Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-28

| L should think of blue. His dress was what
might have been that of q genteeI sport or
| actor of a generation since; billycock hat. a
| ble-breasted monkey jacket of dark plaid
stun, ught gray or drab pants and heavy
enameled-leather shoes, and he carried jauntily
cane or knob stick. He was walking fast for
| his after-breakrast exercise, probably. it being
| about nine or half-past, in the morning. The
second time 1 saw Mr.. Dickens was at one of
MS famous readings, just before his sailing for
England later in the same year 1t was held in
Steinway Hall, 14th street.
At 5 O'Clock to the minute Mr. Dickens
walked quickly out from behind a green baize
screen at the side Of the stage. and, without
| seating himself, laid his book upon a small
| reading desk, lighted by a row of earish gas
jets few feet above his head. In q brisk bust
ness-like way he at once addressed his audience,
and set of with David Copperield.'
HIS APPEARANCE AND ATTIRE.
L had never seen him without his hat and
consequently. looked at him with interest He
was at that time fifty-five years of age, having
been born in 1912; man Of striking person. but
indifferent presence The features were regu-
Lar and hne, though plain. and wore a haggard
overworked expression, which told of n restless
brain and too much toll. The forehead, bare
at the temples. was broad and low at the ton
with wrinkles on the brow. The hair. once SO
luxurlant, was thin and gray, and rather fop-
pishly frizzled at the sides. A mustache and
grizzled goatee graced his face. dress coat
with silk or satin lapels, black trousers
with stripe down the leg, low-cut velvet
vest with gilt buttons, a brace of gold guards
one running from either waistcoat pocket, as if
he carried two watches. with a great locket in
the middle, and a frilled shirt front. with
huge diamond cluster in the ruffie, made up
his SNOWY. conspicuous and somewhat cockney
ature prodigious bouquet was on his left
breast and lemon-colored kid gloves covered
his sinewy hands. He suggested or seemed to
be some sort of a ''swell;'' yet it would have
been difficult to classify him correctly among
the swell species. Strictly speaking he was not
Eatriclan swell; nor a plebeian swell, nor
military swell in citizens clothes. nor a pro-
fessional swell. nor theatrical swell. nor a
shopkeeping swell, nor was he a snobbish swell
at all, but happy combination of all kinds of
swellf. Yet. perhaps. it was not swell at all
but simply the original Charles Dickens style
the Bozesque.
HIS STYLE OF READING.
Dickens was a versatile reader, a clever light
comedian. highly humorous. unique and salts
flying. His heroes were gallant generous gen.
tlemen; his heroines agreeable ladies. though
ever much the same His comic personapes
Micawber, Traddles. Barkis. were racv of rendi-
ton and very laugh provoking. The description
OF the storm at Yarmouth and the wreck upon
the sands. when James Steerforth met his death
In the raging sea, was effectively read and tell
ngly pictured. When he had finished the story
Dickens bowed abruptly and hastily stepped
behind the screen again, leaving his audience
somewhat surprised at his sudden exhit 1t was
evident that he was there for business and
meant to make money and did not want to waste
any time about it. either. After ten minutes
lntermlssion he suddenly reappeared at his desk.
volume in hand and Immediately resumed his
reading.
Away he went again at his subject, "Bob
Sawyer s Party with the boisterous glee of q
school boy at intermission. He had a most
comlcal way of repeating over and over in a
| rafting, rollicking Tone the word necklace"
which lnfantlle appendage. it will be readily re-
membered. the unfortunate baby Jack Hop
| klns hospital patient had surrepttiousy swal-
| lowed, to the terror of its parents and the
| strange alarm of the street. This incident was
very farcical and CONFUSING and brought tears
| OF mrth to many ewes. At the close of the
| chapter Dickens bowed and bolted from the
| PLATFORM az before. not waiting to.acknowledge
| the applause so heartily bestowed upon him.
| dis Illustrations of character were INDIGESTION
| ably above those of the average stock actor.
although the voice lacked strength and the
gestures grace
While in New York on this visit Dickens
| stayed at the Westminster Hotel in Irving
| place with his manager. Dolby. having apart
| mems with private entrance from the street.
so AZ to permit of his stepping out for an air
| ing whatsoever he chose without the annoy
| ance OF attracting attention.
| DICKENS FIRST SERIES OF READINGS
| The first series of Charles Dickens famous
readings were had at Birmingham. England.
during the Christmas week of 1853. Three
| readings were given for the benefit of the ScieD-
titic and Literary Society in the Birmingham
town hall. and Mr.. Dickens. during the next
| five years. read similarly for charitable pur-
poses both in London and the provinces. But
1t was was not until 1853 that he began to read
| on his own account
Mr.. Dickens. however had publicly rehearsed
| as reader at Peterborough in the corn ex-
change. writes an eyewitness of the scene. 4
| fortnight before the reading every Place was
taken 1T half Il guinea, for the benefit of the
Mechanics Institute. Dickens himself went
down and superintendent the arrangements. so
anxious was he for the result. At one end of
| the hall he had caused TO be erected tall pull
pit of red baize, as much like Punch and Judy
show with the top taken off as ything else.
This was to be the readers rostrum. But as
| the sall red pulpit looked lanky and very conf
cal stuck up there alone two dummy pulpi.s of
similar construction were placed one on each
side to bear it company. When .he reader
mounted into the middle box nothing was visi-
BILE of him but his head and shoulders. So if it
be really true. was stated afterward by an in
discreet supernumerary. that Mr. Dickens legs
knew nothing about it. The whole character of
the stage arrangements suggested that Mr..
Dickens was sure of his head but not quite 80
sure of his legs. 1t was the Christmas Carol"
that he read, for the night was Christmas eve
As the clock struck the appointed hour a kindly.
jovinl face. unrelieved By the heavy mustache
which the novelist afterward assumed broad
high forehead, and perfectly Micawber-like
expanse of shirt collar and front appeared
| above the red baize box, and full. sonorous
voice rang out, marley was dead to begin
with'-then paused for an instant as if to take
in the character of the audience. No need of
| further hesitation. The voice held all SPELL
| bound. Its depth of quiet feeling when the
ghost of past Christmases led the
dreamer through the long forgotten
scenes of his boyhood; its embodiment
| of burly good nature when old Fezziwig's calves
were twinking in the dance; its fearful sugges-
tiveness when the spirit of Christmases to come
| pointed to the nettle-grown, neglected grave Of
| tho unlovcd, unloving man; its exquisite pathos
| by the suffering side of Tiny Tim, dwell vet in
| tho tradition like a long-known tune. That one
| nights reading in that quaint little city, 20
curiously brought about, SO ludicrous almost
| In its surroundings, committed Charles Dickens
| to the career Of public reader; and he after
| ward derived nearly as large an income from
his readings as from the copyright of his novels.
| His receipts for public readings from his own
works during his last visit to the United States
amounted to some twenty thousand pounds
sterling, clear Of all incidental expenses, dur.
i in0 The araca nj six unOufha