Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1893-07-27
A PARADOX OF ACTING.
EXPERIENCES OF A REsOURcsFuL
MANAGER WITH A PLAY.

ger, thoughtfully, Il should say I'd seen
something OF what you'd call the paradox
Of acting. Yes, should say had. II it's
come under my observation once it's come
under it a hundred times, and in one case
look here, when did you last see a
Dead Mashp
why, A Dead Mash has been the
greatest success | ever handled, and I'm
only taking it off the road this year be-
cause. See here, perhaps the name of
Miss Dotty Devoe, the leading lady has
never been brought to your attention. If
you've heard of Miss Devoe you have heard
OF her as charming soubrette, vivacious,
'piquant and ore Ainal, in fact the most tai
ented actress now on the farce-comedy
boards. Exactly.
About a year before a Dead Mash was
in rehearsal, the play was in my hands
waiting for star. There was nobody
knew cared about giving it to. You
recollect the time. A young girl falls In
love with mummy in the museum and
coaxes him to life. Now, the responsible
ity of finding the right woman for it
weighed on me.
A STAR DISCOVERED
"One day | learned that little girl,
name and professional antecedents un-
known to fame, had caught the town in
Boston in topical act in a rank comic
opera. | went on to see her. House
crowded, company guys, opera inexpressi-
BILE! But the little grill 1t was Just the
most perfectly irresistible thing you ever
imagined. She had a topical song, Teach
ing the Baby to Talk'-the one bright
thing in the opera-and by a stroke Of
genius they gave her a parrot as well as a
baby.
You understand the idea. The parrot
chipped in with the things she was trying
to teach the baby, and the effect was out
OF sight. OF course it didn't take me mo.
ment to see that, though the parrot was
live enough, ut was one of the dumb breed,
and that the speaking was done from the
flies. But it was billed as trained bird,
and the audience took it all in and was in
ecstasies.
81 made up my mind on the spot | had
found my star, and before left town Miss
Dotty pevoe had engaged with me for the
ensuing season, and the paragraphs were
being sent round to the papers filed up
my company for "A Dead NASH fixed
August for rehearsals and arranged to
meet Miss Mcpherson - real name-and
to get things quietly in shape between us.
GAINING A POINT.
"My dear sir, such was the personal charm
and ingenuousness of the young lady that
it took me and the author a week to dis
cover that we had run into the deadest
wall of our lives, and that she couldn't act
at all-not little bitl She was simply in
competent.
n n 81
and retain consciousness he would know
how felt. talked to little Dotty as
kindly as could and tried to give her an
idea or two, but it was no use She was
Observation-Disclosures it stopped
FINALLY, while ! was telegraphing all
over the country to try to rake up another
star, pressed her again about the topical
song, and she whimpered out that she liked
parrots and had always just loved babies,
and she didn't like mummies, and that was
all there was to it,
81 seemed to get hold of an idea here,
but for the life of me | couldn't tell what
it was.
| There was, say, ten days before rehear
sails need begin. In those ten days-don't
laugh, for | was serious--l made as good
love to that girl as | knew how There
was no reason | shouldn't, except age; and
there was good reason | should, when you
looked at her | will. merely say that Pm
younger than some other old bachelors,
and that at the end of ten days she was
ready to marry me-
"'Now,' said |, my dear, | want you to
think of this play just once more. If you
can love me you can love a mummy,
guess.
John, she said, you must be crazy
my love- said l. 4 mean it. You are
to go on the stage this afternoon for re
hearsal, you are to make up your mind
that that mummy is me, and you are TO act
to it. And II you don't. | vow | won't
marry you
at was an awful risk. but took it. She
gave me one look, turned on her heel and
walked off. held on to my courage like
grim death till rehearsal came. She was
there.
SUCCESS IN AN UNFAIR WAY.
Her first lines went off pretty well.
had provided a property mummy as much
like me in the general outfit as well as
could be without calling attention. In her
first scene with it 1t was behind glass, In
a case-and it was brought out and un.
wrapped, and all that Hank Edwards
that's the author, and were watching her
all of a tremble. She was pale and had q
red spot in each cheek. Still, she went or
all right until the uncovering-and then
sir, she made sudden dart at the object
dashed it down to the floor, kicked it like
a little fury, and then sat down on 1t cry
ing as II her heart would break.
81 threw up my hands. was shaking
with excitement so that ! could hardly
speak. | grabbed Edwards by the collar
and jammed the stage copy Of the play into
his hand. 'Haukp gasped take it--takC
1t home with you, pull the whole thing tC
pieces and rewrite 1t up to this scene
Bring 1t back in the morning II you hav,
TO write your ears off Then | pushed
half dozen Of the company out Of tn,
way, dropped down by Dotty on the
mummy and laughed until the little Tar
tar turned round and hit me, sir, slapped
me soundly In the face and don't blam,
her.
And now, sir. II you will 90 to see A
Dead Mash the next time 1t il played here
and take particular notice of the scene In
which Miss Deyoe kicks the mummy IL
contempt. you will understand why
claim to understand the paradox Of act
ing"
at seems 10 me that method OF educa
ton was little unfair to Miss Deyoe."
suggested soberly.
The manager looked at me a moment
and then said, quizzically; perhaps I
was, because 1t resulted In her having I,
marry me. Come up and see us some day
and you'll find she's got a parrot She
got baby, too" he added rehectiyely.-
New York Recorder
How Tennyson Decided n Matter.
Here is Tennyson's own account 10 Mr.
James Knowles, editor Of The Nine