The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1909-03-06

He's been driving that way for sew
eeral years now and has never discov-
cred it, and besides it's a tremendous
| relief to my nerves, don't you know
you @bl 81 me me- for, not
wanting to keep atastory all to my
self any longer? It's far too good to
| keep selfshly bottled up
| And Miss Ward laughed as appre-
ciatively as though she'd heard the
| story for the first time.
TO change the conversation with a
! jolt, the reporter, in the presence of
| to ask the question:
| What are your impressions of Amer
| lea, Miss Ward?"
The actress possessing keen sense
! of humor declined to jest on this sub
ject.
Listen minute" she said most Sc
riously. There's a fairy tale that
| once upon a time a. famous actress
advertised that at a matinee perform
| ance she would appear in cake with
ten OF the most ferocious animals alive
| And when the curtain went up the &C.
| treSS was in cage with ten dramatic
| critics.
"NoW, the critics have been delight
| tul to me here, my native country
| but they are bound to mix up things
| little. l am not an English girl
AOA OiiS SiA1llS, anu 1 We never financed
| a theatrical venture in my life Never
nave | ever had a single shilling in
| play in my. whole career. Just be-
cause had been married to a wealthy
man 1T was rumored that I got my
| engagements by paying for the pro-
auctions of plays in which I have ap-
| peared. That's absolutely untrue Just
as is the tale or the impression that,
as an actress, I'm of mushroom
growth
But" and here the speakers face
was beaming with good humor again,
Il must tell you of my first appearance
IN leading role. It was about nine
years ago, at Drury Lane, when Sir
Augustus Harris was in his managerial
heyday there. The lead was suddenly
retired from the cast because a cable
announced her mothers serious illness.
| SIR Augustus sent for me and told me
that he would let me play the lead if
could get up the part in one night.
studied all night long, knew the
mes by noon and then went to a
CHEMISTS shop to get some bracer to
keep me from shaking-for I was a
nervous wreck from the strain. Some
members of the company had gone to
| Sir Augustus meanwhile and had told
MIN what an impossible person l
would be, and he got cold feet There
was no retracting his word, however,
|
ance, while Sir Augustus fed the
theater and went to the Green Room
club. He hid himself behind a paper
and blew cigar smoke all about himself
SO that no one should discover him.
About an hour later his assistant came
boiling into the room: ~.
you've simply got to come to the
theater to see that girl act he COM
! manded.
"Sir Augustus put down his paper
with start: :. : :
My Lord! Is she as bad as thatoo'
HE came and saw my last act and
then came to. my dressing room after
the last curtain and simply patted nv
hand. He signed a three year contract
with me that afternoon.
| so you see I'm not a newcomer and.
to the contrary, I've worked hard to
get somewhere. And if the Herald
will be good enough to tell it's countless
readers that I am an American and
that I'm most happy to get back to nv
own country, why, I'll feel indebted
| to the Herald"
| With this Miss Ward hurried away
to the theater to act out one phase of
the ever present servant problem.