Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-12-28
AN OLD GENIUS
IN A YOUNG BODY
[Orlginal.1


MacMicken had been great actor
Indeed, he still was great actor. but
he was drawing near the end of his
career. People were beginning to re
gard him as bit old fashioned He
had retired from the stage several
times and mad 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 n few nights
longer when the old man would 20 on
for the last night of his engagement.
But when that last night came Mac
Micken did not come with it. He own
ed handsome country place twenty
miles from the city and used to come
i'll on an express train that was due
at 6 O'Clock. On the night of his last
performance he did not show up as
usual OH the arrival of the train.
There was a local train that arrived
at quarter to 8. 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. He further sug
gested that since Mac and l were the
same build I'd better make up to per
senate the star as we'll 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
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 quarter after 8 the curtain
went up. Hamlet Is not on till the
second scene, and up to the last minute
it was hoped that Mac would appear.
He did not A few minutes before l
was to go on | passed the manager,
who hailed me with delight, thinking
me to be the star. This indicated that
was well made up to represent Mac
Micken. l was received with a warm
demonstration. l bowed-indeed, kept
bowling for long time-though l no.
ticed that the noise was made mostly
by a few of Macs old friends. But
had no sooner got into my part than
discovered that l had secured unusual
attention. l seemed buoyed by some
inspiration by which felt that l could
not only take Macs place, but take it
in the days when he was as young as
/. All the delicate shades of meaning
| to be found in that remarkable part,
all the biting satire, the philosophic
thought, seemed to come from me as a
part of my nature. Before l went on
for the second act l 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 l 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. l had entered SO far into Macs
Identity that l seemed to speak for
him and as he would have spoken.
my friends" said, II am deeply
touched by this kind reception. To-
night, an old man, l have entered q
| youthful body, that I might make you
really feel a pleasure you would have
feigned from sympathy. l thank you,
and goodby."
You mean young man In an old
body" cried voice.
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 a
young body for?
81 don't know" | replied, confused,
"somehow l thought I was Mac"
Anxious to get away and be by my
self, l went directly to my dressing
room and shut the door was dis
robing when it opened, and who should
come in bur MacMicken himself.
Il suppose you think you've done a
remarkable thing" he said, dropping
into 4 chair
"Why didn't you come and do it
yourselfF"
because l wanted to try an expert
ment. | know that I'm not what l was
thirty years ago Now. l 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. Horatio. than are dreamt of in
your philosophy"
II felt that there WERE"
II made up my mind to let you a
young man, take my part on my last
night and try to inspire you with my
own fervor when l was your age.
came in town by an early train and
have been sitting in the gallery with a
mask on my face. l concentrated all
my will power to throw my Hamlet
my Hamlet of years agone-into you.
have succeeded. beyond my widest
avnaotationc