Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-07-25
AN OLD GENIUS
IN A YOUNG BODY
Goriginall


tareer. People were beginning 10 re.
gard him as bit old fashioned. lie
had retired from the stage several
times and had lately returned. posi-.
lively for the last time" and was play
Ing an engagement at the Standard
His friends were vainly trying to keep
up his audiences for few nights
longer when the old man would 90 on
for the last night of his engagement
But when that last night came Mae.
Micken did not come with it, He own
ed handsome country place twenty
miles from the city and used TO come
in on an express train that was due
at O'Clock. On the night OF his last
performance he did not show uls as
usual oil the arrival Of the train.
There was a local train that arrived
at quarter TO s. He might have tax
en- that, but the manager was a bit
nervous at his not coming on the eX-
press and notified me, his understudy,
to be ready for the part in case any
thing had happened. lie further sug-
gested that since Mae ana | were the
same build ia better make up to per
senate the star us well as the charac-
ter, which was Hamlet If Mac should
come in late many might not notice
that he had not been on from the first.
The hour for the play arrived, and
every one who had long admired Mac
Micken assembled TO give the old man
a fine sendoff. The manager had tele-
graphed to find out what was the mat
ter, but there was no one at Macs
place except the servants, who replied
that he had started to walk to the de-
pot much earlier than usual
At O'Clock the orchestra started in.
and at Il quarter after s the curtain
second scene. and up to the last minute
it was hoped that Mae would appear.
He did not. 4 few minutes before l
was 10 go on | passed the manager,
who hailed me with delight, thinking
me to be the star. This indicated that
| was well made up 10 represent Mac
Micken. / was received with warm
demonstration | bowed--lndeed, kept
bowling for long time-though | no
ticed that the noise was made mostly
by a few of Macs old friends But l
had no sooner got into my part than /
discovered that l had secured unusual
attention. / seemed buoyed by some
inspiration by which felt that | could
not only take Macs place, but take ii
in the days when he was as young as
l. All the delicate shades of meaning
I -. s,r.t
all the biting satire, the philosophic
thought, seemed TO come from me as
part of my nature. Before / went on
for the second act | was told that the
audience was wondering at Macs re-
juvenation, some of the older ones de-
claring he was doing work he had done
thirty years before.
With every act the enthusiasm grew
till at the close | held the audience
spellbound. When the curtain fell
there was perfect storm of applause,
and ] was called before it again and
again till consented to speak. Where
the words ] said came from | did not
know. / had entered so far into Macs
identity that | seemed to speak for
him and as he would have spoken.
"My friends" | said, Il am deeply
touched by this kind reception. To
night, an old man, | have entered a
youthful body, that l might make you
really feel a pleasure you would have
feigned from sympathy. | thank you
and goodby."
You mean a young man in an OLD
body" cried voice.
l went off amid a storm Of applause
to be met by. the manager, who came
at me angrily:
What did you want to give it away
for by talking about an old man in
young body forE'
II don't know | replied, confused,
"somehow | thought | was Mac"
Anxious 10 get away and be by my
self | went directly TO my dressing
room and shut the door. ! was dis
roblng when it opened, and who should
come in but MacMicken himself.
Il suppose you think you've done
remarkable thing" he said, dropping
into a chair.
"why didn't you come and do it
yourself?'
Because l wanted to try an expert
ment | know that I'm not what | was
thirty years ago. Now. / believe in
many things that the world SCOTS at.
Do you remember how you felt tonight
when you spoke the lines:
"There are more things in heaven and
earth. Horauo, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy"
IT felt that there were"
IL made up my mind TO let you,
young man, take my part on my last
night and try to inspire you with my
own fervor when ] was your age. l
came in town by an early train and
have been sitting in the gallery with
mask on my face. l concentrated all
my will power TO throw my Hamlet
my Hamlet of years agone-into you.
1 have succeeded beyond my widest
expectations"
"And shown me how to play Ham
let"
"You think SO? Play Hamlet without
the inspiration | put into you tonight
and see what you will do"
| went to bed feeling uncomfortable.
but the next morning was myself again