The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-15

tsNoN'T ask me what Mol-Gobbin
 means, or how it is spelled,
 for don't know; but can tell you what in Studheim's estimation, it em- phatically was. It was Brenda Swenson. Perhaps the times when he found her most Mol-Gobbinish were at rehearsal after he had tried for half an hour or more to make her repeat a miserable three words or so in tone a shade more tender than the bleat of a hangry calf, and had to give It up, dispairing of waking the faintest thrill of soul in her beautiful body, despairing of invoking a shred of brain to help out the loveliness of her face, despairing of being able to coerce her, even from managerial heights, into mimicking any experience of which her raw youth was at yet guiltless. After wearing out his patience, Studhein would fly into good American passion and rear:
 Get out of the way. you Mol-Gobbin! Borrow a codfsh and study 1t in its emotional moments and then come back here and act! Get off the earth You make me weary!''
 My Godt, and I dry so hardti would burst blubberingly from the lovely Swede, down whose perfect face would be pour ing wet torrent of real tears.
 You'll dry harder than ever now" would be Studheim's heartless comment, the fire in his handsome black eyes quite unquenched by the river of her contri- tion.
 "Yes, I will, will. Danlx you, Mir. Studheim. Shall I begin it over again for you yet?"
 Somebody take Mol-Gobb'n away" he would implore, and one of us would coax the tall young girl into the wings, anu there would pat and pet her back into her usual condition of healthy vacu- :ty. During the process she would sob very loudly, cry heartily, blow her nose chidishly. and then emerge from the ordeal as fresh as a rain-Eashed tulip. No amount of grief could ever redden the snow-white purity of her extraordi- nary skin or dim the beauty of her sky blue eyes.
 Nina Leavitt usually came to the final rescue. Nina was our juvenile" She was 47 years old, a grandmother, and as dainty and capable q little lady as ever danced and sang through a 16-year-old part.
 Come to my room this afternoon, Brenda, and I'll put you at it again." she would promise.
 "Oh, I dank you. Miss Nina" responded the northern goddess, with a grievous sniff and sob of reminiscent woe, jusg like a diverted baby. And then when night comes I'll do it right; isn't it?" With this piteous question she would look yearningly at us all When truth is below par honesty IS the worst sort of policy. So we would all exclam in hearty chorus
 Sure Brenda!"
 It was worth more fbs than one to sec the slow sun break over her face.
 When on the stage, though she was magnificently beautiful as d, women, she was more wooden than ever as actress. Yet not one of us wasted a thought to wonder why Studheim kept her in his company Brenda in herself answered that query. There was nothing one-haif so lovely on the whole Enslish-speaking stage Even had she been deaf, dumb and imbecile, she would have been worth twice her salary for the mere picture she made.
 Yet. after all, Morris Studheim slaved with her. suffered through her, raved over her, less for the sake of her present worth than from his feryent belief In her po- tential greatness. By inheritance, per- haps, he was dealer in futures, and could not help it. The rest of us were not as sanguine; not to the limit, that is; though we one and all acknowledged that if the awakening fire of genius ever touched her by even so much as stray spark she'd make her own fortune and her managers in less than no time.
 But we doubted the contingency Brenda was the willing victim of a dope-like con- tehtment Bovine does not begin to ex press it, for the reason that bovines rumi- nate; and Brenda did not. She was abso- 1utely unruminant; and therefore enjoyed a placidity greater than cows. She had never "gone'' on the stage-there was no go to her-she had been put there; and there she doubtless would stay till some one removed her. husband or undertaken. She had no wants, consequently no incen- lives. she had no ambition. and could not be spurred; no vanity. and conld not be coaxed She had good nature, good health, good appetite and a perfectly flawless beauty of face and figure. Why. indeed. should she crave more? Perhaps We were the fools, not she. If she lacked intellect. she possessed memory-the best substi-