The evening times., 1897-01-21
A CHARMING MOUNTAIN GIRL
Laura Burt the Madge 'Tn Old
Kentucky"
The Bright Little Actress Chats En-
tertainingly About Herself, Her
Profession and Her Pet Horse.

There is an actress down at the Academy
OF Music this week who ought to be star
ring. She is a rivacious child Of nature.
There is an article in this months Lippin-
colts which says that Wales has produced
two actresses, Nell Gwynn and Laura Burt.
Laura Burt is Madge in "old Kentucky
She has had that role for several seasons
now, and is the most charming mountain
girl that ever swung across the chaSm in
that impossible Southern play
The Times went TO see her the other
night, and stayed in front long enough TO
see her make the entrance OF swinging in
Oh a rope over an abyss, see her run down
the rocky steps and seize the fuse and
hurl it into the chasm to save her sweet
hearts life see her gather him up in her
arms and gaze horror struck around at the
rocks which were thrown up as the bomb
exploited, and then receive round OF
vociferous applause from the galleries and
the floor as well, as the curtain went down
Then The Times woman went back TO see the
Laura Burt she knew years ago, whose
viYacity had apparently not waned a whit
since she first assumed this congenial role.
It was three years ago since | saw
her the last time. The play was new then,
and the best opera house in the city, away
out West, was jammed to the doors. The
orchestra was on the stage. The leading
paper had given it's newsboys a matinee
treat, and the gallery was the most ap-
preciatiye part of the audience. 1t nearly
precipitated itself into the pit in its en-
tbusasm. There was a half dozen re-
purters standing in the wing, and Laura
Burt was wild with excitement and delight.
She stood on the curtain roll before the
play began, and peeped through the OBJ
serving hole at the house. Look at
them, look at them, the dear boys she
cried, turning to all of us, and clapping
her hands like child. ''0h, I'm SO
glad they are here; they make my
heart warm. You shall see how / will
play 10 day"
And she did play with an enthusiasm
thatwas contagious. Thenewsboys shouted
TO her. and she kissed her hands in return.
and the boxes sent her flowers enough to
make a couch. When the exciting scene
came where the mountain girl rescues the
great race horse, Queen Bess, from the
burning stables. Laura Burt lost her head.
She dashed into the barn with realistic
safely. The newspaper men were all on
the stage; they had been carried away
with TIE spirit OF the thing, and as every
one went TO the fire, they went too, and
screamed as loud as anyone else. And the
audience went mad with delight when
Madge was seen with her arms around the
neck of Queen Bess, saved for the great
race.
n d.
in her dressing room fighting back the
tears and ma king up for the next act. I'm
such a fool" she said. i've burned my
arm; but never mind"
She had burned it seriously, and two
newspaper women helped her to bandage
it, and begged her to let her understudy go
on and finish the performance.
And disappoint my boys? Never!'' she
said, biting her lips and reaching for her
white trousers and riding boots. Nobody
shan ride that horse to victory but 1. L
want to see the boys faces and hear 'em
shout. Why, this is the greatest ovation
have had in year.
And finish il she did, down to the very
last, and came out for the third curtain
call and kissed her hands and cried and
laughed in the same breath, and then col
lapsed, and gave up the evening perform
ance to the understudy, taking dinner on
her lounge at the hotel with two news
paper girls for company, who bathed her
in witch hazel between courses aud told
her she was the pluckiest and dearest ac-
tress on the stage.
Well well; that was a long time ago.
Three years is century in both profess
sions, and when 1 stuck my head in the
dressing room door it was with this knowl-
edge uppermost in my brain, and the words,
Forgotten, / know it, but please don't
say it,
'-Oh, oh, ohr' exclaimed Laura Burt,
Come in; come in. Forgotten, why do
you think 1 could ever forget that day
out West, way out West, where they say
troupe and love your III wager / re-
member a lot you have forgotten. Do
YOU remember the woman who came to see
nc that night with a little 10y? The boy
had great big eyes with blue rings under
them, and an enormous plaid tie. She
bi ought me salve for my arm, because the
Journal man had gotten the story in about
the burn. And you Were the Journal man.
/ remember the whole thing I've been
out West lots of times since, and / always
ask for the journal man. and she was
never there. Come and see Queen Bess
she rem embers you, too, 1 know, the
darling
We went We crossed the stage, be-
hind the black curtain, anaaI heard the
pickaninnjes dancing and singing as be-
fore, three years ago. We stumbled over
what seemed the same distractions and