The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1909-02-25
, TheWOrId Moves On

10 engage IN commercial pursuits, moi
only the theatrical profession, but all
true lovers OF the play, stood agos
Thorne, though but twenty three years
old, had risen TO high rank as an
actor. And now. on lie very threshold
OF brilliant career. he was to sink out
OF sight IN trade
Nc reason WINS given for this re-
markabe step, which was known only
TO Thorne himself and one other. re
loved n strict member OF The Freshly
terlan church, and she would not mar
ry an actor Forced to make n choice
between her aud his profession, he
chose her
Thorne resumed the name OF len
kins. married and went TO Australia.
where he accumulated a fair fortune.
Thirty years after his marriage he re-
turned to America on business. leaving
his wife and family IN Melbourne. On
the steamer he met n company OF play
ors, from whom he borrowed n num-
Der Of printed plays with which TO
anusc himself on the voyage, Among
them were several by which he had
won fame. Before the voyage was
| over he was eager TO act.
This relapse troubled him. His wife
| had lived Ia fear OF IL all their mar
ried life and had parted with him re-
| luctaDtly. fearing chat when away
| frem her Influence he might be tempt
| cd 10 return to the stage. True, she
had lost her prejudice against It. but
considered that any such return would
be unwise. Her husbands business
needed his attention. and the rowing
life Of m actor would break up their
home. For this reason She had kept
him away from the theater.
But the more Jenkins read plays the
more he became fascinated with his
former life. Judging from some Of
those that had been written since he
left the boards, be was of opinion that
playwrights were dying out AT any
rate, he did not consider their efforts
equal to those Of former days. He
found little or nothing dramatic In any
OF them and pronounced them duh and
talky
When jenkins reached America he
saw posters announcing that certain
managers would present" certain the
atrical stars. He wondered IL talent
had sunk so low that the most prom
incnt players must be presented by
some man who couldn't himself take
a walking part In New York he found
three theaters to one that existed when
ha iart fha |
titlon was killing the business.
on the evening of his arrival at New
York a man entered his hotel whose
face was familiar to him. Aren't you
Tom Abercrombie?" "Yes, but you
have the advantage Of me-" Thorn
ton Thorne." "You don't mean it,
Haven't seen you since you were play
ing Hamlet here at Wallacks" II
wish | were playing there now"
you couldn't; It's torn down. But
his eye suddenly llghted-"I was n
ticket seller when knew you Now
run seven theaters. | have Hamlet
on this very night at one of them, and
the Dane Is In bed with grip. How
would you like to try itgp
There was terrible struggle in the {
breast OF Mr. jenkins, and he fell
before a desire TO again be Hamlet
He would show these degenerate poo
pie the real Dane. He knew the part
be had never forgotten it-no need
for rehearsal He would be ready at q
The rise Of the curtain, What a pleas I
are 20 galyanlze an audience worn out a
With poor plays and poor actingl a
He found meager audience, but r
was told that Shakespeare had gone ;
much out of fashion with the average ,
heater gocr Nevertheless there were
hose In the theater who loved Hamlet. 7
When he began his lines people looked
surprised lie soon saw that he must n
Win his audience. something he had 4
lot been Obliged to do In bygone days. v
tt the end OF the first act the man o
ger approached him and said:
"Great Scott. mani Your Hamlet has
,rown quarter Of century older" \
iIowy Don't know, but there's some !,
hing musty about It. Nobody does It 4
hat way now" g
Jenkins went back for the second a
CT puzzled In the third he made Z
upreme effort An was of no avail. G
70 one IN the theator had ever seen ei
Iamlet act that way, and no one want
1 60 view any such performance Be
ore the play was finished the theater y
AS nearly empty, The star staggered =.
, the greenroom. where The manager !
raced him with glass Of grog
Was II not Jenkins instead OF the VI
ldieuce that needed TO be galvauized1 ~
The next night the manager took
,e falIeu star the rounds Of tho thea
RS. In nearly all the plays he saw 81
as something upropos 10 the times, In
aving, he thought. no place on the II
age and most OF them rotten" ms
, expressed Il, though he noticed an
lsenee az the coarse jokes of the :,
der time. But he was surprised TO -
e that the comics wherein most of "
10 raiment OF the performing women tu
Id been dropped were the fayorites
Jeakms returned to his family cured
his desire for the stage. He told m
! wife that Shakespeare and Sheri- he
m had bcpns turned over and were !,