Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-05-13
FUNNY TIMES UPON THE STAGE.
And How Augustin Daily Once Caught
John Drew Initiating His Peculiar
tiles.
Ry Nav Irwin

| tiles.
| By May Irwin.
/ never shall forgel my first rehear-
sal at Days, or how I suffered The
play was one of Pinero's called Boys
and Girls"
| had to go on just after the cru
tain went up. was supposed to smell
an odor of burned fish, and Mr. Days
| directions to me were to come on,
sniff, look around and sniff harder.
/ at once objected right out loud.
| Why, no" l said, that would be alb
surd. | should go straight to the
| fireplace, where the smell comes from,
of course. Why, Mr.. DAILY, do you
suppose ii l smelled something burn
ing in my fiat I wouldn't know enough
to go to the ranger"
The guv'nor, that's what we all called
him, must have been thunaerstruck;
everyone else was; for the slow voice
in which he said, Miss Irwin, 1 don
allow this" was the least bit choky.
l saw what | had done, of course.
Every we'll" l said, I'll try it your
way" And l did, but l couldn't do it.
/ think we must have done it twenty
times, and it was not much nearer
what he wanted, but at last we went
on.
In few days we reached the sec
ond act, and at once Struck similar
snag. The guv-nor was sitting down
in the auditorium, and his solemn
voice informed me, mot in the least
like it,"
well, I'll try it again." I said, and
1 did.
Then up to me came the remark:
well, I wonder where you have left
your Intelligence this morning" 1t
was the last straw. | had never be-
fore been spoken to like that in NY
life-and here it came out before all
the company! l tried to- take brace,
but couldn't, SO l just broke down
and blubbered. 1t was the first time
l ever did such a thing.
go on" said the memorable voice,
and | could only sob, You'll have to
wait for me"
VERY well, skip that and go on"
said Mr.. DAILY, and l retired to dark
corner and cried as if my heart was
broken. Pretty soon Daily hunted me
UP. Come, come" said he, you
mustn't do this. l treat all my people
alike. If you don't do we'll, you as well
as 1 will be criticised. It's for your
own sake as much as mine" And
that was the last encounter of that
Kind we ever had.
| 1t did not take me long to understand
that Mr.. Daily knew more than | did,
and that to learn to follow him was
| to make hit.
| TIE many stories of Willie Collier
while he was callboy at the theater,
! initiating Mr.. Daily behind the scenes
are true. You know that gunner got
himself into all sorts of queer pastures
when he was at work. He would
twist one leg up behind the other and
/ get all in a snarl. Well, Willie would
get behind him and initiate him, ex-
eggerating it awfully, of course, but
/ following him right along in every
movement.
1t was excruciatingly funny, and /
always laughed hard. The gunner
would hear the litter behind him, and
without turning his head, say: Willie,
tell them to keep quiet" and Willie
would come right up to me and say,
"Sh!" Why, l came near losing ms
engagement there that way.
But the story that Mr.. DAILY caught
Collier initiating him Is not true. He
caught John Drew 1t was one morn
ing when we were waiting for the guv'-
ner to arrive Mr. Drew began walk
ing about in Mr.. Days way, and along
came Mr.. DAILY and saw it all. All he
said was, "Ah, very good, very good.
| Willie, call the first act
One of the funniest things to me wae
to have the gunner say, well, I'll
show you," and then come up and do
the act. l never could resist saying,
81 couldn't do it like that if ! died
for it." and I couldn't. When we were
rehearsing Red Letter Nights" l was
playing a prying servant, always caves
dropping. l had to get caught and fall
into the room when the door was opeu-
ed suddenly. had to fall on my hands
and knees. Well. the guv'nor showed
me how. l nearly died. Il couldn't Go
it like that" l laughed; there's not
enough of me lengthwise." We'll,
well, May" was the reply, you can
make it up breadthwise."