The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-20

failure. All he wanted was Booths cos.
tunes. the stage and an audience.
One afternoon got note from Larkyn
to meet him at the Merchant-street res
taurant. L went up, and there he had
3 Doth Gagged IN the little dining room
where we always dined. / felt great
strain on my nerves when 1 was intro
duced to Booth. | thought Larkyn should
have had little more regard for me than
to have brushed Inc up against our in
tended victim. Nothing on earth ever
phased Larkyn, but with me it was quite
different.
felt i'll at ease. and when Booth turned
his big eyes on me l wondered if he was
| reading the secret.
Harry" said Booth suddenly, whats
this. talk in the papers about my intention
to give the public new version of Hamlet?
I saw it only yesterday in the Post"
81 wrote it, replied Larkyn, as he filed
his glass. "You know there has been lot
of talk that you had played Hamlet so
often that you had fallen into a rut and
| could only play the one version. OF course,
/ know better, and [ casually mentioned
the fact that during your stay here you
would demonstrate the folly of the one-rut
idea by giving the public a new version.
OF course it would be no trouble for you to
do that. ItwouId demonstrate your versa
tility and be great treat
Booths face wore a clouded look and
then he laughed
~ suppose you would have the manage
ment advertise a complete change of
Hamlet every night and the actor who
could present Hamlet in the most char
acters would knock the persimmOns, eh ?"
After considerable good-natured chaff
between the two. we finished the dinner,
which Booth seemed to relish and in
| aft no ha
public different version of Hamlet on
Saturday night and have a line on the bills
to that effect.
EDWIN BooTH IN A BRAND-NEw HAMLET
By special request
Booth joked of the matter about the
hotel until it began 60 be talked of through
the city, and like most theatrical rumors
spread with amazing rapidity, which
played exactly into Larkyn's hand and put
him in the highest spirits
L even had to agree to sleep alone so that
In my troubled dreams the plot might not
escape. Well the night. at last arrived.
Booth was wearing off the drugged effects Of
Harry's dinner IN deep slumber at the
hotel, his valet was properly drunk in
Clay-street saloon and all was well.
We got the key to the Hamlet wardrobe
out of the Wallets pocket, and at 7:45
Johnson was arrayed as the melancholy
Dane at the California Theater. The place
was packed and the sign standing room
only was up. At o'clock l put the
!: finishing touches on Johnson's wig and
babe him brace up. He was pale and
the circumstances. He had two parts to
play, Hamlet and Booth. [ gave him a
few words of encouragement and a small
nip of brandy and turned him loose.
He strobe en- the stage, faced the foot
lights, and then what q roar of welcome
nm 10 Will cfrr IaA Il
and the noise subsiding he began to speak
his lines.
In few seconds he had recovered his
composure, and it seemed that it was in
deed Booth who stood before the audience
Presently the old playgoers who watched
every move began to whisper among them
selves and exchange comments.
Yes, indeed, he was giving the public a
new version. George Bromley liked it;
Colonel Cremonev didn't like it so well |;
Scott Sutten declined to express an opin-
ION; Joe Goodman was very reserved and
George Barnes fell to wrangling with Peter
Robertson about the infection he gave
certain lines; Colonel John McComb Of
the dear old Alta was just a trifie restless.
Presently the place became noisy with dis
cusslon, and in the midst of it Hamlet
stopped short and turned full, reproach-
. full look upon the pit.
A silence fell over that portion of the
house. and the critics fell several inches in
their seats The whitening, silent reproot
that blazed from Johnson's eyes seemed
like command from Olympus. The gall
lery broke into applause at the discom-
posure OF its natural enemies, and the rest
OF the house took it up.
"Great work. Oh, wasn't that daisy
|, play of his?" l turned, and it was Larkyn
talking over my shoulder.
When the curtain dropped on the first
| act there was a look of complete triumph
in Johnson's eyes. He felt that he had
, won the attention of the great audience,
and the applause was water to his parched
dramatic soul, that had never quenched
its thirst with such a delicious draught
before.
Near the end of the fourth act was ar.
ranging things in the dressing-room when
, | was conscious of a presence. Looking
up | saw something that caused me to
, stagger. There stood Booth, the real
Booth, in plain clothes. He simply fixed
l a look of establishment on me and we
both stared at each other; then in walked
Larkyn, who for once in his life seemed at
a loss for words.
Presently Johnson came off the stage and
joined the group. Such quartet of speech
less and astonished people l never saw IN
my life.
Each man seemed to think that it was
somebody else's turn to speak. Finally
Booth, with slight bow to Johnson, said:
you seem weary with your exertions.
| II you Will manu- your COSLuIue l. Will
play the last act"
johnson somewhat nervousy took off
.'the trappings and the suits of woe" and
Booth began to put them on. We all me-
chemically assisted him. After he was ar
rayed in the garb of Hamlet we deemed it
prudent to withdraw from the dressings
room, and melted away as it were without
the formality of excusing ourselves. Booth
never seemed to notice our disappearance.
He played the last act as he never played
it before, and the house was in a roar of
approval.
While he was bowling to the repeated
calls of the audience poor Johnson sat
there half clad and the picture of discon-
ISOLATION. He was about to stink home
when Booth extended his hand and with a
pleasant smile said he had noticed por-
ton of his acting and was highly pleased
with it. Then he shook hands with all of
US and we had a hearty laugh and Booth
got in good humor and we all slipped
off after the play to the little obscure
} Merchant-street restaurant and made a
night of it.
All enjoyed it except Johnson, who
seemed utterly miserable. When we sepa-
, rated Booth invited him to become mem
L l., hyrt no chOu yo6