The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-17
APPLAUDED THE BOYS.
A BOSTON AUDIENCE THAT RESENT
ED A WOMAN'S SATIRE.
A Story of Florence Marryatt's First APP
pearance in America-She Spoke Be-
fore an Unsympathetic Audience, and
Failed to Arouse Enthusiasm.

fore an Unsympathetic Audience. and
Failed to Arouse Enthusiasm.
The story published recently relative to
| the impressions left at Kansas City by the
Yale Glee club recalls an incident which
happened three or four years ago in Bos-
ton. One of the best entertainment bu-
reaus Of that city had engaged Florence
Marryatt, the authoress, to give series of
entertainments in this country She first
appeared in Boston, at Tremsnt Temple
Every billboard throuehuzt Che city was
ablaze with her portrait and the announce
ment Of her first appearance in America,
and down toward the bottom of the bill, in
small and modest letters, was the further
announcement that she would be assisted
by the Harvard quartet"
Boston people had been treated to taste
Of English Sweetness and light" in the
person of the famous English critic, Mat
thew Arnold, only a short time before and
were, therefore, all agog with expectancy
and interest as to how this English COM
modify would be dispensed by and English
woman.
On the evening appointed fremont
Temple was packed. Every seat was occu-
pied, and the aisles were filled with people
standing up. The quartet Of Harvard boys
had been engaged to sandwich in" be-
tween the numbers on the programme re-
served for Miss Marryatu and the manager
felt some misgivings as to whether the
boys would be able TO hold their own and
keep the dignifed pace set by the star Of
the evening.
She began the entertainment by reading
''Love Letters" a composition of her own
She appeared in the conventional full dress,
and posed az a leader of English society
reading her love letters and commenting
upon the character Of those who sent them,
always to their disparagement.
THE RECEPTION OF THE STAR
One of these letters was supposed to be
from newly graduated Oxford man, who
had offered her in this letter his heart,
hand and fortune. He came in for the
lions share of feminine sarcasm and rid
icule, and was left in a sorry condition
when she got through with him. She
made him out an inane, conceited puppy
mere blctch On the healthy body of So
ciety. When she had completed the au-
topsy she bowed herself grandly off the
stage and swept into the green room with
the air of @ conqueror.
The audience was stupefied and dumb.
Presently il occurred to somebody in one
corner of the hall that it was the proper
thing to applaud, for the sound of a soil
tary clap broke the awful stiffness which
followed her disappearance from the stage
The applause started from the rear, skip
ped over the body of the house, found two
or three Sympathizers on the other side OF
the hall, froze there and died.
The manager was frantic and scarcely
knew what to say to Miss Marryatt in eX-
PLANTATION Of the cold reception given her. |
He kept up frenzied dance from her room |
to where the college boys stood, at the
other end of the hall behind the scenes, |
trying to console the woman and pathet- !
ically begging the boys to do their best.
'Can you hold your own?" he asked in
frightened voice.
Eyes" said the giant bass, well be out
in the middle of the audience before we
get through"
IT WAS A COLLEGE NIGHT.
And they soon were. They first sang a |
popular glee and followed it up with sew
eral college songs, which called forth a |
storm of applause. They came out again .
three times in response to encores and |
started to respond to the fourth, when the /
manager begged them not to go before the !
audience again, beseeching them to con-
slider Miss Marryatt's feelings.
The hurricane out in the audience died
after awhile and Miss Marryatt once more
appeared. This time she was enveloped in
flaming red Oxford gown and cap, and
stood before the audience as young col
legian. The house Immediately Caught
on" to the irony of the thing and remained
mute with establishment, not knowing
whether her role as a collegian meant
peace or war.
A spasmodic burst of laughter in the
rear, in which every one wanted to join,
was, however, soon hushed and Miss Mar
ryatt began her lines, the tenor of which
was, with a slight difference, much the
same as her previous sketch, and the same
cold reception was accorded her.
She left the hall in a towering rage i'm
mediately, and the college boys came on to
sing once more. They were greeted with
applause. They 'owned the
house" and every one in it. The audience
was demoralized and jublant. Women
waved their handkerchiefs and men
clapped their hands and pounded the floor
with their sticks and feet.
When the audience arose to leave one
very old man, with happy look on his
face, started for the door, leaving his aged
wife to find her way out as best she could
lie forgot where he was for a minute, and
trolled in a quavering voice:
I'll go no more aroving with you, fair
maid. New York Tribune.
LUKE SHARP, THE HUMORlST.