The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-09
The STAGE
Vaudeville Monolosist With Al. G,
Field.

saseSsh'S "oIolo9iSt WIN Al. u.
Field.
"Once upon a time I was a real
actor said Press Eldrldge, the vau.
deville monologist, who is at the
Grand next Friday, a night or two ago.
1t came about in this way:
81 was born with a taste for things
theatrical. My father hoped to put
me into commercial life, and to hat
end, when | had finished by school.
ing. took me into his office. But /
would have none of it. So ran away,
and went to live with n man in the
country, where Che principal cup
ton of the natives was raising mort.
cages on farms and watching the cars
come In. One day a troupe struck
town. | knew it was a troup because
the bills they stuck up on the fences
said so.
81 applied to the manager, who was
also the leading man. props. press
agent, and leader of the orchestra.
and quickly proved to him that I had
great talent for moving trunks. He
engaged me as assistant trunk sneak
err.
Now. the duties OF an assistant
trunk sneaker were simple but import
ant. When the house was bad and
funds low, and the landlord of the no.
tie! was not of a forgiving disposition,
1t was the duty of the trunk sneaker
to see the baggage safely stored in
the baggage a and checked by the
railroad company, while the manager
engaged the landlord in conversation
e~ndeavoring to explain to him why
his bankers in New York had failed
TIC send the $4,000 check which should
have arrived that morning.
One day the comedian was taken
suddenly sick. This was my opportun-
ity, and | grasped 1t. I went to the
manager and in my simple. boyish
way told him how much better than
the late incumbent I could play the
part. How my soul yearned for fame:
that | cared naught for filthy lacre-
gold was but dross in my eyes. All
| wanted was to act ont on the stage.
! pleaded my case so well that. there
being no n else available, he told
me I might play the part that night.
How made grimaces at myself and
assured myself that | would certainly
make he audience scream with de
light. Well, that night they did scream
but not with delight. 1t was a scream
such as | had never heard before. and
| pray I may eve hear again. The
audience arose as n man (and
there we're twelve of him) and hurled
language and other movable objects
at me. 1t vas then l realized | was
TOO good for the legitimate, so | took
to vaudeville.
at looked easy Just a few jokes
and a couple Of songs pulled on an
unsuspecting public night after night.
and there you are. My first appear
ance In. vaudeville was In Newark. N.
j., at a place called the Casino. I
was supposed to play on the end, do
n specially, play a sketch with one of
the ladies of the company, and a part
in the after-piece. I tackled 1t, and
would have been a success, perhaps,
had II not been for the fact that some
OF the boys in the dressing room,
knowing it was my first appearance
in that particular branch of the pro.
%fession, had mixed up some printers
ink with the cork with which / was
TIC blacken my face for the first part,
and l did not get washed up in time
to participate any further in the ev.
ening's festivities; In fact, It was
three days before l succeeded in re-
moving all traces of their joke from
my countenance.
But l became a great fayorite with
the German gentleman who kept the
place, in consequence of my loud
singing voice. So mach so that when
the stage manager was making up the
programme the manager told him to
keep me for another week.
"'But,' said the stage manager, he
is no good
II know that replied the manager,
lbut just think what a voice he has!
Every time he starts to sing the PEG.