The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-24

then surely my character VIII be safe. -
Mollie used to say the only real
! foolish thing she ever caught me
/ was Professionalism It was gre.
/ grief to US all that I could not be 60.
mother. but though baby had a Pr
I testant father, the church fatty refused
/ 60 wink at god-mother OF tEat for
/ saken race.
When, in Gods time. a tiny sister
/ came to baby, she was called Clara.
/ but my friend had made a solemn vow
/ before the altar, at the ripe age Of Z
/ years, to name her first child Gene
! We've, and she-to quote her husband
! being a Roman Catholic. as well as a
! little idiot" faithfully kept 6er vow.
/ and our partnerships baby was loaded
/ UP with a name that each year proved
more unsuitable.
Miss Lucille Western was playing an
/ engagement in Cleveland when our
/ baby was a few months old. Ny friend
/ and I were both her ardent admirers.
/ don't know why IL had risen. this
/ fashion to sheer more or less openly
at Miss Westerns work.
In "LUcretia Borgia'' she presented
/ the most perfect picture Of opuleut, in
! sOlent beauty thatI ever saw, while her
Leah, the Forsaken,' was absolutely
( Hebraic-and in ehe first scene, where
| she was pursued and brought to bay
/ by the Christian mob her attitude
( as she silently watched her foes, her
! face filled both with wild terror and
fierce contempt, was a thing to thrill
! any audience. and always received
hearty applause.
So far as looks went, she was, seen
/ to least advantage in her great money
maker, East Lynne" Oh, dear, oh,
| dear! the tears that were shed over
that dreadful play-and how many
| contributed myself 1 would stand
| looking on from the entrance-after my
| short apart was over and when she
/ cried out: ooh, why don't die! my
| Cod why don't die!" I would lay
| my head against the nearest scene and
j simply howl like a heart broken young
! puppy.
Now, this brilliant and successful
] actress was not very happy; few are,
| for one reason and anOther-but she
worked much harder than most women
and naturally would have liked to have
| some return for her work. therefore.
| she must have found it depressing, at
/ least, when her husband formed the
| habit OF counting up the house by eye
| Che could come to within s. Of the
money contents of the house any night
in this way, and going out and losing
| the full amount of her share gam bling
1 It uas cruel and it was but one Of the
! degradatiOns put upon her. She never
/ had received any moral training; Mrs
! English seemed to have let her two
| daughters grow up like lovely weeds,
| until they could be useful, so Lucille
| did not know how to bear her trOu-
| bleS. She Wept and used herself up
! then, to get through her heavy nights
| work, she took a stimUlant Oh, poor
| SOUL though the audience knew moth
| ing, the people about her knew that
| she We not her best self, and she
| knew they knew it and was made
! sore ashamed and miserable. Her hus-
/ band had on one occasion gambled
| away every cent of three nights work;
| on the fourth. she had had recourse
4 to eff Lar efn
| was cast dOwn-silent, miserable and
Inundated.
That night our baby came to the
| theatre. L had her-Of course, ia 50
/ public a place it was my right to have
1 her. She was over my shoulder
/ was standing near the star room. The
| door opened and the next moment Z
| heard a long, low "O-O-h!" and then
| again-"O-O-hl a-a-baby. and awake.
/ and the peace Of heaven yet in its
| eyesi"
1 turned my head to look at Miss
Western, and her face quickened my
| heart Her glowing eyes were fastened
upon baby, with just the Wrapt up
| lifted look one. sees at times before
some Romish altar. It was beautiful,
| She gave q little start and exclaimed
| as at a wonder: Its hand! Oh, its tiny
| nandi" Just with the very tip Of her
finger she touched it, and baby
promptly graSped the finger and CUR
| gled cordially Her face flushed red
! she gave a gasp: Good Cod" she
| cried, its touching me- 1t is, see
| seei" Sudden tears slipped down her
4 cheeks. Blessed Cod" she cried, IF
/ you had but sent me such a oue-alI
/ would have been different L could
| never bring disgrace or shame on =
! precious thing like this"
As she raised the tiny mOrseI of A
i hand to her lips. the prOmpter sharply
/ called: THE stage waits, Miss West
/ ern," and she was gone.
/ Poor, ill-Suided, unhappy WOmani Tt
was always and only the stage that
waited Miss Western.
Copyright, 1901, by the s. s. Mcclure co.