The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-10

And truly, when Mr.. Murdoch. trem-
bling with weakness, excitement and
anger, staggered backwards, clasping
his brow, every one thought the
dreaded fit had arrived.
Next day he reproachfully informed
Mr.. Ellsler that he could not yet see
blank verse and the kings English
$50 he termed it, murdered without
suffering physically, as well as men
tally, from the shocking spectacle that
he was an old man now, and should
not be exposed to such tests Of tenn
Yes, as he spoke, he was an old
man-pallid, lined, weary-faeed; but
that same night he was young Mira
bel-in spirit, voice, eye and move
ment. Fluttering through the play
Wine Works Wonders" in his SatinS
and laces. young to the heart-young
with the immortal youth Of the true
artist.
Both these girls spoke plain prose
we'll enough, and always had their
share in the modern plays. but as all
was griSt to my individual mill, most
of the blank verse and ShakeSpearean
small characters came 80 me. Nor was
I the lucky girl they believed me TO
be; there was no luck about it. My
small success can be explained in two
words-eXtra work. When they
studied their parts. they were con-
tented if they could repeat their lines
perfectly in the quiet of their rooms,
and made no allowance for possible
accidents or annOyanceS with power
to confuse the mind and so cause loss
of memory and ensuing shame. But
I was a careful young person, and
would not trust even my own memory,
without first taking every possible pre-
caution. Therefore, the repeating OF
my lines correctly in my own room
was but the beginning of my study of
f1I fFa
blown off the theatre at night, I could
not have missed one. Then only could
I turn my attention to the acting OF
them-Oh, bless you, yes!-I quite
thought I was acting, and at all
events, 1 was doing the next best
thing-which was, trying to act.
A Bit of Broad Comedy.
My manager considered me to have
real gift Of comedy, and he several
times declared that my being a girl
was a distinct loss to the profession OF
fine low-comedian.
It was in playing broad comedy
bit that my odd experience came to
me. Mr.. Dan SetcheH was the star.
He was an eXtravagantly funny come
dian, and the LATEST man 1 ever saw
too lazy even to rehearse his most i'm
portant scenes properly. He would sit
on the prompt table-a table placed
near the fOOtlights at rehearSals. hold
ing the manuscript, writing materials,
etc; with a chair at either end, one
for the star, other for the prOmpter
or stage manager-and with his short
legs dangling, he would doze a little
through other peoples scenes, rousing
himself reluctantly for his own, but
instead of rising, taking his place on
the stage and rehearsing properly, he
would kick his legs back and forth
and smiling pleasantly would lazily
repeat his lines where he was, adding
''Ill be on your right hand when I say
that, Herbert Oh, at your exit, ELS
Ter, you'll leave in the center, but
when you come back, you'll find me
down left
After telling James Lewis several
times at what places he would find
him at night, Lewis remarked in des-
pair We'll God knows where you'll
find me at night
"Oh, never mind, old mani answered
the eYer-smiling. steadily kicking Set
chell- If you're there, all right II
you're not there-nO matteri" which
was not exactly fiattering.
OF course such rehearsaIs led to
many errors at night, but Mr.. Setchel
cleVerly- covered them I'D from the
knowledge of the laughing audience.
1t is hard to imagine that lazy
presence in the midst of awful dis
aSter, but he was one Of the victims
OF a dreadful Shipwreck while making
the Voyage TO Australia. lSaT-DI1nQ to
the future, heat that time-laughed
and comfortably shirked his work in
the daytime, and made others laugh
when he did his work at night.
In one of his plays, I did a small
part with him-I was his wife, a for
mer old maid of grabbed temper.
had asked Mr.. Ellsler to make up my
face for me as an old and ugly
woman. wore cOrk-screW side-curls
and an awful wrapper. I was a fear
ful object, and when Mr.. SetcheI first
saw me, he stood silent a moment
then after rubbing his stomach hard
and grimacing, he took both my hands,
eXclaiming: "Oh, you hideOus jewel
you positively gave me a cramp at
just first sight of you Go in little
girl, for all your worth and do just
what you pleaSe-yOu deserve the lib
erty for that makeup"
And, goodness knows, I took him at
his word, and did anything that came
into my giddy head. Even then [
possessed that curious sixth sense of
the born actress-and, as a doctor with
the aid of his StethoScope can hear
sounds of grim warning or Of kindly
promise while there is but silence to
the SANDERS y-sO an actress, with
that stethOsCOpe sixth sense detects
even the forming emotions of her au-
dience, feeling incipient diSsa tisfaction
before it becomes open disapprOvaI or
thrilling at the intense stiffness that
ever precedes a burst of appreciation.
And that night, meeting with a tiny
which seemed to amuse the
audience, seized upon it. celebrating
it to the limit and making it my own,
after the manner of an experienced old
actor
There was no elegant comedy of
manners in the scene, understand it
was just the brOadest farce, and it