The sun., 1909-02-07

himself, but he said next to nothing and
stole away quietly before anybody had
chance to miss him. The next week
a well known paper had satirical article
on Mr.. Barrie in the Chair in which
the author was held up unsparingly to
public ridicule. Barrie still loves to tell
the story because Of Its climax. for it
appears that while everybody sympa-
thized with Barrie upon the severity OF
the article the real writer Of II was Mr..
Barrie himself
In fact. Barrie will cover any distance
and scheme to any lengths to get away
! from public functions and avoid the
embarrassing evening clothes.
Probably no living author has less
regard for the financial side Of his work
and yet no living playwright reaps
such large returns. When What Every
Woman Knows was at the height OF it's
success at the Duke Of York's Thsatre
early this winter my representative Of the
theatre inadvertently told Barrie MAT
the play was 80 successful that there was
small chance OF Peter Pan being done
during the Christmas holidays. Barrie
said nothing. but instantly he sat down
and wrote me:
MIR. Matthews tells me he will have
no place at the theatre this winter for
Peter Isn't that a queer way to treat
the lad who is eternally with US or not
at all2'
And then cabled The window Of
the Duke of York 8 will be open for Peter
to fly in by Christmas holidays this year
and every year.
-Thdt meant moving the reigning suo-
cess OF London to another theatre. but
the jealousy felt by the author OF Peter
Pan toward the author of What Every
Woman Knows was smoothed over,
though had to make a special trip TO
London to do it.
Il suppose Barrie is happest," Mr..
Frohman goes on, when he can go back
to the simple life of the people he knew
as a Scotch lad. 1t vas at that time in
his life that he lived 10y writing some
stories for Lon don paper. He lodged
in a small room in Edinburgh. which he
not only paid for out Of the occasional
pound note that the stories brought him.
but had enough left over to buy few
DOOhb. u anu Whch a
of his stories had been accepted he wrote
the editor saying that he would like to
leave Edinburgh for London, but that he
would not take the chance unless the
editor thought he could earn pound
week in London. Barrie tells me that
the answer he got was enough to stem the
tide Of any budding authors ambition.
The editor simply wrote. "A pound a
week! Stay in Edinburgh But Barrie
did go to London and continued TO write
for the paper.
oddly enough. Barrie is great believer
in the avoidance Of teohnio in all his
work. This disdain for set rules Is ap-
parent in everything TO do with the stag
ing of Barrie play. Onoe he has agreed
TO accept an actor he believes in letting
the actor alone. Let the plan use his
own fancy is his saying. He hugely
enjoys and is always very merry at re-
An actor who to-day Is very
prominent. so much so that do not feel
1t liberty to name lin. tells the story |
Of how he first secured q part in one Of
BE- rrie's plays He made a great success
Of the role Gle was not set up by the |
achievement, as actors unfortunately |
sometimes let themselves become to their
own hurt. but he had natural desire
10 talk over the evenings triumph with