The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-12

sufferance, as they regarded is. I shall
never forget her appearance as she walked
on the stage that morning. tall, rather
Ianky girl of 16. who would have been a
particularly handsome boy, but who gave
very little evidence of the. possession of
that stately beauty which was afterward
to make her famous In combination with
her ability and that marvellous voice of
hers which even then was source of ad-
miration to everybody who participated in
that rehearsal. The young debutante
came to me as the star of the week, l sup
pose, and nnodestly requested that 1 give
her any suggestions which L thought
might be of benefit TO her, and OF course
cheerfully consented, she seemed so terri
bly, in earnest. The rehearsal proceeded.
Some of the old actors were not as consid-
crate as they might have. boon. They
rather resented the changing of their Well
defined ideas of the business of the play to
conform to that of tyro, but Mr. Mac
AuIey and had determined that no OBJ
stacle should be put in her way, and wher-
ever she desired a modification it was
made, even to the putting of the balcony
on the side opposite to which it is usually
placed. Miss Anderson has evidently ex-
aggerated our consideration in these little
matters as we should have done it for any
one I was impressed with the fact that,
whatever other shortcomings our new star
might possess, nervousness was not one OF
them, for 1 never in my life have seen a
person more determined to take full ad-
vantage of the opportunity thus acciden-
tally afforded her.
''WeII, the eventful night came, and
with it the first large audience of the week.
We were naturally overjoyed. Miss An
derson and her mother were at the theater
hours before the time for the curtain to
rise, and she did not appear to be in the
i i - =.
the part and made very winsome picture.
Everything went fairly well up to the first
scene of the third act, where 1, as Mer
Quito, was killed, and, at once drawing
my trousers on over my tights, started in
a cab for the station to catch the train for
Cincinnati, en- route to New York, where,
I may say, arrived in time to appear at
Booth theater Monday night.
81 was told afterward by Miss Ander-
son and others of several contretemps
which occurred after my departure. The
thing, however, which seemed to have an
noyed her most was the unfamiliarity of
some of the actors with their lines and
their apparent Indifference to their remiss-
ness. Their conduct cannot be too severe
~ condemned, and subsequent events
served to show that the young, awkward
girl whom they sought'to ridioule and hu-
initiate was really the natural superior of
any of them, SO far as acting was con-
cerned. am glad that Miss Anderson has
seen fit in her memoirs to state the facts
as they occurred.
my impression of Miss Anderson on the
occasion of her debut? We all know what
she did accomplish within a surprisingly
short period, and post-success opinions are
not apt TO be regarded very highly. To be
perfectly frank 1 had not the slightest idea
at that time that she would ever rise to
the eminence that she subsequently
reached, but 1 did believe that she pos
sessed the dramatic instinct in a marked
degree, and with her temperament and I'M
questioned conscientiousness and perse-
verance, I expected that she would in
time become a prominent leading woman