Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-21

oAS a tuS WI III hlo ilol upN lie
other half live" This might With equal
truth be said of the closing scene of life's
drama, one half the world know not how
the other half de. We hear of the raw
ages of a pestilence, we read in the daily
papers the bills of mortality announcing
the number of its victims, but the list
only affects us in proportion as it
ike approximations Of danger to our
selves. The idea of Individual suffering,
especially if among the so-called lower
classes, seldom presents itself.
Death in the hamber of the great,
prostrating his prey on the bed of down,
swathed in fine linen. carefully curtained
in purple and gold, watched by ~assiduous
nurses, surrounded by weeping friends,
and snatched from all the luNuries and
flatter.ng hopes of iife-this calls forth
our sympathy. n we pathetically pc
vail the hard lot of the child of afiiu>
ence because he must obey the destiny
common to his species. But when the
child of afliuence, through the vicissi-
tude of unkind fortune, lies stretched on
the comfortIess pallet of the intirm II
destitute in the sgualid abode of poverty,
then does Death appear in his most
grimly naked ghastliness, undisguised
by any of those arts by which the
wealthy seek to veil his terrors, and with
trembling thoughtfulnesS we are semi
unconSciouSly repeating to ourselves.
Remember, man. thou art but dust, n
unto dust thou must return
My dearly lamented friend, Lawrence
Barrett's last words We're: What a
farce is life There is much philosophy
in these words, but from the story of
"Cindy,' which 1 am about to relate, l
would say, what a tragedy is life
When only a beginner in my profess
SION, chance took me to Australia, in the
company of the then very eminent actor,
James Stark, who was the only one in
those lays considered worthy to be
classed as a rivalof Edwin Forrest. After
playing Melbourne, Sydney and a few
provincial towns, including Ballarat and
Bendigo. two of the biggest gold pro-
ducing camps the world has ever seen,
at the expiration of Stark'S tour, l was
fortunate enough to attract the atten-
lion of Barry Sullivan. then manage
of the Theater Royal, Melbourne, and
secured a position of respectable re-
sponsibility in his magniticently talent
ed company. He took a particular IN
1erest in my career, tried to dissuade
me from following the 'ignus fatuous'
of a theatrical life. but When he dis
covered that all his W~ell-meant advice
was without avail, he then took such
opportunities of putting me onward in
parts, such as my limited ability. aided
10y his kind directions, made me at least
acceptable to that great body who by
Ill GOOD. ,,-i,n F,i9 IL, thAt,, aff0rts hafnrp
the footlights, is called "a horrible, un-
appreciative monster but TO me, after
an experience of nearly forty years
close acQuaintanceship, and, I might
say, close personal friendship-they are
the same-the dear, over-indulgent and
ever-forgiving public"
1 will here say that with so solemn a
monody on death, l did not have Barry
sullivan in view, and with the promise
that in the near future l will have
something of interest to write regarding
this great acJor-one of the foremost
tragedians of the nineteenth century,
/ will relate the story OF "Cindy' and
two Christmas ewes:
One of the very best actors in q gem
eral round of characters it was ever nIy
pleasure to know was the gentleman
who played first old man in Suliivans
company, who was onaiy known as
Old Man Rogers. Meier have l seen
any one play the part of Duncan i'll
Macbeth with the coniding simplicity
and kingly dignity that he did, nor have
I in remembrance any actor who 50
truly interpreted "Polonious,' who with
him was the diplomatic and philosophic
courtier, and not the senile sinpletoE in
which he is, alas, too frequently pre-
scented to us nowadays. Never nave l
seen SO good a Sir Peter Teazle,' nor
SO overwhelmingly funny q Widow
Twankey,' in the burlesque of "Alladin
and he Wonderful Lamp l mention
those extremely varied characters to
convey some idea of the mans mar
velous versatility.
Living with his family at North Mel.
bourne, then a quiet slbuIb of the city
his attention was attracted TO
wards a little girl who, with her ,rother
made daily visits to the ash heaps en-
gagged in the poverty-dTiven act OF col
lecting cinders. The visits of the tW'
We're regularly made until death entered
the wretched place which gave then
shelter, and after the parish undertake
had performed his p~erfunctory duty t
the dead, the little girl found hersel
alone. This child, somehow, would oc
rasionally haunt the Rogers home, whel
a respite from rag gathering or cinde
collecting permitted, the attraction beinj
two Rogers girls about her W age
who would occasionally speak kindly t
little Cinders,' as these children Gale
her. Sometimes 'fCinders' was presente
with a cast-off doll, or a cast-off carmen
the gifts implanting in the recipient
breast the seeds of gratitude and affec
ton.
MI. Rogers noticed the growing affini
ty between his own girls and "Cinders.
Charity and sympathy for the motherles
waif prompted him to take her into hi
family, and on a Christmas mornins
for perhaps the first time i
her young but checkered life, "Cinders
found herself decently clad. and con-