The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-13

nal and his father in their usual seats
| AT the end of the third act in a chat
! with Mr.. Watterson, he said he
! thought Newton would do himself
more credit and aid the performance
| materially, if he did not rant so niue h.
told him IL seemed Impossible for
me To get Gotthold To act any differ
| entity. but that | thought it would have
weight with him if he (Watterson)
would make those suggestions in his
morning criticism. He did. Mr.. Wat
| terson, in his usual terse and brilliant
way, made many valuable suggestions
! 10 Mr.. Gotthold as to how he might
! improve the performance of the part
The next morning on entering the
! theater l met Gotthold. He was flu
| rlous. He said that 1 wanted To get
| ria OF him, and was trying To do so by
/ influencing the press against him. that
ne would have his revenge, however.
| tnat very evening. and kill the play by
| adopting ad literatim the suggestions
| OF the courier-Journal: that he would
| walk through his part and not raise
his voice above a whisper | saw Wat
| terson later in the day and told him
or the excitement he had created and
that night he dropped i'm to see the
| third act. The house was crowded bur
you could hear pin drop SO quiet was
the audience. The curtain fell. and a
burst of applause rang through the
house. Gotthold received the first call
before the curtain he had that season
he thought 1T guy until he was com
pllmented by the company and his
friends on his great emotional powers
Mr.. Watterson gave him a good notice
IN the Courier-Journal the following
day. and for % weeks after the per-
Torrance Newton always received a
curtain call. And that was how Henry
Watterson made an actor"
SOuS3 the march lin,
with TINS story: My initial bow as a
solo performer was made before an au-
dienee composed almost entirely of
lunatles. Just outside of the city of
Washington is the ST. Elizabeth insane
asylum, which is maintained by the
United States government. and If was
the custom for local musicians To give
occasional concerts at the asylum for
the amusement of the unfortunates
confined there. My music teacher. John
tsputa, frequently managed these af-
Ialrs, ana on one occasion. finding him
self short of talent. he sent word to my
house that l should hold myself in
readiness TO assist him with n violin
solo. ] didn't want To go a bit but
as Esputa was a martinez for disci-
pine / knew II would be idle To pro-
test. So i resorted To subterfuge
shortly before il was time to start for
the asylum | presented myself at my
teachers house with the excuse that 1
uid not nave clean shirt at home
and IL would be extremely improper for
me To appear in public With untidy
linen.
But Esputa made me go to his room
and don one of his shirts. which proved
many sizes too large for boy Of IL.
l remember painfully that il was
wrapped around me almost twice. and
the collar was pinned on fore and aft
If there was more uncomfortable boy
in the city of Washington than my
self on that night he must have suf-
Tered the very ecstasy OF misery
wandered around gloomily until my
number on the programme was
reached. and then stumbled on the
platform. The thought of that Dor
playing TO crazy people must have un-
rowed shirt and the idea that | was
nerved me, for / had not played more
than dozen bars Of my solo before
/ forgot every note and was on the
point Of breaking down. At this point
/ glanced hopelessly at my teacher
seated at the piano To play my accom-
paniment, and the wild glance Of rage
that met my look frightened me to re-
newed efforts. so ] began To improXise
i could hear EsDuta swearing AT me
under his breath as he tried to follow
the wild flights Of my fancy. Then