The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-10

From Human Life.
 TT must have been a joyful jig the
 fairies danced about the cradle in which lay Billie Burke's baby.
 Billie Burke was a comedian and man. ager a man who knew the alphabet, like wi,s the primer, the grade readers and the highest epics of the dramatic profess sion He thought there was nothing new for him in the drama and behold! Here lay red-faced, pudgy-faced serio com edy, the novelty of which gripped him as he had never before been moved in all of his life before and behind the scenes.
 Mrs. Burke insisted upon naming the serio comedy Billie II, but Billie Burke remonstrated. What a name for girl! No no. Give her lady-like name. Ethel inda or something like that" They com promised on Ethelbert, at the christening, but Mrs Burke persisted in referring to Baby Billie. and the little one adopted the name herself. To her father came realization of the helplessness of a mil nority.
 But of the fairies jig. The fairy of beauty was there and touched the little ones forehead with her wand, whereat 1t became instantly noticeable that the baby's features were soft and winsome, it's complexion like the heart of rose end its hair rare equal mingling of gold and red, like a sunset on a clear August
 +o. aI her forehead. predicting that the little one would become brilliant but never a blue stocking, of clear mental vision but not aggressive. And the fairy of amiability touched lips and eyes and made them beam with loving kindness toward all the world The fairy of good fortune, think ing herself superior to all these, waved above the little one bountiful hand. "Shs shall be my pet" said the fairy of good fortune. Her failure will be few and small, her successes many and great"
 To verify the prophecy of the fairy of good fortune came Cofde, the great French critic, to visit these shores last month, saying, "Billie Burke is exquisite. There is no ingenue in France cornpar- able with her"
 When the comedians daughter in her middle teens asserted that she willed to go upon the stage Billie Burke looked at her with the wondering joy with which he
 had looked al the lobster-hued serio comic in the cradle.
 "Its a hard life, dear, but of course if you wish it." he said, with we'll ctrained fathers inevitable submission. To spare he. the rigors and brutalities of apprenticeship in the chorus he saw to it that frocked in a girlish white gown, she came upon the stage of the pavilion, London music hall, and sang few half childish ditties. It was as though the petal of white rose had been tossed by a vagrant wind. through the window into the smoke-tainted hall.
 George Edwards came to see "the pretty child that had made such hit' and en- gagged her for small part. The gulf that lies between the beginner and part had In the tiny part intrusted to the child woman was song called "The Little Canoe,' in ''The School Girl" By one of those accidents that occur in the best regulated companies the song was so pret- tily sung that the refulgence of the star was somewhat dimmed by it. Yet the song and the singer were indispensable and the dimming was endured. The fairy's protege soon suffered the growing pains of ambition. She wanted to leave musical comedy for comedy proper As Charles Hawtrey's leading
 woman she achieved this in MT. George" and in Mrs. Ponderbury's past" Charles Frohman engaged her for leading woman
 for John Drew. that position which has come to be for his cleverest support the | step to starship. For a season she played | the lead in My Wife" with Mir. Drew. ! This season she has graduated Into stellar