Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-16
PART "

after all, might be a sort of education
to him in the ways Of America. BY
such simple and sinister means may
a press agent justify his dark ntentsr
/ readily convinced the wanderer from
across the seas that his attire was not
quite becoming to his Importance The
hair, especially, / stroVc to show him
was an all important feature of the
success of tho artist. / mentioned the
magic name of Paderewski. | showed
him the pictures of actors of the early
American school of Booth. He bright
encd Visibly at each suggestion. Dis
creetly Turing him to a costumer's. L
played upon his simple mediaeval ma
ture with devilish resolve. / lashed
the dress of drab-souled moderns as a
thing abhorrcnt to the spirit of the art
list, ] pictured the glories of the sunset
as the color scheme most appropriate TO
the VoCalization of all swift and reel
ing melody. His heart was at my feet.
| felt it, and | went rclcntlessly ON with
my shameless scheme.
An obliging costumer furnished me a
spleudidly regal outfit. Colors Earish
and shyly seductive mingled in the
robes of sham velvet, and absurdly
pointed shoes, looking like the attcn-
uated t1ngernails of a Chinese man
darin in a comic opera, We're fitted
upon his Confiding feet A massive
proper name for it) was selected, [ felt
secure in my hopes because the weeks
bill was in the nature of reCital-not
i'm costume, unless the harmless and
inoffensiyc. dress suit might so be
termed.
Then to the hair dresser'si With a
childish glee he consented to having
his opulent tresses frizzed and curled
and spirally elongated from front and
side and rear | refused him permis-
sion to look in the mirror, assuring him
that an artists judgment in the matter
of makeup was traditionaly lax and
inefficient. Fifteen minutes before time
for his first solo we were ready, he ex-
uding expectation, | timorously tri-
umphant.
] whislIed him through the side door
and down a rCkety flight of stairs to
his dressing room, well muffled in his
huge ulster I did not leave him for a
moment. When the call boy summoned
him to the stage | pressed his hand in
parting, affectionately, and then stole
down in front to watch.
The opening bars of his solo came
sweetly from the orchestra. There
was the hush of eager anticipation
and the rustic of ambitious approval
among the elect matrons of the bald
head rows.
Then he came.
Ilt llttH Kept ldllll. AIIdNeu III All
the COlOrS of a paint Salesman'S in
structive catalogue, he seemed a dream
of primitive Eden, or rather a radiant
vision of the last Crusader. He adj
vanced modestly and removed his tur-
ban. In a dozen different states of
decomposition, the locks of Medusa
darted forth like tongues of sable fire.
(The last sentence is from my report
of the proceedings, which one unwary
editor printed next day) But hair
and raiment all paled and vanished
to the eye before the magnitude and
dazzling confidence Of his Latin smile.
Obviously, he felt the Glee and cosmic
joy of the innovator who stands upon
the sure ground of past centuries.
The audience had risen and was
staring with fallen jaws of uncon-
ventional wonder. Then, little by lit
tie, IL litter rose from the family
circle. 1t descended to balcony and
pit. 1t rose into something between
a shout and a wall. The American
spirit of reckless mirth, pent up for a
moment by a feeling of duty to art,
broke its bonds with a Shrek of lib
Grated delight
The Signor was bowling. Then he
hesitated and stared about him. Was
this the American way of greeting
the man of daring in the service of
Beauty? He looked up and down the
theater in some perpleXity. He had
half raised an imploring arm, when
the orchestra leader, by an inspired
impulse, started the STARS and Stripes
Forever" and next moment the stage
manager, that human hook had
dragged the baffled soloist into the
seclusion of the wings.
l sold my story for fair price and
sat down to think it over. | was
more than half ashamed of myself, but
7 felt that henceforth for me Chicago
would not be healthy place for such
reflections.
In dream 7 purchased ticket for
some place west of the Mississippi Il
did not know where until the con-
ductor sourly informed me next morn
ing). AS the train tore out of the
station [ cast one regretful look back
ward at Chicago. 1t seemed to me
that it's tall chimneys were waving a
blithe goodby to me. 1 went into the
smoking car and lit pipe.
ITO he contin Led, unless enjoined by law)