St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-09
HAUNTED BY AN OGRE
The Threatening Thing That
Posters Lovely Lillian
Russell.
Her Life in California MARRIED
by the Ogre's Pres
ence.
It Has Been Claiming Her for
Its Own for Several
Years,
But She Fights 1t Off in
Many Curious
Ways.

ghosts that stalk with clanking chains
into your chamber as the clock is strik-
ing midnight, but vapory, vague,
fendish old thing that bends his best
energies to destroying the beauty OF the
hapless woman on whom he faStens his
clutch. He has his hold on Lillian Rus
sell, and he doesn't propose to be shaken
off. Of course it goes without saying
that the more beautiful the woman, the
harder it is for the unhappy lady to
gain her freedom. Hence the stupen-
dous struggle that the famous singer is
having. All her friends and relatives
are straining to help her, however, but
no one is working harder than herself.
When one OF her bird-ike trillS ends
with a little SILVER and she glanceS APP
prehensively at the wings of the stage,
be sure the dreadful ogre is making his
presence known to her in some queer
way.
Her relatives and best friends never
mention the ogre to her; that would
cause palpitation of the heart and rem
der her more susceptible to his blight
ing presence. But when they gather in
secret corners ard talk mySterlouSly
about an assemblage of minute, round
vesIcles closely agglomerated and i'm
bedded in the interSJices of the common
cellular tissue, acQualntanceS OF tue
family understand that they are talking
Ill roundabout way of the ogre. Man
ager French calls him "adipose tissue
extravagantly prominent. "
The call boy irreyerently calls him
Fat" Not the ''fat" of the piece.
Everybody with one accord lays that as
tribute of merit at the feet Of the fair
singer. Lillian Russell does not mind
that bit, but when there is added
thereto superabundance of adipose
tissue she bursts into a perfect chorus
of objections. The fusome present
could so easily be given to Hayden COT
fin, John Dudley, Charley DUNCAN,
Louis Harrison and so many others :;
besides it would look so much more
generous and be so much more appreci-
ated.
1t is to lay this terrible ogre in the
dust of memory that Miss Russell bants.
Unhappy the woman who is obliged to
bant," says the sage. Miss Russell does
not bent as business, like Fanny DAY.
export, but rather as fine art. 1t is
a delicate, refined little system by
which she deals the dreadful ogre
soft little love taps that play sad havoc
with his closely agglomerated cellular
tissue. Fanny Davenport entered into
a regular smuggling match with the tiend.
She went TO Europe, entered an inSti-
tuition, gave. all her time to the work in
hand, and knocked him sky high. The
contest, however, came very near doing
up the actress. She rid herself of the
ogre, but he took with him some of her
beauty. Rather a questionable victory
after all.
Lillian Russell is more wary, and she
has taken advantage of the lesson.
That dreadful old ogre never comes
near her but what he leaves a few
clinging cellular tissues as reminder,
but she goes at them quietly and syS-
tematically till they melt into air, into
thin, impalpable air. But she dare not
laugh and celebrate her victory, for
their tenacious unlUveliness.
Lillian Russell hasu't gained any
flesh since her arrival in California.
She knows what the glorious climate is
as a multiplier of adipOse tissue. and
has taken time, or rather the ogre, by
the forelock. Every afternoon she is
at WOrk-nOt on her sweet voice and
stage eXpresSion-that comes earlier in
tine day-but on the irrepreSSible cellu-
lar tissue. For some reason or other
the fibers fairly yearn TO cling ABOUT
her, and 1t takes deal of coaXing and
wheedlng to make them let go. They
linger long and lovingly, and the better
Miss Russell looks, and the nicer she
talks and the more charming she feels,
the harder it is to get rid of the pesky
things. Dudes at the stage-entrance
door are nothing compared to them.
Accompanied by her maid, she is
driven TO the park every afternoon. LII
the carriage with them there is always
frowsy, nervous irrepressible little
terrier. A quiet driveway is found, the
three aiIght. and the conscientious work
of the afternoon begins. Miss Russell
starts off on Swinging rapid gate,
closely followed by her maid and the
excited little terrier. She walks like
the typical American girl, but there is
more motion to her body and limbs.
more freedom, so as to get every pos
sible benefit from the exercise. If the
swapping little terrier demands some at
tention the chances are lie will be
scampered after for few rods. That
brings the color to- the cheeks, the
ozone into the lungs and causes the in
fantile cellular tissue TO weaken its
weak craps and go wailing into the has
been.
Two miles is the limit set for the walk.
Miss Russell can swing over three miles
easily enough without pause, for she's
famous walker, but before ner minds
eye the evening performance always
looms up. She wants to be fresh and i'm
trim for it. In all her successful career
she has never YET missed performance
through ill health. No one on the stage
enjoys better health. or, for that matter,
gets more enjoyment out of life.
The only thing to mar it is that dread
full, haunting. omnipresent ogre.
He made llrs appearance to her some
years ago. He was clipper. eaSy-go-
ing, vap0rish young creature then, and
she did not pay much attention to him.
1t was only very few years. however,
till the chorus to her bird songs became,
''Oh. for waist of 20, u, -. OF even %
inches"
Alas, time and tide, Lillian Russell
and the adlpOSe ogre struggled and
tugged at the corset strings. but the
SylphdOm never came. Beer and wine
were eschewed, then sweet things and
things of /; starchy nature. under whose
guise the ogre of obesity turks. Only a
few months ago the singer observed
with feryent sigh: Any one with
talent may better their singing qualities
by continuous effort. but to retain GER
tain physical qualities''- and another
doiorous sigh followed that spoke vol
umes All in ali, however. she has not
been SO sprightly in several years as she
is now.
After the rapid walk in the park
comes hard rubbing and a perfumed
bath. Fifteen minutes later Venus, clad
i'll the softeSt rose garments of Olympus,
is not Il patch to the fair siuger lolling
III fleecy folds on an ottoman couch.
Yet Miss Russell ShiyerS there as she
sips her iced ciaret, one OF the very few
drinks she may take, for about her she,
iIiStinctyely I, els the dread. haunting.
imp!acab!e fouch of the atlipUse ogre.
tie iuyrS her and won't he gone.
The Dell hoy says he don't blame him.
He'd ike 10 play leading brother to the
o-re.
Firur-.ie-..;s.
i'ae nsaf ,le-ljs fancy has iiltackvd
va.,,s y b,,.,.,t f,,i ;arliniprr sitntEii,a