The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-24
An Actors Faith Rewarded.

Probably every actor of prominence
has had some experience in trying 10
induce theatrical manage 10 produce
a play in wnich they had faith In the
lneater Magaz ne for June ". a. Lewis
tells OF Frank MayO'S struggle to get p
nearing for 'Pudd'nhead Wilson.
Frank Mayo was dear. true-heart-
ed. sincere. faithful friend. and one Of
the most conscientious PLAYERS of his
time. he writes. His last tour in
Davy Crockett wore greatly upon him.
He toured sections where he had al
ways been strong. but the business was
2 sorry falling off from other DAYS. and
he closed early and retired to Canton
10 think out something The some
thing he thought out was a dramariza-
Jlon or Mark I'Wain's 'PUdd'nhead Vii
SON All that summer when he was
working on the stage adaptation ne,
wrote me regularly. telling how he was
getting on with the work and having
hopes and fears by turns as 10 the out
come. When ne had the Ms. finished
his beWiideTing perplexities began He
hadn't the means TO stage it. He had
more than his share of pride. the sensi-
tive pride which realizes that money is
the most delicate topic 10 discuss with
anybOdy-fricnd or stranger. When he
had been dff7uent his generosity was
prOverbial But ne knew that counted
Tor nothing now Moreover. he was on
record on Broadway for failures with
his legitimate repertoire and with his
Nordeck. and it was current rumor thar
his last tour in Crockett had been any
thing but a success Routing agents
turned his letterhead over where thew
had formerly FASTENED to write back
just how they had filed up his time
for him.
Mayo learned all this. for he tried
some Of them out. and the answers that
came back 90 Canton made MIN more
disheaTteHed than ever. He came on to
New York with his Ms. of 'Pudd'nhead
Wilson and asked for time. Very sor-
ry, they said. but it didn't look as If
II was going TO be a favorable season
To try out anything new. BY the way.
what sort of production was he going 10
give It? Alas. he couldn't answer. all
he could do was to smile and say he
guessed the production would be I'D TO
his standard, and get out onto the street
as quickly as ne cOuId-as he told me-
afterwaTd-befOre the lump in his
throat actually choked him. Finally.
after ne had gone up and down Broad
way with toe same futile result he
hunted UP one night a certain promi-
nent dCtOr-manager who had been n
boy with MAYO in The Streets of New
York down the BOwcry. IT was a case
of desperate eXtremity-Out il won.
Yes. when ne emerged from that inter-
view these words were ringing in his
ears: Frank, you shall go OF IN your
play I'll back you the limit
1 don't know where / went. nor how
long I walked. nor what imTelIed or
guided me-. he told me later. I Just
kept repeating Thank God. and kept
walking until ! found myself away up
in Harlem stridins along the street
talking to myself like demented per-
SON
PUdd nhe1d' was q distinct success,
and Frank Mayo was 1elaunched as 2
star IN one Of the best plays Of the
day.
I suppose you know the finale. How
Mayo took a seat enc hot summers
night in the smokinS-rOOm Of the sleep
ing car afte~ q big engagement in Den
yer. Roland Reed sat opposite him, AMI
they talked far into the night Finally
Reed retired to his berth. leaving Mayo
sitting by the open window, his heal
resting on his hand. saying that his
heart gave him SOM bother sleeping in
stuffy berths, and he thought he'd SIT
right where he was and get a nap. In
the morning when Reed went to cali
him to go to breakfast he found Mayo
sitting just as he had left him, but
during the small hours she tired spirit
had taken fight across the prairie and
upward through the staTlit distances
that divide the mortal from the eter-
nal"