The Winslow mail., 1898-12-24
TIE LAST ACT
By HECTOR FULLER.

/ TRIED in vain TO work, had had a
| good supper, and was seated at a
table in my room with pen and paper
before me, but the thoughts would not
come. Instead of being able to conjure
up the scenes in which my characters
must live and move, I saw before me
only the squalid little room upstairs,
and the old Misunderstanding.
My landlady, when 1 came in that
afternoon, had said to me: 81 wish
you'd go up and see Mr.. Froebel, sir, ii
you can. He's in a bad way, 1 think
I'm really afraid that he's had nothing
TO eat to-day
Ofcourse Iwent. found the old man
surrounded, as usual, by heap Of lit
tered papers, and, as usual, his pen
was in his hand and-he was staring va
cantly out of the window.
He had hardly noticed my entrance.
I spoke cheerfully to him and asked
him how his work was getting along.
"Not-very-well," he said, hesitat-
ingiy. Not--very well-I'm afraid. ]
can't get the various parts of this dra-
matte puzzle to fit"
[ noted that the room was bare. The
landlady had told me that the old man
had not been out of the house all day
There was 10 signs of food about the
room. There was a hungry look in his
eyes. Blushing as 1 did so, told the
old man that was lonely and in need
of company, and 1 told him it would be
ii favor if he would bear me company
to dinner. He blushed, in reply, having
fathomed the depth of my lie. His
mouth seemed to water at the thought
of meal, but with firm and gentle
courtesy he declined. Baff1ed in any
attempt to aid him, had finally sought
my own quarters.
Bernard Froebel and L had been ac-
quainted about three months. 1 had
occupied my rooms in West Forty third
street fer two years, Three months ago
Bernard Froebel moved in. His per-
sonal belongings were meager. The
greater part of his luggage consisted of
dusty manuscripts CT plays. When /
had come to know him he said TO NE:
Il am a playwright" When knew
him better and something like friend
ship had sprung up between us, he
said: 81 have been writing plays for
20 years. 1 never had one accepted"
l was young enough to be his son.
[ was drawn to be his friend. l had no
relations, lived lonely life, and l felt
n GREAT nity an iryomopca cvD,Yo4 bv for
this poor, old, wasted life. | am glad
now to think that I did what l could
to make the burden of life a little lighter
for him. Froebel was not pessimist
He had no crazy ideas, like so many
playwrights, that the theatrical man
ayers were in league against him TO re-
fuse his plays. When a play was de-
clined, he would be as ready as the
critics to admit its faults. "They are
quite right" he often said to ME; "the
fault is in the work" And then he
would close his jaws in a determined
sort of way, and l have heard him NUT
ter at these times: 81 will do it YETI
About month before the evening
of which l am speaking, Froebel and l
were taking dinner in little French
cafe knew of-soup, fish, two entrees,
the roti, dessert and bottle of vim or
dinaire for so cents--very good, too,
assure you-and after dinner the old
man had read me one of his plays 1t
seemed to be wonderfully bright and
original, and, as he recited the various
scenes, / could not understand why
such a play should not make a success.
But they refused it to-day" said
Froebel sadly. ''It has made the
rounds, as SO many of my plays have
made the rounds before, and-no one
wants it,
l had read many of the old mans
plays and had not read one that I did
not like, At the dinner in the little
cafe / discussed them with their author,
and we argued as to their merits and
demerits. The old man frightened up
considerably under the influence of my
belief in him and confidence in his abil-
ity, and after the cigars he sat silent
for some time. Suddenly he stood up,
and, looking at me earnestly, said:
Il believe I've got it. It is my imag-
ination that Is defective. All that
have ever written has been the fancy of
my brain, My characters have been
my own creations; their words 1 have
spoken, their actions | have imagined.
l have failed for lack of knowledge of
nature-of human nature. l will write
another play--one more, l will con-
struct it from the incidents of my own
life, | will be the principal character.
1 know what l would do under certain
conditions; 1 know what l have done.
Thus l can make my characters act as
know they have acted; they will be
absolutely true to life. What do yCr
think of t?"
] was not there to discourage