The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-25

until the door opened and a majestic
figure entered It was Goethe him.
self, and the lad was so terrified that
he paused for a second or two In his
| effort to jump down. The poet walked
to the frightened little fellow, and,
laying a restraining hand gently upon
his shoulder, said in his sweet, calm
voice: Don't get down. There's room
enough on that railing for both Of
u.s." And he forthwith proceeded to
seat himself beside the boy in order to
effectually put him at his ease.
Miss Nelson related this little anec-
dote with so much feeling that Ban
croft was much affected. He walked to
her side, kissed both of her cheeks, and
turning to Miss Cushman remarked,
Worthy Of the best" Miss Cushman
silently nodded acquiesence.
MISS NELSON IN COMEDY.
Adelaide Nelson has always been
| associated in the minds of theater 60
ers with heavy work, but the woman
was exceedingly versatile and was real
ly as good in comedy, or even in farce,
as she was in tragedy and the higher
forms of the drama. Col. Forney, the
celebrated journalist, used to tell a
story Of how he, in company with Mr..
uS41y VI TIC ultduSlpuld Academy OIL
Music, got Miss Nelson interested in
a fair for charitable purposes which
they were engineering. The distin-
| guiShed actress, then in the zenith of
her fame, became enthusiastic over
the thing and promised to lend her
aid and professional services in any
way they might be required toward
the furtherance of the commendable
| object. She was rather taken aback,,
however, when Forney proposed to her
seriously that she should recite
Punch and Judy" piece. He argued,
and rightly, too, that her appearance
in such work would attract more atten-
ton than If she were seen in her or
binary line. The plan worked mag
nificently. and the affair was a huge
success. Col. FOrney said that he had
never realized until that time what a
marvelOusly versatile woman Adelaide
Nelson was. She did the Punch and
judy bit as carefully and as we'll as
she could have done the balcony scene
from Romeo and Juliet" And, by
the way, 1t may not be generally
known, but it was nevertheless fact.
that no dramatic entertainment held so
much charm for Miss Nelson as one Of
these same Punch and Judy" shows
She never missed an opportunity to
see one, and she used to laugh at the
nonsenslcal antics of the little figures
as heartily as any child.
U. l.. Davenport the father of the
young man Of the same name who is
rapidly making an enviable reputation
as an actor, once invited Adelaide to re-
cite Theft and Accountability" The
request was made in q spirit of rail-
Iery' but the famous actress would
never be bantered, and she started off
giving the brogue and all the trim
mlngS of the little sketch which used
10 be considered highly amusing at
that time. The sorry ran about as fol-
lows
Patrick, the Widow Moloney tells
me that you have stolen one of her
finest pigs. Is that SOP"
Yes, yer 'onor"
What did you do with it?v
Killed it and ate it, yer 'onor."
oh, Patrick; when, on the Judgment
day, you are brought face to face with
the Widow Moloney and her Dig. what
VIII you say when she accuses you OF
having stolen the animaI?"
DID you say the pig would be there.
yer riverence?"
"Of course I did"
Th1n, yer reverence, it's very simple.
III just say: Widow Maloney, there's
yer pig. rake him and welcome. I've
got through with him.
Davenport used to admit that when
he asked. Miss Nelson to recite the
stupid little thing, he had thought he
would have the laugh on her. because
he feIt sure that she would make an
aWful mess of the brogue, and. besides,
the thing was so old that no one would
De amused by 1t. Instead of that, how
ever ne declared that he had never
heard it SO we'll told, and he was the
i@udest or the enthusiastic appIauders.
HER GENEROSITY.
There is one phase of Adelaide Nsslaor,.
To hoo
understood. Simply because she happened
70 be comparatively wealthy. there was a
money for the sake of having tin nthar
words, that she was penurious, although
she was always conceded to be personally
generous to those with when she had IN
innate business or social relations 10" Sho
was generous. and she was not. in anv sensa
penurious. She lated money sinonly
because she could not help herself She made
so much that she could not spend II ali,
try as hard as she might. And there is no
galnsay1ng the fact that if She had not earned
a sLSaid fortune almost every month that she
lived after she had become prominent stage
ngure, she would not have had dollar at
her death, for she could give a good many
Processes POINTS on how TO enjoy wealth Her
ldea OF money was that it was worth think
ing about only for the pleasure that il
might bring. -
This woman, who was the idol Of so many
thousands or persons, also had a sort Of
ldol Wnom she worshiped from affair This
fortunate individual was Gustayus Brooks
90 not mean that she in love with him
But she used to think him an ideal acfo~
ana man. and the chances are that she was
not Tar wrong in either of these estimates
fcr my part, | think she was exactly
right The magnificent fellow went down in
the wreck Of the Australian steamer London
and his heroic conduct in working almost
without clothing at the pumps in order that
other lives might be saved had the effect
OF making Miss Nelson still more enthusiasts
tic in her admiration of him. Whenever his
name was mentioned, her eye would kindle
and If word were said in disparagen1ent of
MIN, she would launch into a recital of his
herolsm during the last few moments OF
MS Weil-spent life, and-winding us the re-
cital in the most fervid manner-would almost
lnpale the detractor with a scornful glance
from those magnificent eyes as she asked If
that was the sort of man whose memory ought
to be maigned by persons who. in MANY
cases, were total strangers to his character
ana formed impressions from gossip and
newspaper tattle. Walter Montgomery, him
self one of the best actors England ever sent
to us, used to say that he would often,
through friend resort to a ruse in order
to get Miss Nelson to give this recital He
declared that at such times she was fairly in
spired, and never failed to hold her hearers
spell-bound. That was probably due as
much to the woman's great magnetism as
to the rendering, for Of all the players with
whom l have been associated, have not seen
one who was more magnetic than Adelaide
Neilson-the beautiful, the talented the
noble. L. John Vincent