Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-04-06
THE BEST rHEArKlcAL STORY.
and EnEland's Rost Eminent Actor
Tolls ne


And Enrland's Nost Eminent Actor
Tells It
Henry Irving, when be frSt came to
America, was found to be quite the OPP
posite OF the snuffy snob. Lawrence
Barrett, in a letter to the Detroit Free
Press at that time, commenting Mr..
Irving, said "You will find him
thoroughly democratic fellow, genial,
earnest, without vanity, and as hospta-
bic as be is creator there Is no doubt
OF the mans greatness"
Barrstt's estimate Of Irving is borne
out by the whole conduct OF the Eng
lish actor. bur in nothing does his unaf-
fected simplicity shine more genially
than in the following story, which be
lately told TO company OF late-supper
friends:
The recollection uppermost In my
mind just new, while you have been
talking about trsmpiDg aad winter
roads aud all that. is OF certain Christ
mas dinner at which ! was present l
wonder whether any OF you remember
a poor fellow. long since dead-FJoe
Robins-who played small parts In Lon
don and outside IL, and who made the
one big mistake OF his life when he en-
tered the profession. Joe had been In
in the mems underwear business, and
was doing well, when an amateur per-
f0rmance for charitable object was
organized, and be was cast Tor
the part OF the clown In burleSQue
Of Guy Fawkes." Joe belonged
10 one Of the Bohemian clubs, and on
the night Of the show his friends among
the actors and journalists attended In
body 70 give him a ''send-on." he
plOyod that part capitally, aud the mis-
chief 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 I came upon him playing general
utility on a small salary ia small thea
ter in Manchester One retic OF MS
happy DAYS still remained TO him. dc
had retained shirts, collars and under
wear sufficient to last him for a genera
tiou.
But, II Joe lacked ability as an &C
tor, be had heart Of gold. He would
lend or give his last shilling to a friend,
aud piece by piece his stock OF un-
derwear had diminished, uatil only
few shirts and underclothes remained
20 him. The Christmas OF that year
the year 10 which we played together
was, perhaps, the bitterest | ever knew.
Joe had part in the pantomime. When
the men with whom he dressed took
of their street clothes he saw with
q pang at his kind heart how
poorly some OF them were clad.
One poor fellow, without an
overcoat, shivered and shook with every
breath Of the wind that whiStled
through the cracked door, and as he
dressed there was disclosed a suit OF the
nghtest summer gauze underwear,
which be was wearing 10 the depth or
that dreadful winter. Poor as Joe was
he was determined 10 keep up his an-
nual custom OF giving his comrades a
Christmas dinner. Perhaps all that re-
NAMED of his stock Of underclothing
went to the pawnbroker, but that is
neither here nor there. Joe raised the
money somehow, and on the Christmas
day was ready 10 meet his guests.
Among the crowd that filed into the
room was his friend with the gauze un-
der clothing. Joe beckoned him into
an adjoining bedroom, and, pointing TO
a chair, silently walked out On that
chair hung q suit Of underwear. 1t
was a comfortable scarlet color; it was
Of silk and wool; ii was thick and warm,
and 10 clung around the actor IS II II
had been built for him. As the shirt
fell over his head there was suffused
through his frame a gentle, delicious
glow that thrilled every fiber Of his
body. His heart was swelled almost to
bursting. He seemed 10 be walking on
air. He saw all things through a mist
of tears. The faces around him, the
voices in his ears, the familiar objects
in his sight, the very snow falling gent
" outside the windows seemed as the
shadows OF a dream, with but one real
ity-the suit Of underwear
"HIs feelings seem to have entered
you heart" said one of the listeners.
They might well do So" replied Mr..
Irving, "for was that poor actor. d"