The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-19

no can tell Y asked.
Anybody can tell, /" he answered, put
ting me down for bachelor. ut is the
genius in her-or. rather, what we con-
slider genius, for many men make mis-
take about that"
so you loved her for her genius?"
what first struck me was her exit. /
suppose NAV say that fell in love with
1t at once. Then she sang-only verse.
but 1t was enough. Later she danced, and
that, sir, was a revelation. [ knew the
woman was a genius. BY the time the
pantomine was in full swing she was the
only woman in the world for me-"
And she had fallen In love with your
genius, too?"
Il could not be certain. You see, we
were not on speaking terms. She was SO
but that."I said. sis recognized as s
sign of love- No doubt she wanted you
entirely to hersef Who was the lady?"
What LADY," he asked in surprise.
THE lady Miss 0'Reilly was jealous OF, !"
II never said she was Jealous of 3 lady,
though of course she would be jealous Of
the principal girl spoke of myself"
But how" questioned, ''couid she be
jealous unless she thought You were pay
ing attention to some other woman?"
''Oh. he said. with slow enlightenment.
81 see what you mean, but you don't see
Nu6t nicdu. IL WAS Oh me tuat sic NdS
jealous, or rather of my song. You may
not be aware that in pantomine we are al
lowed 10 choose our own songs. Well, it
so happened that she and / both wanted TO
sing the same song. Ii was an exquisite
thing. called DO You Think When You
Winkp and rs had applied for permits
sion to sing II first she was told to select
something else. That was why We did not
speak"
But if you love her." said, speaking,
1t is true, on q subject of which / knew
little, "you would surely have consented
to waive Your rights to the song. Love. it
is said, delights in self-sacri6ce."
NO doubt" he admitted, 'but you
know the lines, 4 could not love you,
dear. so much. loved | not honor more
Well, my honor was at stake, for I had
promised my admirers in Dublin, and
they were legion (see the Shamrock for
January IL, 1881, to sing that song. And
my fame was at stake as well as my honor,
for created quite furore with DO You
Think When You Wink?'"
Still, | insisted, "love is all powerful.
81 admit it, he answered. land what is
more, proved il, for after had sung the
song q week / transferred it to her."
Did she sing it as well as you had
done2"
There was mighty struggle within him
before he could reply, but when he did
''She sang it far better than l." he said
firmly. and then WINGED.
1t was great sacrifice you made" I
said gently, "but doubtless il had its re-
ward. Did she give you her hand in ex-
change for the song?"
mo" he answered, I'VE were not mar
ried until year after that. She was
grateful TO me, but soon we quarreled
again. The fact is that / took a call which
she insisted was meant for her. She felt
that disappointment terribly-indeed, she
has not got over il yet. She cannot speak
about it without crying"
"You mean," l said. ''that you years
ago deprived her of the privilege of curt
seying to an audience? Surely she would
not let that prey on her mind"
You don't understand" he replied,
that fame is food and drink to an artist.
1t was months before she forgave me that,
though she is naturally the most tender
hearted creature. Our baggage man stole
$50 from her and she would not prosecute
him because she knew his sister. But, you
see, it was not money deprived her of,
it was fame"
And you did win your way back into
her favor" I asked, "by letting her take a
call that was meant for you?''
No." he said. Several times / deter
mined to do so, but when the moment
came l could not make the sacrifice. 1
spent about half my salary in presents to
her, but though she took them she
refused to listen to any proposal
of marriage. By this time I
had confessed my love for her. Well.
We parted, and soon afterward got an en-
gagement as chief comedian in the Pow
der Monkey company, which was then on
tour. She was playing chambermaid in
it. Fancy that woman finging herself
away on chambermaidsi / made big hit
in my part. The Lincoln Observer said !:
MT. James Thorpe, the celebrated Jolly
Little Jim, created a -"
'But about Miss O'Reilly?" asked.
I'VE got on swimmingly at first" he
"She had decided to forgive your"
"No, she was stiff the first day, but put
her up to bit of business that used to be
encored nightly, and then she accepted
my offer of marriage. But a week after
had given her the engagement ring she re-
turned it to me. don't blame her."
"You admit that she had just cause of
complaint against your"
Eyes. No woman who was an artist
could have stood it. The fact is that one
night took the up side of her in our
comic love scene. That is to say, had
my face TO the audience, and so she was
forced to turn her back to them. had no
right to do it, but a sort of madness came
over me, and yielded to the impulse. As
soon as we had made our exits she flung
the ring in my-ah, she gave me back the
ring, and for the remainder of the tour she
was not civil to me. The tour ended
abruptly; indeed, the manager decamped
owing us all a fortnight's salary, and we
were stranded in Bootle without money to
pay for our lodgings, not to speak of our
tickets back TO London. l pawned NV
watch and sold my fur coat, and shared
what got for them with her."
HAnd so the engagement was resumed o,s
mo, no; that was merely friendly act,
and it was accepted as such. The engage
ment was not resumed until l got a par
about her into Sunday paper. Rut that
is the bell again. shall tell you the rest
after her death scene"
Miss 0'Reilly died as slowly as the man.
agement would allow her, and when she
had gasped her last gasp, with her hair
down, Jolly Little Jim that was led the
tears and the cheers, cried out: Superb
by Jovei That woman has all the talents
in a nutshell" and strutted from the stalls
in manner inviting to the rest of the
audience TO follow. But everybody. save
Mr.. Thorpe and myself, remained to see
the comic man produce the missing will
and so my little friend and got the smok-
ing-room to ourselves.
The next time we were on tour to-
gether," he continued, after | had given
the death scene a testimonial, twas in
Letters of Fire with a real steam engine
l was Bill Rody, the returned convict and
the Rochester Age said:
Mr.. Thorpe, who, as Jolly Little Jim,
made such a -"
The engagement was resumed by this