The Wichita daily eagle., 1900-08-31


20 recommend her but q glory OF Titan
eoiored hair and = pair OF expressive
eyes She came unknown TO ask Mr..
seiasco TO teach her AS she pleaded her
-Arse she revealed her powers 10 act
Mr.. Beiasco's interest in her dated
rom that moment He proclaimed his
iaita IN her and followed his protesta-
uons OF It with those lessons which were
described in al their wonderful fntr.ca-
cies IN the suit which Mr.. Belasc5 hrougnt
against \. K Fairbank. the Chicago lard
packer, to recover pay for training his
protege.
Soon after those lessons an unknown
woman BY the name OF Carter appeared
with very mediocre success In a NAV
called The Ugly Daekling" Then for
a brief time she was demure Quaker
ess. Miss Helyes;' in the musical
comedy OF that name.
The Heart OF Maryland" gave her
rank as an actress
'.Zaza" proclaimed her a great artist.
Now. for the other woman IN the case
known in the stage world as Kate ClAx-
ton.
Twenty-Five years ago she was A
famous. golden-halred beauty playing in
The Two Orphans" night after night
TO packed houses
Possibly she wasn't a s.Zaxa" There
Is no record TO show that che was ever
called great She was sweet, young.
Twenty-Five years ago. and on. so sympa-
thetic
Ine feminine portion os Kate C7axton's
audiences always held their handkAr-
chiefs much in evidence. They went Over
her great act when she was thrust bllns
INTO the streets in a raging snow storm.
| even as they weep today when Mrs. Car
ter cries out 10 her lover. Don't touch
me- Don't speak 10 me! Go, Col IA
over. It's o-o-ver''
| This Is after she has discovered thas NJ
Is married man Later she discovers
| that respectable women do not allow
married men 10 make love to them. Shs
! still aiores her former lover. bue she Re-
pulses him. Zaza has become respec-
table
| Critics have found fault with Belss~,
for making her so. One or them ssfd
In real lie a woman once Thoroughly
bad is. Ike an egg, always thoroughly
bad. The good woman may become bad
the bad woman does not become good
But 'zaza" is only a play. The ro-
nance Of Mrs. Carter and Charles stew
enson IS real. Let US return to n.
Some dozen yesrs ago Charles Steven
son was Kate Claxtons leading man.
Night after night he rescued her ana
whispered love n her ear No one who
knew them was surprised when their
marriage was announced.
There is something undeniably citing
about the climax OF matrimony 20 aay
soul-stirriug drama When Charies
! Stevenson married Kate Claxton she WA
still what may be termed a profitable
star She has climbed downward IN tha
ladder Of fame In the last few years.
Last year she. too. filed a petition in
bankruptcy.
This was while her husband was
touring the country with "Zaza"
Even then there was rumor that Kate
Claxton IN her little fat IN Fifteenth
street was Jealous OF the brilliant star
who night after night was making such
tempestuous love 20 her husband
She read Of the charms os the lovely
Mrs. Carter She heard that she was
lovelier OF the stage than on. she knew
that her husband was not a marbie statue
as she expressed his weaknesses.
Mrs. Carter's fads and peculiarities.
r..
Mrs. Carriers triumphs and witticisms
were common gossip. The splend0rs Of
her portable dressing room. with its pink
damask walls. its myriads of mirrors ard
its colored incandescent lights. were mi
nutely described and photographed Kate
Claxton IN her humble fat recalled The
barren ones OF her day. the day waen
she was famous
Sitting in her own room. she would fol-
low Mrs. Carters triumphs all over tho
country. She learned that her favorits
color was red, that she revelled IN bright
tints because they made her happy. hat
she never wore corsets. that she always
tried TO eliminate ali the dizag -reabae
things she could from her life. The hrst
seed Of doubt had been sown. Kats
Clsxton wondered II Mrs. Carter we're
going 70 try to eliminate her.
She read Mrs. Carter's recipe for suc-
cess given in the words of ''zaza'--
Much misery. much grief. much work
and little luck"
Kate Claxtou bowed her head IN assent
T. It. She had been through Il al Bgt
the lucky days were over.
Trea onc day she came across thess
words spoken BY Mrs. Carter 20 4 rep
resfrtstivs Of the press: You must
have known palm 10 interpret tragedy
Zazs' s. tayc1y."
So Mrs. Carie- had known pain. SIch
krcw,edge makes one chary q infict
II. Kate ClSxtou. the wife. heza1 -
wonder bow FAR Mrs. Carter. ths star.
would permit the attentions of Caaflss
Stevenson.
lis letter last week begging the slfs
70 So sor 3lv1rce that he may frsfry
ibe star, sesTs % be an answer.