San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-15


mo, don't; can't stay. | must be in Ken
sington at s." He threw himself into Ken
dal's deep reading chair, and looked up at his
friend, standing silent and expectant on the
hearth rug. do you remember that play Of
mine showed you in the springr
Kendall took time to think.
Perfectly You mean that play by that
young Italian fellow which you altered and
translated | remember it quite well.
have meant to ask you about it once or twice
lately"
lyon thought well of it, | know Well,
my sister has got me into the most uncom-
Portable hobble about it. You know | hadn't
taken it to any manager I've been keeping
it by me, working it up here and there | am
in no want Of money just now, and | had set
my heart on the things being really gocl-
well written and well acted. Well, Agnes,
in rash moment two or three days 40 and
without consulting me, told Miss Bretherton
the whole story of the play, and said that she
supposed | should soon want somebody
to bring it out for me Miss Brethelton was
enormously strucl with the plot, as Agnes
told it % her, and the next time l saw her
she insisted that should read some scenes
| from il to her
"Gorl heavens! and now she has offered to
produce it and play the principal part in 1t
| herself" Interrupted Kendall.
Wallace nodded Just So, you see, my
| relations with her are so friendly that 1t
| was impoSsib!e for me to say no. But never
was in n greater fix. She was enthusiastic
| She walked up and down The room after I'd
| done reading, repeating some of the passages,
going through some of the situations, and
wound IN by saying, Give it me, Mr.. Wal
lace II shall lie the first thing | bring out
| in my October seaSon-if you will let me
have it. Well, of course, | suppose most
people would jump ct such an offer Her
popularity Just now Is something extraord-
nary, and | see no signs of its leSSening.
| Any piece she plays in is bound to DO a sue
! cess and | suppose | should make a good
deal OF money out of it, but then, you see,
don't want the money and"-
Eyes, yes. | see." said Kendall, thought
| fully: "you dom want the money, and you
feel that she will ruin the play It's a great
| bore certainly"
well, you know, how could she help ruin
ing it, She couldn't play the part Of Elvira
you remember the plotf-even decently.
It's an extremely difficult part. 1t would be
| superb think so, ut least-in the hands OF
an actress who really understood her busi-
ness. but Miss Bretherton will make it one
long STACEY scream, withou: any modula-
ton, any shades, any delicacy. 1t drives
one wild to think Of it. And yet how, in the
nams of fortune, am to get out OF itf'
You had thought" said Kendall, IL re-
member of Mrs Pearson for the heroine"
Yes; should have tried her. She is not
first rate, but at least she is intelligent; she
understands something Of what You want in
part like that. But for poor Isabel Brother
ton, and those about her, the great points in
the play will he that she will have long
speeches and be able to wear medieval
dresses! | don't suppose she ever heard of
Aragon in her life Just imagine her play
ing a high born Spanish woman Of the FIT.
teentb century Can't you see herF'
We'll, after ALL" said Kendall, with little
laugh, II should see what the public goes for
mostly-that is 70 say, Isabel Bretherton in
effective costume No, it would be great
failure-not a failure, of course, in the ordi.
nary, sense Her beauty, in the medieval
get up. and the romantic plot Of the piece
would carry it through, and, as you say, you
would probably make great deal by it. But,
artistically, it would be a CHASTITY failure.
And Hawesl Halves, | suppose, would play
MRciasl Good heavensr
Yes" said Wallace, leaning his head on
his hands and looking gloomily out Of the
window at the spIre Of St Brides church.
Pleasant, isn't it' But what on earth am
to doi | never was in a greater hole. I'm not
the least in love with that girl, Kendall, but
there isn't anything she'd ask me to do for
her that wouldn't do If | could She's the
warmest hearted creature-one Of the kind
est, fTankest, siuCCreSt women that ever
stepped | feel at times that I'd rather cut
my hand of than hurt her feelings by throw
ing her offer in her face and yet that play
has been the apple Of my eye to me for
months; the Thought of seeing it spoiled by
clumsy handling is intolerable to me-"
IL suppose it would hurt her feelings"
said Kendall, meditatively, III you refused"
YES, said Wallace, emphatically, IL be
lieve it would wound her extremely You
see, in spite e all her success, she is begin
ming to be conscious that there are two
publics in London There is the small,
fastidious public of people who take the
theatre seriously, and there is the large,
easy going public who get the only sensation
they want out Of her beauty and her per
sOnal prestige. The enthusiasts have no
difficulty, as yet, in holding their own
against the scoffers, and for long time Miss
Brethcrton knew and cared nothing for
what the critical people said, but Of late |
have noticed at times that she knows more
and cares more than she did. 1t seems to
me that there is a little growing soreness in
her mind, and just now if refuse to let her
have that play it will destroy her confidence
in her friends as it were. She won't re-
proach me, she won't quarrel with me, but
it will so to her heart. Do, for heavens
SoEe Kendall holm ma tn soma DlauSi hIa flo