Evening star., 1900-12-01
Sarah Bernhardt as She is When
OFF the Stage.
lad GREAT FUN IN 4 TOY STORE
Played Practical Joke on a Lot
of lntervieWers.
ONCE DID A CAKE WALK

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, November 20, 1900.
A slender woman. whose graceful, girlish
figure was just suggested by the long black
velvet raglan in which she was arrayed
fitted through the aisles Of a 9Th avenue
department store yesterday afternoon. At
her side was little, quietly dressed man,
with round, humorous face and exceed
ingly bright, twinkling eyes, Around the
woman's neck was a huge chenille boa OF
black, and beneath her turban at sides
and back great shock Of glistening copper
hair fell with artistic carelessness. She
walked with quick, springy tread and
certain panther-like grace, and the little
man at her side had some difficulty in keep
ing UP with her energetic movements. The
look of health was on her face. which
seemed to be that of a woman of thirty-a
woman of thirty with a past, say. At the
corners of her eyes were a few Of the tiniest
possible lines; otherwise her countenance
was quite unlined. There wasn't even the
suggestion OF makeup on her features.
Her every movement was willowy; she car
ried herself with the itheness, the sinu-
BUSINESS of young woman just away from
a seminary where physical culture and the
practice of gracefulness form considerable
part of the curriculum She talked quite
incessantly, and her voice fell very musl-
ing animatedy to the little man at her
side she was talking very sweetly {: nd
graciously to the girls behind the counters.
Few of them exactly understood what she
was saying to them, but they knew that
she was saying pleasant things, and the:
smiled at her and looked at her curiously;
most of them knew, Of course, from the
newspaper pictures that she was Bernhardt.
The little man at her side was Coquelin.
At Toy Counter.
Madame was only going through the store
to play choosin's,'' obviously, until she
arrived at the toy counter. Here she halted
at a counter where were exhibited a large
assortment of jumping jacks, the jacks be-
ing soldiers Of all nations in the respective
uniforms of the armies thereof. Madame
delightedly picked UP Johnny Crapaud
jumping jack, pulled the string and g-g-
gled out of pure delight when Johnny
jumped to the top Of the stick, one Of his
legs out straight before him, the other
out straight behind him. She said some
thing about it being very droll, and bought
half dozen Of the jumping jacks from
the smiling youth behind the counter, who
recognized her at once. He dug beneath
the pile Of jumping jacks and brought her
out Tommy Atkins jumping jack. she
took 1t, and the natural merriment left her
countenance. She smiled wanly, however,
gave one great tug at the string and the
Tommy Atkins jumping jack was a wreck.
She threw the pieces on the counter with
laugh, In WnlCn COQuelln JOlHeu, anu lLcIl
she made tour of the toy counters.
The young man in charge showed her all
Of the new ones, and she clapped her hands
over many Of them. There wasn't par
ticle of affectahon In her delight 1t was
absolutely spontaneous and genuine. tiny
automobile that, the spring once wound up,
raced around little circle, particularly de-
lighted her, and she bought half dozen
of them. A mechanical Punch and Judy af-
fair with phonograph attachment, which,
once started, went through the whole Punch
and Judy performance automatically, cap
tured her attention next. and she spent ten
minutes listening to the Photographed quips
OF the little pair, and finally bought the
thing at a somewhat stiff figure. Now,
there were very few people around the toy
counters, and madame was not playing to a
gallery at all. She was simply amusing
herself. Coquelin constantly tugged at her
arm In a good-natured way, but she as
ood-naturedy shook him off, whereupon
little Coquelin would shrug his shoulders
and smile at the youth who was attending
madame, as If to say "Oh, well, these in
fants-they must be indulged must they
not?'
Made One Boy Very Happy.
Madame was STOPPING and sending a toy
mouse on Its travels around the aisle, when
a male little woman, leading a fat, rosy
checked, three-year-old boy in a frayed
dress. came down the aisle. and halted so
az not TO sweep up madames mouse with
her skirt. The actress glanced up. When
she saw the fat, rosy-cheeked boy she I'M
media tely forgot all about the mouse. She
p;nched the boys chubby cheeks, and the
how looked up at her with broad, aniabe
grin. while his pale little mother looked
proud. Then madame picked the boy up
she exercises, and has muscular arms,
Rernhardt-and talked baby talk to him.
Did you ever hear a French woman talk
baby talk to a young one? Because If you
never did there is a delightful treat IN
store for you some day or other. Madame
held the little chap in the hollow or her
left arm. and prodded his rosy dimples with
her right forefinger, and talked to him at
the rate of not less than $50 words to .he
minute, and told him that he was jewel
and a prize and goody and a sweet or
ange and a love and a precious and an oot-
sy.wootsy. boobsy- -babesy, in gurgling melli-
fuous French that sounded like the song of
a tiny cascade dripping through terms. Inc
TOW clerk had leaned over and whispered
to the little fellows mother that the Frencn
woman was Bernhardt and the mothers $
ewes glistened with pride. Madame set The
boy down, stopped so that her hat was on
a level with his cap, ana showed MIN now
the mouse could be made to run around.
Then she picked the mouse up, stuffed it
into the little fellows pocket, took him by
the hand, made the tour OF the toy counter
all over again, and bought him so many
toys that his childhood Will have to be pro-
tracted ten times it's usual extent II he ever
expects to get the good out of all Of them
As an Angry Mother.
Here was madame in the role of Bern
hardt. She was not acting. There are few
more natural women than she. The writer
has seen her off the stage under many
VARYING circumstances, some Of them quite
peculiar. For instance, he was interview
ing her at the Hotel Richeleu in Chicago
eight years ago when her son Maurice
walked into the room. 1t was the FIRST
time madame had seen Maurice for some
weeks. He had just arrived in Chicago.
She had telegraphed for him. He came
from Helena, Montana, where he had
LOST vast sums OF his mothers money
at the tables Maurice weinigh ruined his
indulgent mother on that visit in Helena,
i'm fact. Well, Maurice got his there and
then, as the saying goes. He hung his
head and said no word in reply Madame,
his mother, did all Of the talking. 1t was
enough, as may be imagined. In her wrath
she quite forgot the presence of a profess
sionai interviewer, and for that simple rea-
son-that she forgot-no account of the ter
rife scolding she gave her son on that occa-
sion was published as part of the interview
has not been set down previous to this
writing, in truth. -
heights of frenzied wrath. never so superb