The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-05-17
NOW RICH, ONCE HE wAc@,
henry Irving's "Reminiscences
Who Was i'm Need M v Ian Ac,,

Tribune. was a NV = New Yor.
street off the Strand, Londoaa. quiet
time was Saturday: the hon, the
night. A company of nro Uur' mid.
men, composed of some Of tbs
yers, tdoctors, newsparer;moonne law.
actors, whose names are fa,l' and
both sides of the Atlantic, ws" on
tered in groups about the scat
smoking and chatting after the , Sums
day night supper, which had hodlur.
a standard institution With hoecone
a sheltered corner over bv thu In
place sat a small knot Of men u'c
n of whom had reached the Usef!
at least the front frank. of hi ,op' OF
lession. The talk, drifting ifo
smooth. desultory, half.sleenv III
from phase to phase had gradu, way
assumed a retrospective hue, ratv
one to another the story had ,On
each telling the tale of an oNa
stomach, or an empty pocket Ey
hopeless tramp Of thirty or so i,
shoes along a snow-bound road
ScdTCll Vi cm
Henry Irving. thoughtfllly SIND.
ing. with an air of deep attcntica
had not spoken and did not sneat WI
til the Others, having exhausted tb"u.
stock, turned to him. He had eyna,r
cnced harder luck than any of than
and they knew it. He looked m a.,
them for a moment, and then atta,a
pause. said:
The rccollectiOns uppermost
my mind just now, while Won ,or'
have been talking about tramnin,
and winter roads and all that. i n.
a certain Christmas dinner at which
l was present. l wonder whethe,
any of you remember a Door ,e Inv
long since dead-Joe Roblns-wha
plsyed small parts in London and
outside it, and who made the one ii,
mistake of his life when he entered
the profession. Joe had been in The
mems underwear business, and va.
doing well, when an amateur ner
Torrance for a charitable object wa
organized, and nc was cast for tbp
part Of the clown in a burlesoue Of
Guy FawkeS.' Joe belonged to me
of the bohemian clubs, and on rhs
night of the show his friends amoe
the actors and journalist, ATTENDED
in a body to give him a 'send.Oa'
lie PLAYED the part capltally. and The
mischief might have ended there. bit
some one compared him to Grimal.
His fate was sealed. He sold his sto&
went on the stage, and a few monlr
later l came upon him playing gen
eral utility on Il small salary in
small thcater in Manchester. 0e
relic of his happy days still remand
to him He had retained shirts col.
lars, and underwear sufficient to last
him for a generation.
But if Joe lacked ability a, an
actor he had Il heart of gold. lie
would lend or give his last shilling 70
a friend, and piece by piece his stock
OF underwear had diminished until
only a few shirts and underclotheS re.
manned to him.
1hC Vii .SlilIdo vi llldU NNul-
year in which we played together-
vas perhaps the bitterest l ever
knew. Joe had a part in the panto'
mime. When the men with whom
he dressed took Oft their street
clothes he saw with a pang at his
kind heart how poorly some OF them
were clad. One poor fellow without
an O%vercOat. Shivered and shook Win
every breath of the wind that WINS
tied through the cracked door, ana
as he dressed there was disclosed !
suit of the lightc,t summer gaWe
underwear, which he was wearing III
the depth of that dreadful winter
Poor as Joe was he vas determines
to keep up his annual custom OF g'
ing his comrades a Christmas dinner
Perhaps all that renamed OF n'
stock of undertaking went to l'
pawnbrokcr, but that is neither het
nor there. Joe raised the none
somehow. and on the Christmas d''
was ready to meet his guests
"Among the crowd that tled III.
the room was his friend with lh
gaule underclothing. Joe oeckoNn'
him into an adjoining bedroom aAu
pointing 10 a chair, silently walAu
out. On that chair hung a sui ~
underwear. 1t was OF a com[orla~
scarlet color: it was OF silk ana WV,
it was thick and warm. n IL clus
around the actor As if it llad peV'
built for him. AS the shirt lei! ou
his head there was sutfused throus,
his frame a gentle delicious glo" UNA n'
thrilled every fibre OF his BODY Il
heart swelled aim st to bursting ~
seemed to be walking on air. 1icsa
all things through a mist Oh .ea
The faces around him, the Vo'ccs
his ears, the familiar OBJ ect' IL III
sight, the very snow falling Sen ~
outside the windows seemed a.
shadows OF a dream, with ou. ~
reality-the suit OF underweaf, ro
.IV:- tn N 70 HlIlN