The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-02-22
IREING'S LITTLE STORY.

The place was a cosy room in a cosy
house in a quiet street off the Strand,
London; the time was Saturday; the
hour midnight. A company Of profess
sional mep. composed of some of the law
yers, doctors, newspaper men and actors
whose names are famous on both sides of
the Atlantic, was scattered in groups
about the rooms smoking and chatting
after the Saturday night supper, which
had become a standard institution with
them. In sheltered corner over by the
fire place, sat small knot of men every
one of whom had reached the top, or at
least the front rank of his profession.
The talk, drifting in smooth, desultory,
half-sleepy way from phase to phase, had
gradually assumed retrospective hue
From one to another the story had pass
ed, each telling the tale of an empty
stomach, or an empty pocket, or a hope
less tramp CT thirty miles or so IN thin
shoes along a snow-bound road in search
of employment.
Henry Irving, thoughtfully smoking,
with an air of deep attention, had not
spoken and dld not speak until the
others, having exhausted their stock,
turned TO him. He had experienced
harder luck than any of them, and they
knew it. He looked at them for mom-
ent and then. after panse, said:
The recollection uppermost in my
mind just now, while you boys have been
talking about tramping and winter roads
ard all that, is of certain Christmas
dinner at which / was present. | wonder
whether any of you remember poor fell
low, long since dead-Joe Robins who
played small parts in London and out
side 1t, and who made the one big mistake
of his life when he entered the profession.
Joe had been in the mems underwear
business and was doing well. when an
amateur performance for a charitable OBJ
ject was organized, and he was cast for
the part of the clown in a burlesque Of
Guy Fawkes."
Joe belonged to one of the Bohemian
clubs, and on the night of the show his
friends among the actors and journalists
attended ID body to give him "send
of" He played that part capitally, and
the mischief might have ended there, but !
some one compared him to Grimaldi His |
fate was sealed, He sold his stock, went
on the stage, and few months later
came upon him playing general utility on
d small salary IN a small theatre in Man |
chester. One relic of his happy days still |
remained to him. He had retained shirts, |
collars and underwear sufficient TO last |
him for generation.
But if Joe lacked ability AS an actor |
he had heart of gold. He would lend |
or give his last shilling to a friend, and |
piece by piece his stock of underwear had |
until only few shirts and |
underclothes renamed to him.
"The Christmas of that year-the year |
in which we played together was per- |
haps the bitterest / ever knew. 10 had |
a part in the pat tomime. When the men |
with whom he dressed took off their |
street clothes he saw with pang at his |
kind heart how poorly some of them were |
clad. One poor fellow without an over
coat, shiyered and shook with every |
breath of the wind that whlstled through |
the cracked door, and as be dressed there |
was disclosed a suit of the lightest sum-
mer gauze underwear which he wes wear
ing in the depth of that dreadful winter. |
Poor as Joe was, ne was determined to |
keep up his annual custom of giving his
a Christmas dinner. Perhaps |
all that remained of his stock of under |
clothing went to the pawnbroker. but |
that is neither here or there. Joe raised |
the money somehow and oD the Christ
mas day was ready to meet his guests.
Among the crowd that filed into the |
room was his friend with the gauze un-
derclothing. Joe beckoned him into an
adjoining bedroom, and, pointing to
chair, silently walked out. On that chan
hung suit of underwear. 1t was of
scarlet color; it was of silk
and wool; it was thick and warm, and 1t
clung around the actor as if 1t had been !
built for hlm. AS the shirt fell over his
head there was suffused through his
frame gentle, delicious glow that thrill
I'd every fibre of his body. His heart
swelled almost to bursting. He seemed
to be walking on ar. He saw all things
through a mist of tears, The faces
around him, the voices ID his ears, the
familiar objects IN sight, the very snow
falling gently outside the windows SEEM
ed as the shadows of dream, with but
One reality-the suit of underwear"
His feelings seemed to have entered
your heart" said one of the listeners.
They might well do so,'' replied Mr..
Irving, ''for [ was that poor actor"