The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-12
THE TOUGH GIRL,
Sketch of Ada Lewis Her Many Port
land Friends Will Enjoy.

Miss Ada Ilewis's, representation
of the tough girl" has reputation
bounded only by the country. In it
she has been seen at the Pavilion, Peaks
island. and smore recently at Portland
theatre in "a Country Sport, "and is now
PLAYING the character at the Columbia
Frohman's-theatre in Boston Mildred
Aldrich SAYS of Miss Lewis:
All SORTS of stories have been told about
tbe source of the tough girl. 1t has been
said that, Miss Lewis found the type in
the Bowery. Then someone else has SAID
th at She studied the type on the Man
haitian Beach boats. The other afternoon
I called on Miss Lewis at the .lIangham.
II is no use to emphasize the difficulty
that / had in recognizing the pretty
woman in the stylish summer gown, who
moved with such young and attractive
dionity d own the room to meet me- All
the town has talked about that. In the
course Of delightful talk with her
asked her about the tough girl with
which she will always be identified II
found her." she replied at once, IN G1e
where I was educated, where l first
nlayed I used to see these girls as l
Went hack and forward to the convent
school T really should never dare to
renroduce her as tough as l have seen
her. Every one would consider it an ex,
aggeration. Yes, | created the part, ana
Mr. Harrigan was good enough 20 pun
it into Reilly ana !, CIV, IL the proper
surroundings and the lines.
NAnd do YOU never forget the role when
ON the stage?n I asked, as | looked at the
round and graceful figure and tried TO
wonder how she produced the slab-slded,
thin chested, round backed figure OF the
Bowery girl. ~,
"No," She replied, "never, When am
dressed for it, it never occurs TO me 10
straighten up, why no more than 1T oc-
curs 10 me now to bend into her figure.
really enjoy it, and it may amuse you
TO know that | bought those stockings,
of which YOU spoke, in this city, and
that I found that striped skirt on Dover
street. You know you can never make
those things. They must have been
worn. Otherwise they do not seem TO
have any reality in them.
"Of course,n she went on, am always
developing the role, and have really
had German character which MIR. Harfl,
gan wrote into .Squatter Sovereignty
which liked full as well as | do the
tough girl. It was German part, and
did find it difficult to drop that at times.
Oh, / must tell you a very amusing
thing. One day it occurred to me that 1T
would be good idea for me to play
the concertina in this play. 1t seemed
to me that a concertina was just tough
enough for Maggie, and | spoke to MISS
Irwin about it, asking her il she did not
think it would be immense for me to Just
walk across the stage and play Ihe
Bowery, the Bowery,' you know! pne
thought the idea funny, and the next
day, as we were out walking, we saw
concertina, and | bought 1t.
"It was at Lewiston. The hotel was
crowded, and Miss Irwin and l had
big double room together. When l got
home said to her: Now OF course
May, I must practice bit and do not
know as | can play It, I'm aWLuily
afraid that YOU will be bothered with
it, But she was just as she always is,
good natured, and assured me that
might 60 ahead Well, | went ahead.
Up and down that room the concertlna
and | went, with The Bowery, the
Bowery.' / rather guess it drove the
rest Of the people in the house crazy
know that Miss Irwin was martyr 1t
was more than she bargained for But
T got it down fine. I9could play the tune
without losing my walk or my facial ex-
preston.
well, | expected to just catch the
house with it here. We got to town:
unpacked my trunk. What do you Think
Smashed. 1t was as good as play to
see Miss Twins face, when | said to her,
'Oh, May, | have broken my concertina'.
She kept her face as straight as she
could and tried to make her voice very
sympathetic as she said, Why, Ada,
how sorry Tam. Well, haven't given
it up The instrument is at the repair
shop, and il you come and see The
Country Sport again you shall hear the
tough girl perform on the concertina.
Miss Lewis is still only a girl. She
was but barely in her teens, when, walk
ing home from school one day with her
books on her arm, she went, all by her
self, into the office of the Manager of the
Alcazar and asked for an opportunity to
play small part. Her very first expert
ence was as an extra girl in Siberia"
and speaking of that experience she said
81 really thought that | was the only
conspicuous person on the stage" Her
very first lines were those of Primrose in
"RosedaIe," and though she had but
two speeches, and had tormented the
family by studying them out loud all
the time the piece was in rehearsal and
having to have her part held and her
cues given all over the house and by
every one in it, she failed to remembe
more than one on the momentous night.
A brief experience in the stock com
pany that Lewis Morrison had in San.
Francisco antedates the Harrigan en-
gagement. Her only appearances out of
California previous to this engagement
were with him. Miss Lewis's mother
died shortly after she came to New York,
at the very time that she was awaiting
or,I Ia 4