New-York tribune., 1909-12-17

are one and the same person. Yet not so
difficult when YOU remember that II Is
Hetty King. who for score or years
since she went on the stage at the age Of
hvc. has impersonated male characters
Il was born on the stage almost" she
told the reporter last night In England
they called my father Old Billy Emms,
and my parents, my sisters and / did the
circuits as the Emms Family Now
adavs we'd he the Emms Team Even
as little child IT seemed natural for me
10 10 boys parts. IS / grew Older took
up minicry. and impersonated Archie
knowles. Charles Godfrey-oh. more than
could name now. and women. tOo-Vesta
Victoria and others But one day my hus-
band Mr. Luck. said TO me:
81 don't know how il is. but YOU are
always hest In male parts
Yes my father said. she is silly in
petticoat parts: let her stick To the others
And I have.
The first sketch | worked up was The
Smart Boy I was down in the middle Of
the bill, with about so much"-she meas
ured of an inch or two with her slender
fingers-"lst before the end OF the week
was at the top Of the bin and somehow,
have been there ever since"
How do you study the masculine atti-
oh / don't study them. l do them as
they come To me on the stage. l can't
study as many actresses do. standing be-
fore the mirror and saying, 1 will do II
So and so. My songs l practise, but any
thing else. no. And often l think my first
inpersOnation Of part is better than some
! give later.
Special characters l study" Miss King
went on. Al seaside places, for instance.
/ am always watching the sailors. their
manners. their rolling walk. For a part
that required sword practice I had in
structor in that art. / go often TO the War
Once at home, to learn just how soldier
wears his sword. and on. One cannot
guess at these things. Sometimes officers
try to tease me. You don't know the rank
you assumed last night they say. But l
know the uniforms very well. Tonight IN
my naval sketch I was a second lieuten-
ant"
And who makes those perfect clothes
you wear"
oh" said Miss King. with a smile and
a glance at the fawn cOlcred trousers she
had sported IN the sketch. In the Park"
"a man taisDr Of course. And at Brighton.
where | go to visit my mother-in-law. l
have friends who have a very swell tailor.
and he keeps me in touch with all the
newest QGldllS-HON many DulAOlLS men ciA e
wearing on their waistooats. and all that.
For my military things ] have a military
tailor. naturally"
And who makes YOUR wigs"
4 don't wear much Of a wig" Miss King
said. putting her hands up 10 her masses Of
dark hair Il band nay own hair down
closely and use Tiny skullcap wig To
cover the coli"
Then she turned from clothes TO audi
ences. Il do like American audiences" ."
she declared. with great earnestness. They
are 80 much more attentive than the Eng
lsh. If they do not like thing they give
one a hearing all the saHs, they make no
I disturbance. In England have tile
4 dreadful gallery audiences. rough men and
/ boys who don't hesitate 10 let one know II
they are not pleased. so that Saturday
nights especially one goes on with certain
dread. I've been fortCnate with them. but
they can bee very unpleasant. Your gallery
! audiences seem different-quite refined look
ing men and women.
II study nv audiences. and adapt my per-
/ formances 10 them. In England ] give. for
example. a broader performance of a
! drunken man than / DO here. for drunken
men are familiar street sights in English
! cities. and an English audience under
stands You don't seem 10 have any drunk
en men here" she added. naively.
Miss King was assured that II she went
out on New Years Eve she would have
/ plenty Of chances TO study.
Il want to study American types size
: laughed. And l am going to take some
( American mems clothes home with me. 70
. show the English"
Miss King. DO YOU ever meet cold audi
( ences? What do you do them
She sat up; her big blue eyes flashed
| under their dark lashes.
Work she cried. Work desperately
/ / pick out some woman in the front row
| vino seems Indifferent. and resolve that /
/ will win her. / smile at her though she
I DOESN'T guess I'm smiling At her; ! play at
I her. and before IL is over | have made her
, care for me- | don't single out a man. be
I cause l don't want women To think / am
I trying To attract men Women care more
: for my performances than men do know
/ II 10y the notes they write me. by the way
they hang about the stage door when I'm
/ leaving. oh. / love the stage, I'm happy
1 on II. and I'm happy in my life of the
stage too
Then she and her husband who had lust
come IN. rummaged IN little bag and
/ brought out pictures of home and Of her
I adopted son.
rs the boy going on the stase?" the re
/ porter asked
IF he does I'm sure he'll stand for brief
performances" laughed Miss King They
/ brought him 10 see me once. and after the
show he said critically: Shes pretty good
I but she does Civ, Is lot. doesn't shee II
she'd just sing one song and thea go of IL
] would be better.
! Experiments the freedom Of mems clothes
has not made Miss King dislike skirts
] Il like 10 look nice In my Woman's
/ clothes" she declared. The only time I
/ envy men IL when IL rains and they turn
4 Up their trousers and stride along
Not the least bit OF strider Is this i'm
persOnatOr Of men. by the way. In her
womans garb she is a slender. rather seri-
Gus faced English girl. and jocular mems
roles are the last thing with which any one
who didn't know her work would dream Of