The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28

compliment by gettin' you out you
don't want 'em To think you are un-
grateful. Could you tell them it was
not my fault? Course. we're not there
just to be called out. But we all like
it. particularly the youngsters.
And how old a youngster are you,
Mr. Thompson The veteran has the
same pride in his age as the beauty in
her youth. jefferson is older, is he
not?'
Jefferson without envy-"is six
years older than I am He's 76 Splen-
did man. OF course, he's much older as
an actor than 1 am. He came of a the
atrical family and went on the stage as
a child"
You did not. Mr.. Thompson"
NO sir. I was grown before, went
on. 1 was behind my unele's counter
when I got my chance. But 1 spoke
pieces at school, and used TO take part
in all the exhibitions. Lord, don't 1
remember my first theater? 1 could no
more sleep than nothing in the world
that night, 1t was a fairy piece. and
I dreamed of it for days" and the
simmer of the old dream glinted again
in the bright blue eyes.
And then you wanted to be an
actor?"
Perfectly infatuated" he put it.
But ] went TO my uncIe's store at
Lowell was born and raised in
Beech Woods. Pennsylvania, in a log
cabin; my father was one of the pio-
neers out there-and went into bust
ness. Then one day there came to the
store an actor they called Yankee
Locke. I'd seen him in a Yankee part
the night before. Well, ! had to go
TO the back of the store to laugh, he
was so funny in the play and so sober
off. But next time he came 1 asked
uncle TO introduce me and I told him
1 wanted to go on the stage. And he
got me on"
THAT was in"
Les see-wait moment, I'll tell
you. oh. yes: I was 20 then-1S5S."
And you haven't had a farewell tour
yet?'
Nor intend TO just yet if 1 feel as
well as ] do now" the actor said
stoutly Then he leaned forward to
whisper, and I wondered what was
coming 4 don't like to make any
one a storyteller, but I'll just tell you
appearance was entirely unauthor-
lied. One of the papers had it So"
And you're still not tired of your
work."
NO. sir. It's the last thing one
tires of if one likes it. And 1 like to
please people. SO does everybody. SO
do you, don't you? 1 tell you" the
mild old face looked as wise as kind
old owls here, L tell you more men
have died Of retiring than Of old age.
It's feeling that you are still of use
and consequence that keeps one alive.
1 always think of Colonel -- Of
the old Centennial Hotel. He'd made
a sight Of money hotel keeping; didn't
need TO work any more and he'd put
a manager in his place. But he used
to be around all the time. He had a
great way of going over the list of
new arrivals, and one day the man
ager said to him, Why dye bother?
You don't need the money The col
oneI said: You'll never make a hotel
keeper. I shall never be too rich to
care whether people consider my hotel
good enough 10 come back TO after
they've been under my roof, nor too
old to try 10 make them come. You
see. he had pride in his trade.
There's my uncle. too. He was in the
fur business. He retired. But he has
a swing seat in the office just the
same. Sometimes the boys will make
a deal the old man doesn't approve
he's always interferin', and one day
one of them suggested that he should
go to Orchard Beach for a week and
have a good time. He just screamed:
A good time; why, 1 haven't a min
ute to sparen And he really hadn't
q thing to do We're all pretty much
like that when you come to think of
il But I think he'd die in a week if
they sent him home. All is vanity, but
a good hand at the curtain is good
thing. I'm not retiring yet"
Am I right in thinking The Old
Homstead' the oldest of the rural
dramas?"
YES" and the old gentleman proudly
added. they call it the daddy of them
all ON the playbills in Boston. Things
have changed a hull lot since The Old
Homestead started"
We've changed a lot here?" 1 sug-
gest.
"A trife." he smiled. He lifted UP
four flnEerS mere anu Sclus 1iitlt NSAS
only four theaters here, / think, when
] first came We played Joshua Whit
comb for eight weeks then, at Billy
Emerson's Opera-house. That was rs.
I'll tell you in minute who was at
the California then. Great days. Oh,
YES. John f. owens was playing 'Solon
Single then. and there were Tom
Keene. Mccullough and Frank Bangs
in the company. And at the Bush
Theater there was-now, I'll think in
a 1noment-Goodwin, sure enough, Nat
Goodwin. Billy Crane and George
Knight in 'Evangeline.' The money
flew ia those days, / tell you. 1t was
unlimited"
There have been many changes in
your company, too, Mr.. Thompson"
"A sight" he said. "Chauncey Olcott
spoke his first lines with me, so did
Neil Burgess. Laura Burt was an