The sun., 1907-11-10
THE FRIARS, THE DAY AFTER
FURTHER REMINISCENCES or
THE DINNER TO BELASCO.


speech ana OmRttlng Extracts FROM
the Ptttsburg PhII0sOphera-AIsO De-
scrltnng the Merry Jest 1f MotcRlTe.
The Friars have a cute idea that il they
give blowout along about midnight the
papers win have TO run the story OF their
doings serially. like one of Mr.. Rex r.
Beach's thrilling novels Of the Frozen Town
Lots with a @tO be continued in our next"
At the bottom Of the three sticks Of first
days story. When they invited the wizard
Of the Stuyvesant Theatre to be the guest
II the Friars in the banquet rooms of the
Hotel Astor between midnight and morn
ing yesterday Wells Hawks and his two lit
erary agents, William Raymond Sill and
Caldwell Burns, told the reporters that It
would he all right just to send down to their
Offices enough TO cover the story that night.
then Of course there would be cracking
good story for the Sunday paper about
what really happened.
That game may work all right the first
time, but IL may be as well to give the Friars
notice right here that unless MIR. David
BelascO should DO a skirt dance after tho
edition goes 70 press OF they pull on some
thing really big like that at their next din
ner family papers cannot afford % run
serial stories on such frivolous topics az
plain dinner with no arrests following
Of course. il was very good OF Mr.. Belaaco,
tne guest Of the evening to give out in
advance copies of the little speech he was
tn make. but neither William Raymond
~Ill nor Caldwell Burns tipped of the re-
'Orters that the speech was to be given
With atmosphere. Nor could the con-
%ci1ntous newsgatherers know in advance
bhsJ Mr. T for Taizero HitachjyaInn WAS
soinG 90 ea; his lobster a la Mornay with
real fork. that Rcnnold Wolf was going
to he really funny and that a well known
dramatic critic from Pittsburg was going
tc talk Of the Higher Life
\. 70 that atmosphere business
s,"v'sis OF which rHR SON was unable 20
iT.ht IN its previous instalment Of the
Great FriarS' Frolics serial il had TO he
-een to he appreciated Wells HAWKS
was the enterprising advance agent for
this little drama Of color: he planned il all
down to the steamboat whistle which did
not GO oG. A dress rehearsnl had been
held early Friday Afternoon and every
thing vas lovely, hut il becrrle whispered
about early yesterday pnrrirg that a
well known Friar whose rans ~annot be
published mistook the handls or a cork
screw for the crank OF the Rteam whistle
machine at the climactic morer. and thus
marred the ensemble
Not to be too critical, just as the great
Belasco rose with silvered head bent humbly
10 the applause of the a0o-Odd apprecia-
tive Friars and novitiates assembled in
the dining room the lights were suddenly
switched OF. Then from the musicians
balcony there sounded the matln bella
CO. Ina faFa
Starr TO prayer. The bells tnkied into
silence and the great wind ~ Grub Clutch
that phys around the GirFr cabin whistled
DlantiNely for Blanche Bates 10 come on
over from Brooki>H. po"n the horrid
thunder and lightning shnt used to play
about the temple in Ghs ppTling nf he
Gods split the air OG ~" banquet room
and a spotlight from the gallery found Nv.
BelasOO standing right 'bere with head
bowed and paper ribbons drapad about his
neck. He bravely lifted his head. focused
the spotlight with his unw'nl:ing eyes aud.
neveliing in atmosphere. said what has
already been printed in part in TBE suns
previous numbers OF this work
II was Rennold Wolf, however, who
threw the big surprise into the guests He
Just stood there and quoted Scripture.
giving references 20 Chap'er End verse in
each instance. IL WAS Foavy shock TO the
listeners. II was not until Friar Dean
Charles Emerson Cook surreptitiously
slipped his hand under Rennold'S chair
and drew out a concordance of the Bible
chat the secret Of his double life was re-
vealed.
Samuel, chapter xvii, thirteenth vcrsc,"
quoted the JekylI and Hyde Mr. Wolf
when they heard the words thar David
spake. they rehearsed them.
Samuel. chapter xNN.. fveptv-first
verse. And David was sorcly distr"ssed.
and he inquired oil the Lord. Shall pursue
after this troupeT"
Mr.. Wolf had them all corning and going
because he was the only IVAN ~ the room
who knew that all you he'd to do :" he
funny was TO turn to the Concordance
under David" and then dig through until
you picked out something pRt
Il know David Belasco so well, con-
cnded Mr.. Wolf, that my hope is that
will not get to heaven before he does be-
cause he il sure to improve upon the pearly
gates and the streets Of gold. and haven't
tho least doubt that he will weed out the
unavailables in the angel choir
Wolf had hardly taken his seat when
there vas a rImpus over near the door
and a loud sound of scuffiing Victor
Herhert grabbed that extra bottle near
him and sank IL under the table to rerel
ralf. Harry Won Tilzer forgot for the
minute that he was going to sing a song
that everybody could hear again at Weber's
plIce Of buEinPss for the modest sum OF
81 Everybody turned expectantly toward
the lace Of conflict to see Nr. Metcalfe
Of Die duck under the arm of n belligerent
waiter aId race for seat.
We'll. boys. I got In, you see" said Mr..
Metcalfc. and more than one gentleman
of the legal profession began TO draw mp
wrts Of prohibition on the blank page in
his menu card. But afterward Mr. Met
calfe explained in a little speech that ne
came disguised as Bronson Howard and
that he should remain incognito all even
ing On that condition only he was al
lowed to remain.
For all that Wells Hawks said az various
times and all that Charles M. BregR said
az the same time SEQ subsequent issue.