Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-31
GEN UINE GRATITUDE

Ii one respect that know OF TINS olo
world has been maligned long enough
there is such thing as gratitude on earth"
observed clever Washington woman. II
have recently been visiting, in New York, a
woman friend who fer many years has been
enjoying the fruits of an absolutely mag
nihcent gratitude in return for q kindly
action which she bestowed upon another
woman without ever dreaming that this
other woman would in due course of time
become the wife Of one Of the wealthiest
men in the world.
About fifteen years ago this woman
friend at whose home have been visiting
was living in Brooklyn with her husband.
They were In fairly comfortable circum-
stances. Her husband wasn't rich. nor even
Wen TO do, but he had good position and
they lived well.
Among her friends were a refined widow
and the widows daughter, who lived most
mOdestly on very small income in the
same street. The widows daughter was a
sumptuously beautiful woman, as she is at
the present hour. even IL she now has
number OF tall. athletic sons. The girl was
gifted with fine dramatic talent. and. when
her mother could afford it, the young wo-
man used to participate in minor amateur
theatrical affairs This wasn't very often.
however, for the widows means were STEM
der and there wasn't much left for her to
purchase the dresses and other pretty
things required by daughter imbued with
a desire to shine on the amateur dramatic
stage.
well, the woman with whom have re-
Gentry been visiting was very gracious and
nice, as the saying Is, to the widows
daughter during this period. In a very
delicate sort of way she was always giving
the girl some little thing wherewith to or
nament herself, either for the street or for
the amateur theatricals-a fan, a pair of
gloves, hat. even dresses at times. The
girl wasn't foolishly proud, and she CRATE
fully accepted these gifts in the spirit in
which they were offered
There came time when the girl had the
opportunity to play really good part with
an excellent Brooklyn amateur theatrical
organization, but it all seemed entirely
hopeless to her, for the role required con-
siderable dressing, and she had no sort of
an idea how she could furnish the dresses
and accessories. Her woman friend came
to the rescue, and, with her little savings
logged the girl out from head to foot for
that amateur theatrical performance in
Brooklyn. The girl cried a good deal when
her woman friend did this for her, and
sobbingly told her that she would never
never forget her kindness, after the man.
ner of girls.
THE girl made a tremendous hit in her
part-such hit, indeed, that the most
famous manager in all the land, no less a
man than Augustin DAILY, the lamented, had
his managerial attention drawn to her. He
sent for the girl, looked her overland en-
gagged her for his company, out of hand.
IN an incredibly short space of time, re-
membering what a difficult sort of man
DAILY was to please, she was the leading
woman of his company. and the critics
were raving over her beauty. her refinement
and commenting admiringly upon her spot
less character in private life.
Then young chap whose father was
among the five richest men on earth at the
time drifted along to Days theater one
night and saw this girl-and it was all off
with him, as the men say.
He induced an honorable gentlewoman to
present him to the girl, and inside of a week
after he met her he was stark, staring
staving idiotic over her.
He went to his father. who was in poor
health at the time, and told the governor
that he was going to marry an actress. His
dad demurred. He didn't favor actresses as
daughters-in-law, he said.
You'll favor this actress remarked his
eldest son. .,
well. fetch her around, and We'll see.'
said the old gentleman.
THE son brought the girl to- his fathers
house, and the old man surrendered on the
spot. He imperiously commanded his son,
in view of the fact that he himself was in
such poor health, to go right out and marry
the girl the very next day, and fetch her
home to his, the old mans place. SOS he
could look at her and hear her talk.
'rhe son obeyed the mandate with phe-
nomenal alacrity. He married the young
actress on the very next day. despite her
lamentations, natural for girl in the Cir
cumstances, that she had absolutely moth
ing 20 wear TO get married in. You can
come pretty close to imagining the kind of
things she had to wear just a very little
while later on.
1.-THE girl had scarcely got married off
thus splendidly before the woman who had
been SO kind to her in Brooklyn lost her
husband and fell into sad impecuniosity.
She had relatives down here in Washington
and to Washington she came.
THE actress wife of the millionaire, in
the excitement of getting married, had lost
track for a very little while of her old-time
in Brooklyn her quest was of course fruit
less. But she learned that her good friend
was in Washington. Did she send for her?
Well. she only sent a private car, one of
the finest private cars on EARTH down here
to Washington for her, that's all.
I've just returned, as l say, from visit
ing her in her beautiful home in a New
Jersey suburb. The home was built for her
her good heart when the girl was poor.
You should see that home! 1t is MAIN
tanned by the actress wife of the multimil-
lionaire-who Is now, as l say, the regal
mother of a brood of splendid children
and there is nothing under heaven-jewels.
equipages, everything imaginable that is
not showered upon this woman who in
the goodness of her heart, simply was
gracious and generous toward a pretty, poor
young girl with whom she had sympathized
years before.
"She protests in vain against the ex-
travagance of her maintenance. against the
alarming magnificence of the presents that
are being constantly bestowed upon her.
1.-The husband of the one-time actress is
just as incorrigibe in the matter of over
loading her with luxury as his wife, for he
says that had it not been for the woman of
whom l am speaking he would in all prob
ability never have met his wife, to whom
he is an absolute slave, but manly slave,
for all that.
There Is gratitude in plenty in this abus-
ed old world, only some of us are not quite
so fortunate in becoming the recipients of
1t as the kindly woman whose little story
I have been telling to YOU