Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-27

propriate uniform. Then he lay in wait
for ring from Miss Anderson's room.
For over twelve hours he dashed about
on errands and carried pitchers of ice
water and glasses filed with something
stronger before Miss Anderson made up
her mind that she wanted anything.
Then the little flap covering the number
of her room dropped with q click.
Cooper had his eye on it, and almost
before the clerk could cry "FrontI' he
was at the desk.
"Number so-and-s' 20 said the clerk,
Hquick. -
The messenger needed no urging, but
flew up the stairs. His magnet wanted
scuttle of coal, and down Cooper
rushed. The next minute he was knock
ing at Miss Anderson's door with one
hand and holding the bucket with the
other. Once inside he made for the
open CRATE, but in his nervousness he
spilled most of the coal on the carpet.
Then he sat down in the midst of the
rum he had wrought, and, looking up,
found the sorceress standing over him.
'EWhat do you thing of the future of
the stage?'' burst from his lips.
Miss Anderson was impressed with the
humorous side of the situation at once
and began laughing. This treasured the
disguised reporter, and in few minutes
he was carrying on discussion with the
actress on matters pertaining to her art.
This lasted for some time, Miss Anderson
expressing great surprise at the knowl-
edge displayed by bellboy, and Cooper
got an interview that all the old hands in
town had despaired of being able to pro-
cure. How he got out of the room, he
says, he never knew, but when he
reached the office ne threw up his job and
rushed for his desk in the city depart
ment of local paper. The next day
his interview and description of the
scene appeared. 1t was the talk Of the
hour. 1t was copied far AND wide, and
the author was assured that his future
would be bright one.
The next day he paid for his temerity.
His chief, the late Samuel MedilI, a
brother of the present owner of the paper
i'll question, was so tickled at the "beat'
he had obtained that he insisted that
Cooper should meet DR.. Griffin. So that
night he took the youthful impostor
down to the hotel and, sending for DR..
Griffin, formally presented him. For
full minute DR.. Griffin looked the re-
porter straight in the eye. and then,
drawing back his hand, struck him in
the face. The blow was hard one, and
Cooper reeled and would have fallen to
the floor had not Mr.. Medill caught him.
Before anything could be done DR.. Grit
fin had turned and left the room, and
Mr.. Cooper never saw him more.
1t was several years later that his incl
dent benfted Mr.. Cooper in a very IN
expected manner. He had then drifted
into theatrical affairs, and had managed
several companies before he reached this
CITY and walked the Rialto in search of
something good. BARLEY Campbell,
then on the top wave of success, was
preparing to open with a company in
"Clio, - but he had no manager, al
though dozens stood ready to assist him
in overcoming this trouble. Young
Cooper decided that he would manage
that troupe, and armed with letters of
introduction, he presented himself at
Campbell 8 Office. But he could not get
past the numerous flunkies on guard,
and after struggling in vain for over
two weeks he was about to abandon his
idea. But he found he was in great
luck, for he met Campbell late one night
and introduced himself. Before he
could say a word more the author blurted
out: ''Why, you re the young fellow
who interviewed Mary Anderson; you
are just the one to manage my Clio
troupe Here was luck, indeed, and
Cooper followed it up SO closely that in
three weeks from that night he opened
with clio to big business.