Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

"Twiriy- Whirly" was a delight After an
inspection II IL easy TO understand why this
aggregation has been so popular in New
York. Its membership IL Of the right sort
for the kim Of work expected, and the fun
making is clean and the result delicious.
During the week the Ferris Summer Stock
company has very acceptably presented two
plays at the BOYD theater, and has enjoyed
excellent patronage; in fact. the attend
ance figures are far ahead of last years.
There is no move on the part Of the outdoor
resorts as yet, but the steadily mounting
temperature may be depended upon TO start
something soon. The street railway COM
pany has out its summer cars. and the
open-sir vaudeville can't walt much longer.
That David Belasco Is an inventive stage
manager no one will think Of denying In
this, his own particular age. And that he
was equally as resourceful years ago. be-
fore he could get through the week sue
c~essfulIy without a pay day, most every
one will admit after reading this story:
A great many years ago. when l was
learning the business of mounting and pro-
ducing plays, l introduced a cat into
Hearts Of Oak'-the play that made the
late James A. Herne famous, says David.
We had a live baby IN the play too, which
but 1 think the cat created more talk and
wonder, because every one is familiar with
knows how difhcult II is to teach one to
perform even the simplest trick
Every night, at a certain cue, this cat
fireplace, stretched herself, and then lay
down in front OF the blazing hearth, for
we ouLnen Pe snsn m mnrs r%ssiistIe and nat
ural. The cat did her part so easily ana
naturally that she frequently got a round
OF applause, and It always happened that
before we had played three nights In a
town the most popular topic OF conVersa-
ton was: How did they ever train that
and lie down In front OF the hre?
Night after night the cat took her cue
S Wonder en and delight Of ali behOiders. 1t
really seemed like a remarkable perform
anee on her part; but, AFTER an. her eau
A few minutes before II was time TOT
her to go on we used to put her In a
comfortalSiy without giving her 2 chance
70 change her position, and then leave heL
III Tine oP she was brought upstairs and re-
leased in the b entrance a s IN tI wslk ed across
tb s stage to where the fire was burning,
and when she got there what was there
to do except. to stretch herself as a mTi meas,
in the basket, and then lie down in the
warmth. of the blazing log? lndeedd r,ai N
her to do ANYTHING else under the cir
cumstances.
-
They do queer things in France, accord
ing to rumor and actual account. And
many OF the queer things occur inside a
theater. II there be a dear reader VINO
doubts this let him read the appended
plot Of a play now running in the French
heaven, as described In the London Era;
Those laoies and gentIemen-and there
are plenty OF them In Paris-who delight
in feeling their flesh crawl hock nightIy
to the Grand Gyignal and witness the
act nightmare lie System du Docteur
Gaudran,' founded on Edgar Poe's grew
Gaudran's private Iunatic asylum. There
is nobody In the doctors consulting room,
but from an ad11inhing Ias Sps rentlsman e eHs
ters, faultlessly dressed, with the Legion
Of Honor In his b~uttonhole. and intro
naiists begin the interview. Their con-
ysrsatiOn; however; 4 interrupts ~ a q
S SoctoT, "o 1is a az iun nnshs' under der trestmsnt.
He is in the next apartment ExSas no me
eomfortal SIC! The doctor returns, and the
eopversak ion proceeds.
the doctors colleagues enter and sit down.
Two or three ladies' also make their APP
RmsssnannesTr. MeSnwhile. It has grown dark;
we hear the pattering OF the am, nonow tee
by a heavy thunder TSs , SlSpi The disS eUnedd 'a as
doctors and keepers' rush about the place.
One crows like a cock, another banks un-
wall and hangs on to the looking glass, and
when the journalists make for the ooor tne
mad crowd Slows n aesp SpTdms ana moment the
keepers, who have been locked IN, come
upon the scene, and the lunaties are gov
under control. But once more we near
the same pitiful moan and the, doctor
this time the real one-is revealed 70 US a
bleeding mass and the drama Is at an END.
English tourists. who never fail to visit the
morgue, will, we are sure, uerlNe mucn
subtraction from a visit to the Grand
Guisnal.
How much of this is fact and how much
fancy the persons interested declined to
state while in Omaha, but they all ad-
mitted that they are certainly living up to
the limit. The story is sent out from New
York:
According to all accounts the Weber &
Fields organization Is having a remarkably
good time on the road; that is, so far as the
members Of the. company are concerned.
for the difficulties OF transporting such an
AGGREGATION is we'll calculated TO make life
To beEin with. Manager Mcbride had to
face the problem of transporting 10 PEG
pie. the leader of the orchestra. William p.
stage hands and a vast amount Of scenery,
costumes and miscellaneous baggage. In
fact the only things left on Broadway OF
he ORIGINAL production are the four wall,
and the seats which were fastened down.
To carry all this over the country. requires
four Pullman sleepers, four sixty-foot bag,
gage cars and one dining car. This special
train is really a travelling hotel, for At al.
most every point all hands live on board
rather than seek temporary quarters in the
town. The principal Pullman sleeper had
10 be 50 arranged as to provide state rooms
for Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton. Willie
Collier and his wife. Louise Allen, PETE
Daley and Charlie Bigelow. So far as Weber
and Fields were concerned, II didn't matter
for they are quite content to put up with
rooms are occupied. II Is needless to add
tina this main car Is the scene OF som'
very Jolly evenings after the show. Th'
principals 90 there as soon as they car
leave the theater, and a midnight supper
and poker keeps them busy into the early
hours OF the morning. As one member o.
the company tersely remarked. Its a cas-
OF Bigelow getting all the money and Lii
liam all the Holsters" Bigelow inveigleS
his comrades into an IS limit gam
as the train was going out OF Provi
dence recently, and when he turned in a
sunrise he had enough 10 buy a fair-stze'
country seat on Long Island not far from
Miss Russel's summer home. II is whel
the company lands In a new town that tn.
greatest difficulty for the management
10 get the best rigs in sight. and once o
twice the stars had 10 travel in an ordi
nary trolley car. This caused so mucI
dissenslon that now one man goes In ad
vance 20 see that carriages are In wait