The San Francisco call., 1904-08-21

-~' " AlSAlVfS "a ENA 70 AnlAhlAS
that my neighbor isn't all he should be
I SO Up TO the Central Whenever I
get 70 doubling the lovely an-through
lamp black viliainy Of him I also go
up 20 the Central For there, TO para
phrase
Mhen he is good. he is very. very
good.
And when he is bad he is horrid."
So went up 70 see what she did for
her Children's sake. On the billboards
she drops with "a sickening thud" from
circus horse. I hoped 10 see that.
And the children. IN their little white
nighties. I hoped 70 see them. They
cheated US ou the sickening thud. The
thudding takes place behind scenes.
Instead. you get the lady on a stretch
er. al buggy from the effects. But the
children were there. Their little white
niEhties were there And the rest
wherefore this story is written.
Be IL preluded that I am no Gerryite.
Quite the contrary in fact. Sly ac-
Quaintance with the lives Of STAGE chill
dren. from those Of the pantomime
fairies Of Londonis East End 10 those
Of little ollie Cooper and Baby Mar
tine al the Central, leads me TO entirely
opposite conclusions from those of Mr..
Gerry. Better fed. better clad better
housed. better educated. and. above ali.
better loved than the rest Of its class.
md the stage child For. not like the
1.-TWO sprites / see dancing past my win
COW, their white-capped nurse vainly
trying 10 keep up with them. their
q hands fun OF poppies. stage children
are mostly OF those who may not live
with the flowers. Granted that il is
our deepest shame that they may not.
Yet the cry OF the chill
dren does not 60 up from the stage
Ehe boards are seldom Wetted with the
shameful dew Of children's tears In
deed. 10 its baby people the stage
spells JOY, romance and material con-
tent The mimelets are the justly en-
wed of their baby brethren. They are
the aristocrsts Of their set"
Still, occasional abuses occur. What
Baby MARITIME is compelled 10 Do at the
central this week, for example. / won
cered. as the house rocked with laugh
ter, at this sacrifice Of q tiny girls del
icacy, what the child thought Of il I
wondered what the scores Of other chill
dren ~ the house thought OF it. / Won
oered on what grounds the manage
mert explained X. And I went up to
ask
Baby MARITIME was there before me.
Fragile as a harebell, faxen-haired,
biue-eyed. the tiny maiden stood in the
midst OF US. There were four tall men,
the Wholesome-eyed and hearted aunt.
who mothers MARITIME, Maggie Francis
Leavy, and myself around her As
s4e put her baby hand out to me
well, / just wanted 10 carry her away.
fn..r
mixed and tucked my arm around her.
They left Baby MARITIME and myself
20 talk IL out It was entirely evident
that MARITIME might walk over the
~ hole lot OF them II she so wished. She
ran after her aunt 10 kiss her good-by,
as for moment Mrs. Leavy stopped to
gossip She told me how the little
SRI viii get her a cup OF tea and
toast" as well as she can herself. How
the child wil not permit any one else
TO sign her checks. How one day there
came a manager TO the house to en-
sage MARITIME. and MARITIME "en
oesbabille" apologized that she did not
look much like an actress, but mamma
had not had time TO dress her" and so
Q on. MARITIME is six until October.
Candy" I said. when they were
gone.
Im not hungry, today" said the
little one. I've a cold. you see. I
don't mind q hard chocolate, though,
thank you"
How old are your"
I shall be seven on October Is" the
child said. daintily lifting out hard
chocolate" between her tiny finger and
thumb:
DO you 20 to school?"
Not when / play. Of course" she
Esid. munching cozily. I've been 10
school only about two months, but I
know all the big letters and the little
letters-they're beside 'em, and I can
spell some. Mamma says when I'm
too big for child's parts and too little
for soubrette's I'm going 10 school"
What DO you like 10 play best?"
Sad parts" said the infant Duse.
She perked up her tiny chin and added:
I don't like comedy. I prefer the
emotional"
Seriously as I could I asked her:
What. for example?"
L like my part in Editha's Burglar
best of ALL" she decided. Its a long
part-twelve typewritten sides And
what do you think2 1 couldn't under
stand H. One night when L was play
ing in the piece I saw lady with two
little girls in one OF the boxes She was
crying like everything, and the two lit
lie girls were giggling, giggling. gig
CLING why do you think that was 2''
I gave II up and asked if she often
looked at the audience.
MARITIME sunk the delicate oval OF
her cheeks in her hands and said: NO,
] don't, because I get out OF my part
II I do NOW, I know that papa and
mamma are TO be in the audience to-
night Really, I'm scared 10 death.
just know that am not going TO act
well ] never do If I think Of the audi
ence"
Then MARITIME told me that her real
papa was a chronic invalid, that her
-real mamma" was dead. but that her