The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-22
AMONG THE STORY TELLERs.
Jokes and Anecdotes of the Players
Told OF the Stage.

lOttA I'll liz Nt09Ss
The late Kirke La Shelle, manager,
poet and playwright, began life as a
newspaper man, and at one time in his
career went to a town in western Da-
kota to take charge of paper there.
He came from no further east than
Chicago, but even Chicago is remark
ably eastern to Dakota, and the fore
man of the Dakota composing room, a
man of a humorous turn of mind, de-
cided to have fun with the new tender
foot boss. Mr.. La SEelle called his at
tention one day to a printers error.
It's plumb outrage" said the fore
man, talking like a western man in
magazine story. I'll sure shoot UP that
compositor.'
He returned to the composing room
and began to shoot, the idea being to
terrify Mr. La Shelle. A little later the
foreman went in to enjoy Mr.. La Shelle's
fright. He expected to find the new
editor under the table, but Mr.. La
Shelle was quite placidly writing.
Didn't you hear them shots ?" de-
manded the foreman
Mr.. La Shelle did not look up.
Yes" he said, II heard them. I al
ways shoot compositors in the legs.
What's the custom out here?
Guy Standing relates this story of the
late Maurice Barrymore:
Poor old Maurice Barrymore once
broke up a performance for us some
whom I came to this country in 1892,
was playing 'Ariane.' Barrymore's mind
was even then giving away and ne
found it almost impossible to learn his
lines He plugged and plugged at them
without success.
In 'Ariane' Barrymore had the part
of the dissolute husband. His wife de-
serts him and takes the child, little
girl The husband follows them to a
country villa and has a great scene with
l ~ t. 1,o ordO . long
speech there in which he aliases HIM
SELF winds up by begging the little child
to intercede for him to her mother, and
ends by bursting into tears. 1t was a
very strong scene, and as he cries, the
little girl lays her hands on his knee
and says, Why do you cry, papa?' The
climax is reached in Barrymore's an
swer delivered between his sobs.
swer, delivered between his sobs.
usual in this scene, but he was plainly
all at sea. He started his long speech,
dried up in his linen and took the first
way out by bursting into tears two min
utes too soon.
1.-THE child stood there, first on one
foot and then on the other, very angry
at being thrown out of her best scene.
stage child is very easily offended,
you should know. AT last she put her
hand on BarTymores knee and asked,
Why do you cry, papa?' It was all she
could do and she wanted to save the
scene if she could
Barrymore raised his head and shak-
ing with sobs, blurted out, Why do
cry? boo hooI I cry because-boo hoo
because I've forgotten my lines!'
1.-THE rest of us sneaked off the stage
as best we could" said Mr.. Standing,
land the house simply roared. 1t was
a cruel thing for Barrymore to do, but
1 suppose he couldn't resist the tempta-
ton to gag that line. The child wouldn't
speak to him for weeks"
George AIDE, the author of 1.-The Coun-
ty Chairman and 1.-THE College
Widow" ETC., is now abroad working on
a new comedy for Mr.. Savage He re-
Gently visited Monte Carlo and wrote
the following story to a friend in New
York:
IN the big, gilded, ornate hail." said
Mr.. AIDE, women in beautiful gowns
swept to and fro and each gaming table
was surrounded with players and on
lockers, four or five rows deep
IT saw a young man in American
clothes, a young woman in American
clothes, and boy in American clothes.
I'm going to play. I'm going to
risk francs, I'm going to risk it on my
age said the young woman.
ssShe ran her eye over the three col
unns of yellow numbers on the table,
and she set a silver 5-franc piece on
eighteen.
s.Rien ne va plus" said the croupier.
And the little white ball whirled round,
dropped, ciattered about bit and rest
ed. finally, in the No. %.
1--we lost said the American girl
Eighteen doesn't win thing
Say, Minnie said her little brother,
it's a pity you didn't bet on your real
age. You'd have won then, wouldn't
you? "