Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-05

him. lie shot an apple on his wife's head
and a pipe out OF a negro's mouth.
member Of the company was a fierce look
ing bulldog that ran down an incline and
sprang upon the villain of the company.
bearing him to the earth and tearing
angriy at a red flannel chest protector
worn by the villain.
The dog was a good actor, but intense.
The man who played the villain showed me
his chest covered with scars where the dog
had bitten him instead Of the chest pro-
tector. II was a melodramatio spectacle
and Mr.. Davidge depended upon II to build
up the falling fortunes Of his house. While
Frayne was playing here there was some
dissension in the family, and his brother
in-law, who played the villain, left the
company Mr.. Davldge sent for me and
offered me one Of the two parts, that OF
the negro who had the pipe shot from his
mouth or the villain who was attacked by
the dog
Il did not wait to consider. OF course I
would play one Of them. They were both
dangerous, but IL 1 played them 1 was TO
be featured, and that was worth dying
for. Which part would I choose7 had
held the dog before he made the run down
the incline and attacked the villain.
knew his muscles were like steel and /
remembered how eager he was for his part
In the performance Besides, l never liked
dogs. I don't now. l elected to play the
negro. Frayne was a splendid marksman.
He had never missed aim. But I thought
he might He never drank, but rejected
again. he might. for the first time. While
l played the negro these thoughts dis
turbed me. The pipe wabbled between my
unsteady teeth. A few years later Frank
Frayne missed aim for the first time. He
shot his wife In the head, killing her In
stantly."
In all probability it will be lengthy time
before Edna May is seen again in the
United States. And the reason for this is
that the former Belle of New York" who
Is now the Belle OF Mayfair" has so
completely recaptured the hearts Of Lon
don playgoers that Charles Frohman and
The Gattis at whose vaudeville theater she
Is now appearing. have decided to star her
there again next season, instead of send
ing her on an American tour. What her
next attraction will be, however, has not
been settled, and hardly thought OF, for
THE Belle Of Mayfair" Leslie Stuart and
Cosmo Hamilton's modern setting Of the
Romeo and Juliet story, is one Of the big
into the coming autumn at all events.
A poor enough thing on the opening
night, It has been made uncommonly tune
full, and is played by cast of favorites,
aside from Miss May. There is not much
doubt. however the most people who pa
tronize the vaudeville go to see the Amer
lean star, whose popularity is now equal
TO that which she enjoyed as heroine of
the other Belle" and It is only fair TO
say that Edna May has regained her for
mer position here by hard and conscien-
tiOus work. After her first big London
success, It may be remembered, the fair
singer suffered an eclipse that at first
threatened TO be permanent, and which
must have caused her genuine distress
For, although her admirers had packed
the Shaftesbury for nearly 1000 nights to
zee her in '"rhe Belle" not even her
presence as star could keep the same
authors American Beauty going there
for more than a month"; and thus we have
another vivid illustration OF the Shakes-
pearean dictum, about the plays being
the thing. Soon after. moreover having
signed" with Charles Frohman, Miss May
had another failure in 1.-THE Girl from Up
There" and although both OF these had
been bad plays, folk were not wanting TO
ueclare tnat 'he singers udy IN LONDON
was over. and that her success had been
more or less Of fiuke.
.
Probably no living actor possesses a
souvenir OF Shakespeare which is more
valuable than the prize exhibit in Francis
Wilson's collection OF relics Guests at Mr.
Wilson's home in New Rochelle, are invited
TO sit, while they enjoy the pleasures of the
table, in heavily-carved chairs of solid