Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-27

lions at the theaterS this week, but inter-
est centered Monday night in the produc-
ton of Charles Coghlan's new play. "A
Royal Box" This piece is going better
now and the author himself is getting easy
on his part and bringing out it's possibili-
ties in good form. De Wolf Hopper had a
great time Thanksgiving night with the
foot ball teams. and he made a speech that
tickled the big audience Immensely. 1.-THE
Sporting Duchess is remarkable for the
splendid work Of Mr.. ]. H. Stoddart. 1t is
understood that next season Mr.. Stoddart
will be at the head of company that will
present a play which will give him an op-
portunfty to be seen to peculiar advantage
This is good news. for Mr.. Stoddart is one
Of the few survivors of a school that
taught the most thorough attention to de-
tail. and gave finish and artistic effect
which is now too rarely SEEN
Next week there will be another new pro-
duction at the Columbia, with Annie Rus
sell as the feature. and though THE Salt
OF the Earth reminds one of Lots wife, as
bright woman remarked when she read
the announcement, the play is said to be
better than its title. 1.-The Geisha," with
Mr.. AuguStin Days excellent COMPANY
will be again heard here, and for lighter
amusement there will be Hanlon's ''Su-
perba, with its clown. pantaloon, stage
tricks and gorgeous scenery.
least, since the demands of the modern
time for extravaganza comic opera and
entertainments of a character that require
deiuge of pretty and vivacious young
women-the chorus girl has been pro-
life and entertaining subject of discussion
Probably the most prolific source of the
chorus girls shortcomings is her invent
fveness in the matter of excuses. She is
hard-working, willing little soldier in ODE
dience to her duty and will labor like a
Trojan: but rehearsals are her pet aver
sion, and the invention of excuses to avoid
them is one of her chief occupations In
fact, her capacity in this particular is a
matter to marvel at.
But Klaw & Erlanger have overcome this
obstacle to perfect peace of mind, and they
did 1t in this way: Probably nine-tenths of
the world has been through the pangs and
agonies of toothache. 1t is the prime and
principal of the myriad of excuses that the
chorus girl will offer in extenuation of her
absence from rehearsal. When every other
pleading fails to move the heart of the OBJ
durate stage director the plea of toothache
generally brings the balm of relief in the
form of excuse. Probably the stage
manager has lain awake nights with the
toothache himself. and the memory of his
throbbing nerves and the unquenchable fire
OF an aching tooth is stronger than his
ideas of discipline. When Klaw & En-
LANCER organized the battalion of beauty
for ''One Round of Pleasure they deter
done to eradicate the grand desire to be
excused and they resolved to engage Choir
listers with only perfect teeth, and to
cure tbs certificates of the most eminent
dentist in New York to the effect that
Miss So-and-So's teeth were without d
flaw blemish, sound and true. with
possibility of aching. The services of the
dentist were secured. and his office for the
next ten days was in state of siege.
There were chorus girls of every type
and condition of loneliness that passed the
scrutiny of his keen examination. 1t was
the hardest ordeal the chorus girl had
ever been called upon to endure. No mat
ter what her other claims to beauty might
be. If she lacked perfection in her teeth.
she was not eligible to membership in the
zone Rourd of Pleasure company. But
the firm Is not only happy in the posses.
sion of choristers of physical perfection,
but deeper than this is current Of graft
tude flowing because of the result obtained.
The percentage of requests for excuse al
rehearsals has decreased nearly so per
cent.
He was a swell colored boy. His age
was about twelve years, and he stood some
four feet nothing in knickerbockers- He
had just come up from Jacksonville. Fla,
where he swung the baton of drum major
for the leading 'culled' band of his town,
and was the pet of the matinee girls in the
land of the cypress and magnolia. The
fame of his leadership, in a tall shake and
gold embroidered tunic. had spread far be-
yond his alive swamp, however Last
season he led the pickaninny band in
Down in Dixie" and the excellence OF
the rag-tisne music produced under his
spirited direction had made the firm de-
sirous of procuring his services for the
same play this year. SO he came to New
York on Clyde Line steamer. and Won
dered why there was no reception commit
tee the pier to meet him.
'Clar to goodness, eff dey don let me
come just like any low down, common mig
ger" he muttered as he stool in his knick-
erbockers and gorgeous red Iecktie and
looked about him. Dis ting hez got ter
be erected right now / amt gwine ter
walk up de town"
He saw hackman at his elbow. and
with all the drum-major dignity that he
had SO often used effectively in front of
his band. he squeaked Cab"
The cabman put him into the carriage
and asked, respectfully, Where to, STRIP
Il dunno whar 1 want ter go, 'cept to
Davis & Keogh's office"
where is it7'
Dunno. Drive round till yer find it.
It's up Broadway somewhere.
For three mortal hours the cabman
drove the young fellow around. until at
last he saw Davis & Keogh's big sign In
Broadway, and he knew he had reached
his destination
Three dollars" said the cabman, briefly.
as his young magnificence unloaded him
self from the caAriage and sprung up the
stairs TO the office with the hauteur that
only a drum major can assume, whatever
his inches and age.
the caDman IOliOWeQ close on the neelS
of his fare till he found himself in Mr..
Davis private room
What's all this?' asked Mr.. Davis.
Three dollars" growled the cabman.
You pay il. boss commanded the boy
In official way. Il done got no money
For moment the manager was stag
gered at the cool impudence of the little
rascal Then he said. sternly, to the cab
man: Make him pay his fare or drive him
to Jail"
The whites of the boys eyes spread till
he looked II he had been hit with a
couple of balls of white paint, as he plead
ed family:
Say, boss. you amt a-gwine back on
yer actors. Is yer? / done mean no harm
didn't know whar you wuz. an l jist had
to corie dis yer way
well. you can go the same way to Jail
It's none of my business"
Amid the wailing of the youth. who had
lost all his drum major assurance, the
cSbman remarked that he would take the
coon's overcoat and umbrella for his far,
and let IL go at that. And that he woult
certainly have done had not Mr.. Davi.
and he got together. with the result tha
the fare at last compromised at s.
and the coon was ignominiously packed of
To ioia ri he tn Wiz