Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04

elaborately put on the stage. has met with dis
aSter because people laugh at the very thing
which made a success of thrilling interest in
Paris. Probably the reader has enjoyed, al
some time other. some of Agnes Booth
acting. She is regarded here as one of our
most clever players She was engaged for this
| enterprise at an extravagant salary in order
/ that the risky situation might be insured
against loss. Mrs. Booth is making. literally,
the greatest effort Of her life but she can't save
Daudet from ridicule. The theme of the play
/ Is inherited insanity. The hero under a
/ strain of troubled love seems likely to go crazy,
az his father has done before him. In order to
dispossess his mind of the fear Of the dreadful
heritage his mother conceiyes the idea of
making him believe that his reputed father,
her deceased husband, was not his father really.
Mrs Booth tells this loving lie with all the arts
OF theatric emotion possible to her. But every
time the audience sees humor in the conceit of
fellow being fooled in that way. and not only
are there smiles in plenty and no tears visible.
but the sound of tlttering is not blended with a
single sob. SO a play which proved thrillingly
serious in Paris becomes a matter Of ridicule
IN fun-loving New York.
DOMESTIC SUCCESS FROM THEATRICAL FAILURE
One failure on the stage has led to u success
in domestic way. Helen Dauvray, who had
considerable celebrity in her childhood as Lit
tie Nell, the California Diamond. invested her
savings IN Comstock mining shares just before
the great boom and enriched thereby.
Then she retired from the stage, spent some
years IN European travel and education and
at length returned to the stage as q mature
actress. She made several ventures with small
artistic satisfaction and none at all in money
way. Next she married John NJ. Ward, the
famous base ball player, who is also a lawyer. A
positive condition of their matrimonial contract
was that the wife should do no more acting
About year ago, however. the lady found her
self unable to resist any longer the desire to
get into the footlights' glare again; so she
parted from her husband. as he refused to ex-
cuse her violation Of the agreement, and ap-
peared as the central figure i'll new play. She
lost nearly S2O. coo through the non-acceptance
OF herself and the piece by the public and then
sailed away across the Atlantic. Lately several
American tourists encountered Mr.. and Mrs
Ward together again, and today they arrived
by steamer in town. having made a sort Of
second honeymoon trip. with the non-acting
clause again operative III their bargain Of we'd
lock.
LITTLE LILLE WAS ALL RIGHT.
An incident could hardly appear more unique
to the conventional mind than one occurring
recently in free-and-easy concert hall in the
Bowery. 1t was a smoky and steaming place
where men from the docks, factories and
breweries congregate to get their beer and to
hear some wonderfully bad stage performers go
through certain musical acts that give much
more pain than pleasure. At one point of the
entertainment on this particular night a
rather obese blonde young lady in pale blue
dress that had several beer stains down its
front came on the stage and silenced the voci-
ferrous applause that greeted her by holding up
her large and not wholly white hand in man
ner that clearly showed something had gone
wrong with her and that she desired to speak
to the audience before going on with her act
Silence fell over the assemblage at once and
the obese blonde proceeded to speak.
Il amt got nothin' ter say against any gen.
tleman here tonight" she began, 1--WE known
many OF yer fur months an l don't think yer
kin say l ever played it low down on yer at any
stage Of the game. Now, was sittin out in
the audience ternight with some gentlemen,
drinkln beer an l took off me sealskin jacket,
cause WAS hot, an laid the sealskin on the
chair next ter me. / drank me beer an was
gettln up ter come on the stage ter do me turn
when noticed that me sealskin had gone. No
one round me didn't know nothin about it.
but the fact Is some gentleman or lady boned it.
Now, cud get along without me sealskin-cud
buy new one If l wanted ter, but that one was
given TO me by me gentleman friend on me
birthday last December. an that's why hate
ter lose 1t. Now, there's nothIn' mean about
me, an don't expect the gentleman or lady
who pinched me coat ter give IL back. I'll buy
it back, an here's ten dollars for it right now.
That's as much as any hook shop viii give so
WHY not take il? There won't be no questions
asked Jest send the coat In behind the stage
an yer gets the ten dollars. Begin yer pardon
fur the interruption and hopin' ter merit yer
kindness now as ever. L will say no more an
sing my favorite song, I'm Stuck on the Scis-
sors Grinder"
The young woman's speech was greeted with
frantic applause and when she had finished her
arlorous ballad she was resoundingly encored
Ii was very evident that she was a prime
fayorite with the crowd. for when some en-
thasiastic auditor demanded, ''Wot's der mat
ter wild Little Lilie?' he was answered by the
ear-sphttIng assertion, ''She all right" More
over, it would appear that the fair singer re-
covered the stolen coat, for when she left the
hail few hours later it was seen that her
plump shoulders were encased in sealskin, while
a bright and satisfied smile enwreathed her
moon-like countenance