Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-12-07
THE STAGE KISS,
1t Is Nothing Like the Real Article Given In
the Darkened Parlor or at the Garden Gate.

SOmluS 10 tue conclusion tn0t IL was
best to know when and where he
could eat and sleep, than to take
chances OF going without a day or 60,
and perhaps walking from the town
he was iu to another, induced him to
retire" from the drama and procure
a job longshoring, which he is work
ing at, and finds himself more happy
and contented, than when playing
the slower" to an l8-year-old silly,
stage-struck girl whose papa had
plenty OF money to throw away, by
financing a repertoire company, as
dictated by his daughter, in the allure.
ment that she would put an artist as
Sarah Bernh ardt, or a Charlotte Cush.
man am ongst the list of "has beens,"
when backed up, and supported" by
the factors" and actresses" OF her
" Madison Square New York? ORA.
matte Company" As we sat smoking
our cigars in cosy nook OF drinking
resort in Pacific Avenue, | asked Fred
to give me his opinion of a" stage
kiss" knowing that he had had car
loads OF experience in that line, so to
speak.
"Well, Lue," he replied, after hav-
ing my share Of experience in that
groove, as you we'll know, / came to
the conclusion years ago, in fact when
committing the act every night, that
of all the farces, the stage kiss is the
queen, and in reality it is thing oi
little ecstacy to the parties concerned.
"In the first place, however, it may
seem from the front, it is not easy to
put much soul" into the affair under
the eyes of several hundred spectators
1t would not be easy, imagine, in
actual life, it is doubly difficult when
all these hundreds of people-many OF
them themselves experienced in the
art OF osculation-having no thing else
to attract their attention, and, having
paid their money, mean to see the
thing properly done.
The audience forgets that, which is
probably the case, these ardent lovers
are the merest acquaiutances, possibly
not on speaking terms outside the
theater. especially if there be q great
discrepancy in their respective salaries
No, the balcony sees nothing but a
sweet, pretty girl clinging to her lover,
her blue eyes wet with tears, her sunny
ringlets falling on his manly bosom.
But what does he" see, poor fellow
He is the earnest lover. He has ex.
changed vows with her. three inches
from her nose, bawling into her face
in order that the gods" may hear and
understand. She has assured him
in the same below, that his love is not
in vain, she has loved him, o! ever
since before she saw him. He "thrills'
"A stage thrill is comparatively easy
and starts on the kiss. He looks her
full in the face Qor now he is bound
toy and what does he see?
Glaring into his two unearthly look
ing eyes, the lids dark blue, with
touch Of red body. color in each OF the
inside corners. Tho lashes are thickly
coated with black substance not un'
like burnt cork. On her brow he can
discern the line of the wig with the
sunny ringlets attached. He knows
the sickly taste of the ultra-sanguine
rosebud lips. But. loyal to his author
he plays the man. He takes the
yielding form to his heart, he
"kisses" her, the curtain falls on q
picture of unexampled love, and, as
the lights in the auditorium are
switched on, the love.sick swain and
maiden in the dress.circle. Edwin and
Angelina, squeeze each others hands
and yearn. An lol Angelina's soft
eyes are filled with tears, she is that
happy!
Who can question the stage lovers
right to a glass of beer, or any other
reireshment he may require. after tbisl
And surely the ghastly business il
no less dissgreeable to the poor femi'
nine victim, fresh, very likely, from oil
the comforts of . refined home, with
flowers and things. If only in q stage
kiss, each wasn't 80 near to the other
If only each could not" see" the other
But, by Jovel he cam. and that
is where the trouble of stage kisses
come in.
The crowning torture OF . stage kiss
may be-and, where possible, is
avoided by the" kiss implied" method
Here the authors victims shoot their
heads over each others shoulders, and
by their ecstatic thrills, give the au'
dience to understand that kiss il
going on somewhere in the region o.
the ear.
But the "kiss implied" must bt
done very adroitly, or the implication
will be missing, and he must carefully
guard the lapel of his dress coat from
contact with her cheek, for both thei
sakes. But it is a cowardly subterfugt
at the best. Or it may be that . mer'
planting of the lips on her brow, jus
near the wig, will suffice, but thi
"kiss paternal" denotes a habby, de
generate sort Of lover. Again, i