Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-11


we have considerable supply Of counterteits.
Clever and pretty adventuresses are not slow to
know that the glamor of the stage is potent
Win many men, and SO a girl who 10 not par
ticuiarly seductive as Jennie Smith becomes
absolutely bewitching as Ethelberta Montmoro-
neck. II she plays the game boldly she
taxes room at irst-grade hotel. selects a
victim carefully from among the male guests,
remains shy for awhile under his overtures of
IMITATION and is coy even after she has per-
United him to make her acquaintance. She has,
perhaps. selected for imitation some actress
whom she resembles more or less, and in that
case she appropriates the name and personality
OF that woman. She has provided herself with
several OF the originals photographs, and, by
means of them, she leads the man to make the
| false Identification himself. In one instance a
shrewd confidence operator, SO Inspector
byrnes tells the writer. laid her plan so care
fully as to have letter mailed to her by a con-
iederate. She contrived to open the missive
| IN the presence of the dupe. Out dropped a
photograph Of the real actress whom she was
lmpersonating. and it showed her in the skirt
less costume Of a burlesquer. She coyly
denied that she was the stage celebrity but at
| length confessed it, and displayed, in burst of
confidence the pretended offer which the letter
made OF an engagement for next winter. The
enraptured man could resist the temptation no
longer For weeks he toted her about town,
feedlng her on the choicest viands. shaking her
thirst with champagne, making her costly gifts
loan Of five hundred dollars in cash. The
lair deceiver in this case was actually an
actress to the extent Of figuring in the
paliet OF spectacle last season
anu so she was able to keep up her pretences
by talking knowingly OF stage life. The victim
was astounded when his eyes were at length
opened 10 the extent to which he had been
iooIed Meanwhile the misrepresented actress
herself has been spending the summer decently
al a quiet country home with her husband and
~ . 1g,,,
are risky and risky she is highly respectable
vile and mother in private life.
SUMMER EXPLOITS OF THE BALLET.
Bright girls are some of those in the ballet
and much given to summer exploits. An illus
tratlon can be made by telling. for the first
time in print, about a danscuse who figured
last year as countess in the Catskill noun
talns and for a month was the foremost belle
IN hotel filled by thousand persons. A neater
JOB OF delicate foolery was never done, and, as
nobody was swindled out of q cent, the crea-
ture roguery-now exposed-can be laughed
at without much reserve The scene of her
achievement was big but miscellaneous
summer caravansary. Her name was Rachael
Dunberg, and she was Hungarian who
had been imported by the kiralfy brothers,
for whom she had danced two seasons in
the coryphee row. She appeared at the ksaters-
EN-, however, In the role of countess.
she was with a real. live, unquestionable
Polish count, at that time attached in some
MINOR capacity with foreign legation
at Washington. She played her part admir-
ably. She wasa delicateiy iadylike young woman
with a winsome. gentle bearing and convinc-
ingly aristocratic air. The girls Of the hotel
went Wild over her, and she was prettiv
gracious to them. The writer of this account
was a guest THERE. and he no more than
that she was not the counts wife,
but last winter he saw her skipping and whirl-
ing III the ballet, and slight inquiry brought
out the fact that the escapade of the previous
summer. although it had temporarily downed
the count pecuniarily and officially, had not
lowered her high average Of audacious jollity
One night at the hotel, however, the
ballet girl disclosed to few expert spectators
among the heterogeneous mob Of admiring
observers the fact that she possessed thor
ough stage training in pose and pantomime
An entertainment of tableaux was given
to raise money for hotel charity. All
the performers were supposed TO be ANA
tours. and SO they were, palpably, except
f"chael. They were pretty girls. and they did
their best charmingly: but not one of them was
hold her attitude through the single minute of
tabieau. and not one could keep ar expression
unaltered OF her face. The whole show
was devoid Of professional characteristics
save Aachaels portion of it. She appeared in
two scenes representing fine ladys visit TO an
artists studio And what an exquisitely fine
lady that wicked ballet girl made Of herself !.
She was perfect embodiment of high-bred
grace.
Blood will tell" whispered an enchanted
girl close by me. ''She is a born aristocrat and
her bearing shows it,
Her bearing shows that she has had
thorough training on the theatrical STAGE"
responded.
or course. was disbelieved by the fair OBJ
server. 1t was of nc use to urge that parlor
ease and sightIiness of manner could not be
exhibited by any novice to a public assem-
Dlage, no matter how well-bred a lady she
might be; or that :he effective poses and
exact pantomime OF Rachael were unmistakably
the work of trained woman of the theater
But l didn't suspect that the hotel was
being guided by an imitation countess.
Imagined that the count had married an ex-
actress, and only lately did learn that his
summer companion was kiralfy ballet girl.