The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-13


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satisfied with her purchases. sonse-
quently, when she wished to buy new
winter hat Just before leaving New
York this fall, she hauled the protest
ing Wilton with her to the miIliner's.
The milliuer being engaged an as
sistant showed Mrs. Lackaye some hats
and quoted their prices. Then the mill
liner herself took the customer in
charge, and a more minute inspection
Of her wares ensueG. while Mr. Lack
aye looked on as heIpiessiy as any 9TH
er man in the same circumstances.
Finally it came to a choice between
two hats and Mrs. Lackaye said.
Let me see-what is the price Of
this One?"
That is $50, madame" replied the
milliner
"Why. your assistant told me the
price was $780, remarked Mrs. Lackaye,
with some surprise.
Well. some one was absent from re-
hearsal,' explained Mr.. Lackaye TO
his wife. in soto voice.
Irene Cromwell is the feminine
feather-weight in the Babes OF Toy
land company, and doubles in those
interesting characters. Little Miss Muf-
fet and the smallest Of the French
dolls. But Miss Cromwell is ambitious
out of all proportion to her weight.
which is eighty-nine pounds net, and
her height, which is four feet eleven
inches.
Recently she confessed to Librettist
McDOnough that she wished to do
something worth while; she wanted to
play q strong scene and have a chance
to display her talent. McDOnOugh wore
a studied expression for a moment.
Then he replied;
Eureka! I have an idea that win fit
YOU"
What is it?" inquired the pleasant
little girl
7 wiz arrange a fierce quarrel be
tween you and q canary bird" replied
McDonoUgh.
In the final act Of Miss Elizabeth's
Prisoner" at the Criterion theatre.
there is promise for few brief minutes
that a good, old-fashloned sword fight
viii serve TO enliven things for those
who like that particular sort of thing
on the stage, says the New York
Times. Indeed, Miss Elizabeth herself
does her very best to encourage the
rival lovers Of the play TO get to-
gether" after the accustomed manner
of the heroes and villains Of romantic
plays. But for once the fight fails to
come Off as scheduled.
The sword duel on the stage has al
ways had much interest for audiences
Shakespeare seems to have found il so
I in his time. for his plays abound with
hot stage fights. Even in Hamlet
/ there Is the contest with rapiers in the
last act-an incident that arOUses the
audience from the spell Of the most
iethargic prince. This duel is quite a
/ test of the actors capability. for. al
though he may read well and snow
subtle understanding OF the philosophy
d 7sr
TO advantage in the c0ntes. with Laer-
ties ne betrays that he has not been
properly trained in his profession.
Here is one place in which Edwin For
rest is said to have manifested the
thOrOughness Of his education. He was
not an ideal Hamlet, especially in APP
pearance, but he had mastered the art
Of fencing, and even when he was well
advanced in life and a little equity he
handled the foils in this scene beauti-
fully.
Charles Fechter fought in the French
manner with a sort Of theatricalism-
just as young Alexander Salvini han
died the fOils in the scene years after
ward.
One Of the most graceful and spirited
of the fencers was Edwin BOoth-cOol,
resolute and elegant. one can see him
now as he came on with HOratio,
stripped Of all superfluous clothing,
slender and trim, in deep black, hand
some and picturesque. He fought his
bouts slowly, gaining in intensity with
I the onset, and making the climax work
Of the hottest sort Mr.. Booth was a
good fencer. and had practiced the art
! from boyhOod although he was not
comparable with Mr.. Bellew, who is a
master.
There are splendid fights in Shakes
! peare's Richard III' and Macbeth"
n nd s,F T.TH 81
Olden times was TO see these cOmbats.
| especially in the days of Edmund Kean
and George Frederick Cook Junius
Brutus Booth modelled his fight upon
Keans, and Edwin Booth naturally
followed his father Z. L. Davenport
fought much in the same way, but at
the conclusion, having lost his sword
breathless and bleeding, he staggered
toward Richmond with his fists.
The elder Booth, one night at the
Holiday street theatre in Baltimore. in
! the fight with Richmond. (the part Of
the latter played by K. l. Titon), being
not quite himself, would not give up.
They fough5for nearly fifteen minutes.
the audience bowling, and finally Tilton
struck him across the nose, breaking
the bridge. His voice was never the
same afterward having always a nasal
infection.
E. L. Davenport was a good fighter
: with cutlasses in nautical dramas-two
up and one down, as the formula was.
He had learned the art from the cell
ebrated Cooke in London.
All of the older actors knew some
thing Of the use Of the sword; such
/ knowledge was indispensable. There
are some good combats in the modern
plays used by SOthern and Hackett. and
there was a strong one in IF I Were
! King" where VillOn and his enemy en-
gagged by the light of lanterns.
In the brOadsword encounters IN the
I old melOdramas the sword had q large
hilt Of curved bars, which served as a
means of protecting the person who
held it from severe blows, and the fight
ing was done 10 the low music of the
orchestra, which was heightened or di-
minished according to the variations Of
the combat.
DuttOn Cook, who was familiar with
these contests at the Surrey in London.
describes how the fighters ragged hither
and thither about the stage, each per-
former being allowed fair share Of
the feats accomplished. The swords
FLASHED and showers Of sparks fell. to
the stern Nstaccato music of the band
while thunders of applause came from
the audience. This sort Of stage COM
bat has been so much burlesqued that
it is no longer in use. 1t was ridiculed
long ago, however, for Johnson in The
: Rehearsal says: But Mr. Bayes,
might we not have little lighting, for
I love those plays where they cut and
slash one another on the stage for a
whole hour together"
The intensity of the pistol duel is