Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-19
THEMES THEATRICAL )

The audience. of course, did the scream
ing.
Fritz was not her only boy part She
was little newsboy in a play called
Streets of New York when she was
six years old. She was proud of her
boys clothes and took deep interest in
the small trousers. She watched me
make them and offered a suggestion
that gave me veritable start. Make
a rip here, mamma, she said drawing
her little finger along side seam. and
let some red flannel poke out. That's
the way I've seen ragged little boys
dressed.
"A change had come over her attitude
to boys and boys clothes the next time
she was called upon to play such part
She was about twelve years old then
and was cast for one of the Boy Blues
i'll Little Jack Sheppard She made no
objection to the part until she put on the
blue knickerbockers. We found her cry
ing before the mirror. Mr.. Osborne she
said, ! just c-can't wear those things
All right, dear little girl; don't cry. said
George Osborne, soothing her. You shall
have skirt and she Went on radiant
and happy.
After she made that accidental debut
in Fritz at five years she was never
satisfied unless she was travelling with
me and playing small parts. l knew that
she ought to be in school and tried to
make her see it. but 1 never could. She
would cry so piteously when I was leav-
ing her to go on tour that I often re-
Tented at the last. minute and took her
with me. Child though she was, she
never complained of the work or the
hardships of the life. She took to the
life as though she We're born to it, as in
deed she was
THE strange unrelia bilties Of the
stage are curiously eXemplified by this
one experience of my daughter and N.Y.
self. Ethel Brandon and her daught ter
Polly and Maude and i We're in the same
company. l believe we We're playing
Harbor Lights The girls were the
same age, both about eleven. l think.
Miss Brandon and l We're cast for young
frivolous girls. and those two daugh-
tiers of ours played the parts of old, with-
cred cronies. The little creatures were
made up to look wrinkled and toothless
and they bent nearly double with their
assumed age. They We're wierd it'll,
figures and never failed to win applause,
as soon as they came upon the stage
My daughter had dim comprehen-
sion of the theatrical idea that it is al
ways better to be known as Miss Once
She heard a member of the COMPANY
say that we looked more like sisters than
mother and daughter. The child stud
led for moment, then came over to
where ! was and put her hand tentlelly
to my ear, so that no one might hear.
and whispered: Mamma, hadn't ! bet
ter call you Annie?'
Il never had to teach my little girl to
be careful of the feelings of others If
It. is true that angels whisper lessons to
babies in their cradles. l am sure they
taught my Maude that one. When she
was between three and four years old
l left her with my grandmother while 7
went on a tour. i was away six months
and when l came back she was over
Joyed to see me. But her little heart
was troubled for fear her grandmother
would feel the sadness of the weaving
She cuddled in my lap and laid her head
on my shoulder l tried to rock her to
sleep, but she was so pleased to have
me back that she would not go to sleep.
Whom do you love?' l asked her.
You, YOU she murmured, while
rocked. She looked at grandma sitting
by the window, and it seemed her con-
''NiNiN' iSiI IltI. you, you, she
said again, but this time in a little whis-
per. And dramma,' she added, so loudly
that grandma could not fail to hear
while ! always did everything could
for my daughter, she may almost he
said to have been self-taught | always
saw to it that she had learned her part.
but even that was unnecessary She was
such a quick study. When she was a
mere baby she would go over the scenes
once or twice. but she played them as
she liked. She was always self-reliant.
and always acted according to her own
cues at first, and I used to stand near to
remind her. She always resented this,
and would say: Mamma, go away-go
away! ] don't need YOU To punish her
! went upstairs once and left her alone
A member of the company ran UP after
me. l was frightened. Has Maude
broken down?' l Easped Broken downo'
she repeated. Don't you hear the ap-
plause she's getting?' Then l realized
that my little daughter didn't need me
but she was quite sufficient unto herself