The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-25
TIL EIR THANKSGIVING
Happiness the Day Brought
to Two Young
Players.

icate and fragile looking. it did not seem
possible for her to endure the strain of
study and hard work the theatrical pro-
fession demanded of its members
in those days. And the man
well, he was a strong, robust,
good looking fellow with muscles of iron.
that suited well with his t~euacity of pur-
pose. He was clever. too; a good student,
industrious and moral. No time for
enjoyment. All the time outside of the
theatre had to be spent in study for the
next production which often became lin
the days l am writing of a daily thing.
But human nature is the same all the
world over-in or out of the theatre, and
so the man fell i'll love with the delicate
girl-that is to say, the big leading man
wanted to marry the little ingcnue. ln-
exorable parents said -"Nol impossible
too young" I think she was, too, for
when I saw her some months afterwards,
with her long curls floating over her
shoulders. girls wore their hair du va
tureI in those days. / wondered if she
was fully conscious Of what she had done.
IL happened this way. They had been
acting love scenes together until II was
the GdSlcsb tuluSl Ill UuC OEla " w.
he had proposed to her so often during
the season In play and been accepted that
she did not know how to refuse when he
became in earnest. So they were mar
ried, in spite Of parents, and the worst OF
all was they ran away. 1t was
TO slip over into Jersey from Philadelphia
or New York. My young friends were in
Virginia and to get out OF it they mad TO
travel by a canal boat. thanksgiving
was not a holiday in the South. Their
theatrical season was over and my
loving pair having joined their fates
started on a matrimonial tour.
Could anything be more unroman
tic and devoid of sentiment than running
away on a canal boat. Ii was the mall
packet leaving L-- at six in the morn-
ing, so that when my friends opened their
eyes about eight a. M. my young travel
ers were two hours ahead on their journey
and there were no telegraph wires yet
from L--.
Eastern Countrywide day OF turkey. ETC.,
etc. They sat on the deck of the boat,
trying to look unconcerDed and passive,
Watching the lean donkey slowly meau-
dering down the towpath with a sleepy
darky on his back. She told me after (my
little friend) that she thought everybody
on the boat knew exactly what she
had lone aud was doing-running away
away to his home in the North, away with
him to become a great actress. q loving
wife-somethIng surely besides a simple
little lngenue in a travelling company IN
the South. Ii. YVES not until late In the
afternoon she felt comfortable. She
was reading alone in the cabin
when the stewardess came and
said:-"Miss, your brother wants you
on deck: they are going through
the LOCKS at--and he wants you TO see
them.n Joyl then they did not know she
was eloping. He was believed to be her
brother-a good idea which they adj
opted for the rest of the journey.
His nome was reached. and the usual
ceremony of introducing 'nly wife, gone
through with when a feeling of dis
appointment stole into the heart
OF my little friend. A sort OF
what are : you- going to do -with-tbat-
chiid-tacked-to-you reception pervad-
ed the atmosphere and threw a Chill over
her. Still they were all kline to her tn his
home. She had been well brought up.
but she was ready and willing
to work. A brief honeymoon and
the young pair started off
he as a leading man at 7, she as
soubrette. Their joint s tlary would not
make as much as one fairly respectable
actor gets in these days, but they were
frugal and saved q nice little sum. An
other season else where with a fair sal
airy for both, and then came an
opportunity for the leading man
a 10 F UCCOLiC q ~ q
not In a very big city and did not require
much capital But something lac 10 be
done. Ny little ingenue could not act
Just now-her busy fingers were making
llny garments and they had gone to
housekeeping, so she was doing all her
own work. I saw her pale and
delicate as usual, but cheerful and am
bilious as ever. She had shown everyone
that the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES tn
that-cnild-wIfe could meet ali tne dntiee
..tt ,,..t f,, -. G,.- L..
OF a woman without trembling. Her
parlor dit duty as Kitchen and din-
ing room-tLe floor was covered
with a rag carpet (she walks on velvet
noW), and the stove was as bright as the
looking glass. the little bed DOM close
by was scrupulous'y clean, and the bed
was of snowy wilderness. while the win
dows were shaded with u pretty blue
paper curtain. They made them to be
serviceable in the olden days.
Things looked very dark for the new
manager ut first, but Thanksgiving day
was near, and Il hope that something
wonld come of it, kept him keen to his
work. And the what-are-yo u-&;., &c.
wife-brave little body-she carried her
share of his burlhen still. She could not
wash, but she ironed--ironed his
shirts even. she who had bsen brought
I'D to touch the strings OF a guitar with u
dainty finger and play Chopin on the
piano to admiring friends. Then her
cooking. How she has laughed over it to
me many times, telling me of
the first griddle cakes she made.
A blow from a hammer would not
have made a dent in them,
bus when she said to her husband tim
idly "Dear, Pm afraid they are not very
good" he said, "On, yes, indeed they're
lovely" aud gulped them down with u
fixed determination of pur pose, which
left her no alternative but to do the same
although they almost cnoked her.
Their pocketbook had been materially
lessened by recent demands, and hope
seemed growing fainter, but next week
would be Thanksgiving. Would it save
them from despair? Yes. it did. 1t was
a glorious holiday. And when all was
settled up my brave friend had three
hundred dollars clear of all
expenses. There was no happier
nun in wi than when me leaned over
tile pale little wife and kissed her, as he
pressed the roll of bills into the baby's
tiny fingers ana said:-"My boy, we are
rlcn today. God bless THANKSGIVING"
And many Tha~nksgivings after found
them ut their posts-he as manager,
she at the topmost round of the
ladder by force of energy and industry.
she had proved what he was going TO do
with her tackled to him. But they have
often told me that no change of fortune
or position ever brought them greater
happiness than they enjoyed on that
Thanksgiving day that gave them their
first boy and three huuQreu dollars. intbe