The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-11-24
ANECDOTES OF
SIR HENRY IRVING

down."
For a moment Irving was nonplused.
Whistler, he knew, was "touchy'' -on
the subject of his pictures. But IT.
Wings prudence in saving the situation
asserted itself.
els that sof" he replied, carelessly.
"But you forgot, my dear fellow, how
blind l am, and if it has taken you
all the evening to discover that your
own pictures were upside down, surely
there is excuse for me in consideration
of my bad sight,
Forgot Twain's Name
Among the many people entertained
by Sir Henry Irving during his lessee
ship of the Lyceum was Mark Twain.
Irving gave him a banquet in the green
room after a performance one night.
with a most distinguished company
present. When Sir Henry arose to
propose the guests health, the latter 8
name escaped him completely, and the
result was something like this, but the
reader must imagine the high nasal
tones of the actor, his witches, AMI
~snorts:
"Gentlemen-I rise to perform y
very agreeable duty-a most extraor-
binary and ~pleasurable honor (mental
aside: What is that namely We
have with us tonight as our guest the
most distinguished of our compatriots
from across the water I'D give to-
nights receipts if / could think who
tne devil he is')-a man whom you all
know and love. (Ha! ha!)-a man
whose genial humor, whose delicate
hemispheres (.Drat my memory!O a
man whose name is a household word
wherever the English language IS
spoken (tExcept to mel IA man in a
word who is the laughing link which
binds England and America closer than
any international treaty ear do. / pro-
propose the health of-of-(in a sud-
den burst of mnemonic discovery-of
Samuel Mark Twain!'
Appreciation of Talent
1t is always said of Irving that he
never required more of any member
of his company than he had a right to
expect in proportion to the salary paid.
He knew better thar most actor-man-
ayers the market value of talent, and
he paid accordingly. One day when
experimenting Lyceum rehearsals a
super intensely annoyed him. The
super had one line to say, which was,
"The enemy are upon u.s. The tone
of voice this super assumed soon got on
Irving's nerves.
"For heavens sake,' he exclaimed,
"speak it as if the enemy were in the
wings. They might be miles away
from the way you say it,
eff / could say it better ] should be
earning more than 25 shillings a week"
he retorted.
els that all you gets asked Sir
Henry.
eyes, and / have others besides my
self to keep"
every well, then, speak it as you
like" But before the first night the
super was speaking his lines as "the
governor wished him to, and the Ly-
ceum exchequer was debited with more
than 25. shillings a week in consequence.
Drew $13 a Week
A pay roll which has just come to
light of the old Queens theater, Lon
don, which used to stand in Long Acre,
but which disappeared years ago from
tn. list of London playhouses, was dis
covered recently. This pay roll is
dated 1867, at which time the present
Sir Henry Irving, his famous comrade,
Ellen Terry, and Sir Charles Wyndham,
Toole, and Lionel Brough all were
members of the company at the
Queens.
Oddly enough, according to this rec
ord, Sir Henry's salary at that time
was only 2 pounds, los 4d, or about $l3
a week, whereas the present Sir Charles
Wyndham was getting SIS and Ellen
Terry $25. Lionel Brough, who must
now be receiving at least 5000 a week
from Beerbohm Tree, was then draw
ing $3.50. Toole was by far the best
paid member Of the company, with a
salary of nearly $50 a week, or about
what a "star" of today would spend
| On mnfnrinu