The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-18

c,rcA the publication of my autobiog-
Inv veritable cloud of letters has
5oscended upon me-such friendly,
,.,,d,v generous letters they are, too.
ond when the writers are young, they
osk questions, several of which are put
18th such persistency, such frequency,
.so+ thew seem to indicate a general
curiosity about certain features OF the
o4rical hfe. In Difference to that feel
,no make honest though possibly in
adequate answer to them.
poginning at the first one then:
.yvbat is the most unpleasant expert
erce in the daily life of young act
ress?"
without pause for thought and most
ounhatically, too, 1 answer: Her pas
.aos unattended through city streets at
,igbt is made unalloyed misery through
.error and humiliations. The back
woods girl makes her lonely way
.brough the forest by blazed trees-but
The way of the lonely girl through the
oitv streets is marked by blazing
bushes.
# Is an infamy that a girls honesty
.hould not protect her by night as well
sc nv day. Those hideous hyenas of
tbe midnight streets are never deceiv-
Cd nv one glance they can distinguish
between a good woman and those poor,
wandering ghosts of dead modesty and
honor who fit restlessly back and
forth from dark alley to bright gas
glare. But bring one of these men to
hook. and he will declare that decent
women have no right to be IN the
street after nightfall," as though cltl-
zens were to maintain public highways
for the sole use one-half the time of all
+ba evil things that hide from light TO
creen out at dark and meet those COM
nanions who are fair by day and foul
by night. go. 49,
bomeward walk with steady nerves,
others grow used to the swift APP
proach, the rapidly spoken word ana
receive them with set, stony face and
deaf ears-but, oh! the terror, and the
shame of it at first. And this horror
of the night takes so many forms, that
II is hard to say which one is the most
revolting-hard to choose between the
vile inuendo whispered by a sober
brute or the roared ribaldry of drum
ken beast.
In one respect differ from most of
nv companions in misery-since they
almost invariably fear most the drunk
ard while l ground my greater rear
of the sober man upon the simple TACT
mat I cannot outrun him as l can
drunken one, at pinch. One night, IN
returning home from performance or
"Divorce," a very long play, that
brought me into the street extra late,
shrieking man flew across my path,
and as a second rushed after him with
knife uplifted for a deadly Dlow, MS
foot caught in mine. He pitched for
ward the knife sank into his victim
arm. instead of his back, as ne had
intended, and with cries of Murder!
"Policei" ringing in my ears, ran as
If I were a murderess! These things
are in themselves high price 10 pay
for being an actress.
7 had a friend-an elderly relative OF
one of our greatest actors, who for IN
dependence sake taught music. One
night she had played at a concert ana
was. returning home. Tall and slight
and heavily yelled, she walked alone
Then suddenly appeared well looklhg
young son of Befial-undoubtedly a.
gentleman, by daylight. He tipped MS
hat and twirled his mustache-she
turned away her head. He cleared ms
throat-she seemd quite deaf; he called
her grille" She walked faster so
did he. He protested she should not
walk alone She stopped. will you
please allow me to walk nome IN
peace!"
But no; that was just what he would
not do-and suddenly she answered;
VERY well, then, accept your escort
though under protest"
Surprised. he walked at her side. The
he ell
full He ventured to suggest supper, as
they passed a restaurant-she gently
declined At last she stopped directly
beneath a gas lamp, and from her race,
with sorrow, followed eyes and tenn
pies, where every one of her seventy
six years had been stamped in cruel
line and crease and wrinkle, she htted
up the veil and raised her sad old eyes
reproachfully to his. He staggered
back-turned red-turned white-stam-
mered-took off his hat-attempted 10
apologize-then turned and fed.
And what" 1 asked, did you say
to him?"
"Say-say?" she repeated. Justice
need not be cruel-why add anything TO
the sight of this!" And she drew a
finger down her witherd cheek.
1t was said with laughing bitterness,
for she had been very fair and well
6udTueu, 700, IN the distant past, WhAiC
then-I could but catch her tired hands
and kiss them in a burst of pity, that
this elderly gentlewoman might not
walk in peace through the city streets,
because fate had left her without a
protector.
Appeal to policeman: I think some
one says. OF course if he is about-but
recall that famous old recipe of Mrs.
Glass: First catch your hare, ana
then" But believe me, they rarely
appear together, your tormentor or
women and your policeman-unless, in
deed, the former is stupidity in liquor.
And what good IL he is arrested?
Shame will prevent your appearing
against him. Silence and speed are
generally the best defensive weapons
OF the frightened, lonely girl.
Once through fright, fatigue and
shame I lost all self-control and turn
Ing to the creature whom / could not
out -walk, l cried with a sob: "Oh, 1
am so tired so frightened and so
ashamed-you make me wish that l
We're dead" and to my amaZement, he
answered gruffly: Its a pity I'm
not' and disappeared in the dark side
street.
After an actress has married and has
protector to see her safely home, she
IS apt to recall and to tell amusing
stories of her past experience; but I
notice these tales are never told by
the girls. They become funny only
when looked at from the point of per-