, really. i always
| lose from ten to fifteen pounds OF flesh
during the season, but whether this fact
is due to the water, or other causes, L
cannot say. have to be very careful of
my health, of course. There is no place
in the world for taking cold like the
wings of theater A great many people
have an idea that use breathing tubes
while under the water, but do nothing
of the kind. / believe the girl who
preceded me in the part did, but she
sometimes remained under the water so
long that her audiences almost went into
Mysteries. Women used to shrek out
and faint away, and all that sort of thing,
you know. That wouldn't do at all.
We have to be careful of our audiences.
If it were not for them our road to fame
would be even thornier than 1t IS al
present"
"Do you 90 into the tank twice day
on matinee OCCASIONS
81 was afraid you would ask
that question. That is one of our stage
secrets and | don't know that | am JUST
fed in revealing it. But-just for fun
l don't mind telling you that the matt
nee audiences never see me in the great
drowning act. draw the line at matt
nees. Human nature can stand only
about SO much water, even when 1t /:
absorbed At matinees / 90 on with al
the speaking parts just rs usual, but
|
bigger and fatter girl takes 1t. Funny
isn't it? She is almost twice my size, II
the matter of avoirdupois, but the deal
audiences are so excited that they never
notice the change She really does the
act very cleverly, considering the prac
tice she has had.
There is one difference, however
which the audiences have never ye
seemed to realize. When | go into thu
water. rise to the surface face upward
My substitute does not. Her face Il
completely buried. This is done to con
ceal the change of identity. Then sh'
founders about in the water much heav
Ter, as fat people will. but eyerythin!
goes Like 1t? No think this is posi-
lively my last season as a presonifiet
maid of the mist. am something OF
Mother Carcy's chicken--my nam
proves that-but not enough so to spen'
my whole life in taking bath. wan
to appear in something better. Prev1ou
to this role l was leading lady in tn
"White Slave" but my friends assur
me that my legitimate line is comedy