The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22
LEADING LADY,s QUICK FIND.
Picked Up Diamond on the Street and
the stranded Company Moved.

the Stranded Company Moved.
1T was in Lorain, Ohio, back in 80. said the
retired actor We had been booked 10 play
Hamlet in Elyria the night before, but when We
struck the town not a sheet of paper nor litho
graph had been put up, and not line had been
published in the press announcing our coming.
Our advance man had gone on tear, and the
local manager said he had read item in some
newspaper To the effect that We had stranded sew
cral towns back and ne wasn't looking for MS
But we got there We had wonder Of manager
lie could do more with nothing than any man
/ ever ran up against. How in the world he ever
managed to pull that company as far az he had.
when the gross receipts were invariably less actu
ally than the company's board bill. has always
been a mystery 10 me But that's another story
What started out 10 tell you was how woman's
wit saved the company weary walk 10 Wash
ingion. where most Of us lived when at home,
and where the aggregation had been launched
ON the terrible tide VI that turbulent theatrical
season.
Well there we were in Elyra with no billing,
no advertising and not dollar in the treasury
1t looked very much like case OF ties. But our
manager was equal 10 the emergency
What's the neares, small town OF say. fo'lr
Ave thousand" he inquired Of the Elyra manager
"Lorain,' was the answer
"IIow far?
W About twenty nine miles
An right: will you stand for the fa.e and the
| price OF thousand dodgers until get back in
| day or two
This was dead easy 10 the local manager com
pared with the alternative OF having the company
go pieces On his hands and the prospect OF hav
| ing to feed them for week or 50, and he readily
agreed to advance the small amour, necessary
for the railroad ticket and the printing Of thou,
| sand sixteenth. sheet dodgers. or handbilis, and
| in less than three hours from the time struck
Elyrie we were ON our way to Loran
But the fates scemed against us When the
train pulled into that little town out the bleak
| shores Of Lake Erie ii was showing and blowing
| 10 beat the band Then the snow stopped and the
| cold wind from tho lake blew colder and harder,
until the thermometer dropped to 81 degrees below
zero. The wells of the few women who
PEELED 10 venture outdoors quickly frosted.
and the boards Of the men became laden with
| icicles. And 30 in spite OF the tall bustling OF
| our energetic manager. who having jumped from
| the train before il came TO stand still, had
| cured the services OF a couple OF darkes hanging
around the depot and had the The town half billed
| before the rest Of ,he company had got TO their
hotel, there were Just seven people in the audience
| that night including the manager OF the theatre.
Say. the manager Of that little 'opry haouse
in Lorain. Ohio. back in the winter OF 80 was
!
| modest works with a heart big as an
Wish could think of his name: I'd like you 10
print il. Well. he didn't do a thing but Just sit
| in the o. p entrance and watch that performance
in open -mouthed wonder from the time the cur
tain went up the first act until il fell the last
| The bill was Bulwers 'Richrlieu,' which had
| never been done there before, and We did give a
| very creditable performance Of il. During the
play the old man said never a word. He didn't
even move from his post Of observation. Itwasnt
necessary, for he mad efficient corps Of assist
ants one could And in metropolitan theatre
! Although this was the first time they had ever
worked a classic play. every drop was hung and
| trimmed properly. every piece Of scenery prop
er,y was in its proper place at the right time the
| lights were manipulated precisely as the plot
| called for and the performance ran az smoothly
| as though the attaches had worked nothing blu,
| Shakesperian shows all their lives
when the last curtain had been rung down.
| and the half dozen auditors had silently stolen
| away and We were busily eng aged in plastering
our faces with cold cream Other grease prepare
| tory to cleaning up. and wondering how we were
| going To get out Of Iown. there came gentle
| zap on our dressing room door. Come in said
our star. There were not many dressing rooms
| and dressed with the star on that occasion.
THE door quietly opened, and in walked the loo al
| manager He walked up to our erstwhile car.
| dinal and slipped twenty dollar hill into hi s
hand.
boy. said he. I'm mighty sorry you had no
| house tonight IT'S the best show lever struck
! the town. II the durn fools yere had ony known
| what kind er show ye had believe ,hey'd have
packed the house, cold as il was Here's twenty
| dollars. Any man that can play that part as
| you did tonight deserves ten times that every
| night. II ever can be Of any assistance To you
| drop me 4 line
| Say, | was pretty well seasoned, but blamed
| il didn't have To turn away and blow my nose
on my best towel. The star was grateful cuss.
too. lie squeezed the local manager hand and
mumbled something about the earnest apprccia-
ms OF Whole ,Seare Of ohers or sords s s hat
effect but could see he was worrying good deal,
even with that twenty in his wallet, and doing a
| whole lot Of thinking. | knew what the trou BILE
was. That twenty, would just about pay the board
bill and for hauling the baggage. The next
Jump. That was big Jump those days for fly =
| by night companies | knew II was that S2S, or
those days we always called Tie star he gor
ernor. custom which believe sill obtains 70 a
gTeate or less EXTENT But But. wasn't troubled
than tina, many time. He always moved And
he always took care OF his people. Whenever
Perhaps il was for this reason they always stuck
by him even when salaries got weeks aud weeks
Lets see Where wasI' on, yes was going
to tell you how We got out Of !.oran Well, As /
| said before, | wasn't worried but the governor
was. You he had Just told me, in a burst OF
confidence few days before. how on occasion, as
last resort in order to keep moving as he ex.
pressed it, he would check the company bag
gage through to the next town, allowing the rail-
road agent TO retain the checks seal them in an
envelope. and place them in the conductors hands
for delivery to the railroad az mt at destina ton
who was TO hold them until our manager redeemed
them with the price OF The company's fare to said
| destination The money was always raised by
| laying the matter before the local manager Of the
theatre or opera house az soon as We arrived, who
would have pony up for the ticket because there
could be show until the people got their trunks
| containing their costumes and paraphernalia.
| You see the local managers were always safe in
making this little advance, as they could REIN
burse themselves out Of the first receipts from the
| evening g performance.
But this method OF moving was always repug.
nant To our manager. lie did not consider il alto.
gether square deal to leopardz the people s
trunks, even II the end seemed 10 justify the means
| And ~ this occasion he was troubled. But
when he saw there was no other way out OF the
difficulty, with that happy faculty for which he
was noted Of making good front and accepting
the inevitable with philosophy he proceeded 10