The San Francisco call., 1904-02-07

Four carloads Of human Jollity
rolled into the mole station at $3.50
o'clock yesterday afternoon and the
much-advertised Weber & Fields spe-
cial train had completed it's run from
New York. Five minutes later the
playerfoll5, more than 100 in number,
were Drawing the drizzle on the top
deck of the ferryboat Oakland and
trying to distinguish the San Fran
cisco shore line through the heavy
murk, for more than two-thirds Of
them had never seen the city in which
for the next two weeks the entire big
company is to form one of the theat-
rical attractions.
All the celebrities pictured on the
posters were there. Lillian Russell,
looking not a minute older or less
pretty than when she was last here,
eleven years ago, hugged a Japanese
poodle and pointed out familiar OBJ
jects to her sister, Mrs. Westforde,
who is her companion on the tour.
And there was Pete Daley, rotund
as ever and with his face divided by
the same old smile. Charles j. Ross
and his wife. Mabel Fenton, who
charmed Orpheum audiences about
year ago, were among those present.
John T. Kelly. who is trotting a tie
with Mr.. DALEY for the corpulency
stakes, smiled and nodded at the
spires that loomed family through the
fog as the Oakland neared her slip,
for he was we'll and favorably known
to the San Franciscans of a decade
ago, when Walters ran the Orpheum
II,
Then there was Louis Mann. with the
face of a poet and the temperament of
a comedian, and there also were
Weber and Fields themselves, the two
young men who are responsible for
the whole great all-star aggregation.
Keen and intelligent chaps they are,
with a espect-compelling presence
that their bright amiability serves to
enhance. AS ''the boys" they are ad-
miringly spoken of by their older
stage companions.
SOME STUNNING GIRLS.
There, too, were the eighty stunning
girls who make up the famous Weber
and Fields chorus. Chappiedom may
be interested in the announcement
that a larger or prettier corps of
West. Every one of them is fair to
look upon, and not one of them-oh,
rarity of rarities in the matter of cho-
rus women-looks to be more than
20 when off the stage. When they
arrived in San Francisco last evening
they had just completed a five days
train ride. yet they appeared as fresh
and clipper as if they had been spe-
cially made up from the front row of
'show piece"
Stage Manager Ben Teal was of the
party, and so was Music Director
Francis, with about score of his in
strumentalists.
Did they have a pleasant trip?
Could such crowd have any other
kind of a trip?
When the train was boarded by a
Call representative at Sacramento he
found the principal members of the
company in their own special car. Some
of them were indulging in the delights
and sorrows of a card game-"twenty-
one" it NASHVILLE others perused the
San Francisco morning papers. which
had just arrived. Miss Russell was
hastily scribbling something on a tele-
graph blank, while the colored porter
waited to carry it to the operator
What's your favorite?" asked Mr..
Ross. eagerly.
"Faulconbridge," replied the best-pre-
served woman on earth, "and I'm put
ting fifty on him. He's a pickup at the
odds"
1t was the Burns handicap. Miss
Russells Tip" was followed by some
of the others, and the colored servitor
was kept busy trotting between the
ear and the telegraph Office until the
train resumed its journey.
Il love horse-racing," said Miss Rus
sell to The Call, but I don't gamble
much on it-just enough to keep my
interest from tagging, you know"
THE RUSSELL GAIT.
That's the Russell gait" said Mr..
Kelly, pointing through the car win
dow at a crowd of chorus girls who
were briskly walking up and down the
platform. Miss Russell, you know"
he explained, lis a great walker, and
every time the train has stopped for
more than a minute she has hastened
out and taken a constitutional eanter.
When the girls began to get stiffened
by inaction they followed her example,
and now they all have the habit"
And it's doing them lots of good"
said Miss Russell, "and it would do you
and Mr. Daley lots of good if you
would follow their example"
Mr. Daley and T. retorted Mr., Kelly,
GpApE NTTTc