The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-06-19
STORY OF A WRECK.
His Little Dot and Yet Not His
Own Child.

Own Child
..You will he playing Juliet before
Won are twenty. little one" i said, as
Dot came running into the greenroom
one evening.
..Hv Jove, She IS great said another.
BEST actress IN the company and
minds her own business. too" said the
crustv old stage manager. The eN-
clamations, mingled with caresses, We're
showcred upon the head OF one of the
brightest and cleverest child prodigies
who are playing upon the stage to-day
Little Dot had just come of the scene
She was a great success IN the play
that was running at the Amphion at
that time, and her performance that
evening seemed even better than usual
4 big roun of applause attested the
appreciation of the audience, and when
She came into the greenr, ON to kiss
papa goodnight before going home
with her nurse she was warmly greeted
by every one there, for we all loved the
dear little girl as well as admired her
genius Dots father was Gus Mcrvin,
the low comedian of the theater. They
made 4 strange contrast, these two
Gus was short and very stout. His
beardless face, lined and wrinkled by
the contortions that had amused the
public for twenty-five years. loose,
ugly mouth and sandy hair, could never
have possessed any claims To beauty,
while the child was very lovely with
her big, hazel eyes and golden brown
hair.
Good night, my little one" Gus said,
running his red fingers through Dots
crisp curls; sleep soundly, and don't
dream of new parts
II love to dream of new parts" said
the child. Papa, shall | really play
Juliet when am twentv?
You won't if you don't grow. re-
piled Gus laughing, ''and if you don't
sleep. YOU won't grow, So run along
with Susan" So Dot after kissing Us
all good night was wrapped mp in her
fur coat and carried away by her care
ful nurse.
"An ready for the third act"
screamed the call boy and the scramble
for props" and places began.
Neither Gus nor were on again until
the last act and we usually indulged in
a little smoke aad chat during our wait
lie came in my dressing-room tonight
as usual hut sat silently smoking his
pipe and gazing abStractedly IT the
dingy ceiling Gus and I Were old
friends and | was used to his long fits
of silence 81 l said nothing and busted
myself at my dressing table, putting
things 20 rights and touching mp re-
fractory eyebrow or so.
Prank, old man. he said at last. Il
want to talk 10 You about Dot.
$50. it's Dot you've been thinking
about all this time. | replied. well,
! don't blame Won Gus She il the
sweetest little tot ever knew, on or
off. and 10y far the clcvcrc,t child in the
business. Why. il is perfectly wonder
ful the knowledge that child has OF
stag buSincsS.'' continued, warming
to my subject Last night old Davy
missed an important cue and got COM
plctely rattlcd-couldn't think of
word. Dot was up back-busIness with
the flowers you know-but she walked
down stage, spoke the line for him
which happened To he my cue-whis-
pered the next line in the old fellows
ear, and then turned up stage for her
business with me. / don't believe 4 soul
in front noticed anything wrong but
Dot saved that scene and perhaps old
Davy's position for him. lou would
think she had been playing ten years
instead of ten months"
That il true" said Gus, "shc needs
but little teaching"
There's where blood tells" con-
tinucd: she has got your twenty-five
years of hard work behind her, and re-
member your wife before Dot was born.
Poo Alice was one of the prctticst and
neatest soubrcttes in the business. She
was n great loss to thc stage, old man.
a. well as To you. but she has given us
Dot in her place
Frank, old friend, am going to tell
you something. Dot is not my own
child or poor Alice's either. for that
matter. Ii isn't a very long story and
] will tell il to You tonight if you've
time TO listen
60 ahead" said I, closing the door.
The act isn't half through yet"
You remember my wife you say,
sweet delicate, little creature, too
fragile by half for such life as ours.
don't know what she ever saw in me,
but she loved me, and married me, and
tried hard to make the rough path a
little smoother for her tender feet TO
travel.
Money didn't come as easily then as
il does now. hut we got along very
well. We were playing in the Orleans
the winter Dot was born, not this Dot,
but our little Dot, Frank" looking up
with tears in his honest eyes.
That was the happiest year of my
life he continued Il was making
enough to run the little home and take
care of Alice and the baby.
II tell you this life of ours teaches .
man to prize u home if he ever has one,
and if he has 4 wife and baby in it and
money enough to keep things going, he
doesn't want much else in this world
''Our season closed in April and Alice
was anxious To get back to New York.
Summer was coming on, and she
thought the baby would be better
north, SO about the first of May we
started by rail for New York.
II remember now the strange feeling
of depression had when leaving New
Orleans, hut i tried to throw it aside rs
a foolish fancy True, had been
very happy there, but had my happi-
ness, my life. my everything as be-
lieved with me. Ii took nearly a week
then TO make the trip and the accom-
modations were not what they are now,
but We managed to make ourselves
very comfortable. Alice was a perfect
genius az that
There was n sad-faced woman in
black, occupying the berth next TO US
She was widow, we understood. not
in very good circumstances, and going
to New York with her baby, little
girl about as old as our Dot. The two
babies were a bond of sympathy be-
tween the two women and in few
days she and Alice were chatting to-
gether like old friends
One night, after Alice and baby were
soundly sleeping in their berth, / went
f0rw-a nj into h..