The San Francisco call., 1910-12-11
stage CHILDREN
HAVE HAPPY LOT
Youngsters at Empress Blest
With This Worlds Goods
and Are Normal
Youthful Comedian and Sister
Get Education Between
Vaudeville Acts

for their opening number at the En-
press. I'VE give the children as much
Of home life as is possible in this
migratory life. Our stay in each town
is not less than week and some
times two weeks. so 1 rent fat and
we have our little family circle quite
The same as other folks have. The
morning is devoted to the children's
schooling. Nellie takes piano lessons
from me and is an accomplished play
or. Between the study hour and the
afternoon performance the youngsters
DO as they like. and they usually
beat it. to the baths when any are
available. Both are expert swimmers
Then comes the afternoon performance
and 1t is over for us within an hour.
The rest Of the day belongs TO them
until about o'clock. when we go to
the theater We are out again, gen
ferally. by 1890 o'clock and the chill
,dren are abed AT II o'clock. For this
work that they accomplish they are
raid better than most businessmen
earn. Our expenses are not heavy
and the savings are put away against
rainy day. Nellie and Willie have
property all over the country. They
own lots and buildings as far south as
san Diego and as far east as Altoona,
where they both were born"
INDEED Willie and Nellie seem as
happy a pair Of youngsters as I
have met in long while.
Only one thing Willie insists upon
20 complete his content. and that is
they do not stay at hotels. He re-
fuses TO eat IN restaurants says Mr..
Helm. senior, proudly His mother
must co the cooking"
Are you ever nervous about your
work." I asked Willie.
What do you mean?" he inquired
right back.
Il mean. Go YOU ever have stage
fright when YOU appear before audi
ences IS big as these at the Empress"
But he didn't seem to understand
and his father explained for him. He
has been on the stage so long" said
Mr. Helm. "thst he doesn't know what
nervousness IS. I'm the only one TO
get nervous
was mere seven years ago 6A-
planned Willie with the air of a Veter-
an. II PLAYED at the Unique theater
then"
Ever since he was baby" picked
up Ar Helm. he has been in the
theater. He used 10 come with his
mother when I was director of the
Altoona playhouse and the first thing
I knew he was initiating the actors
he saw there. Then he did amateur
stunts around town. for benefits and
such affairs. A New York manager
seeing him in Altoona suggested that
he play a season in a road show. The
salary offered the boy and girl was
large and SO 7 sacrificed my own ca
reer and embarked with them. We
have been going ever since. I ar
range the music and the acts and Mrs
Helm. their mother, sees to it that
no harmful influences disturb them
For SS weeks they were headline fea-
lures over the Keith circuit in the
east, 10 which they viii, at the end of
this season. return
IT seems that the only unhappy and
discontented time of the year for
these two youngsters is vacation
time.
Every summer they LAY off" re-
turn To Altoona and as Willie expressed
st. loaf for month or so.
There's saying" said Nellie.
about the boards calling you. Well
its true. You can't ever recover from
it," concluded this little miss who. with
her brother, has known little else in
life but the run OF playing for others
entertainment
Oh. but these children read too. s'We
like 10 read plays better than novels
explained Nellie, sagely- we have
read ever SO many plays-Shakespea
and Ibsen-
Horrors said L wondering il an
Ibsen discussion We're imminent, but
the little lady continued unperturbed
and reassuringly. "and Graustark and
The Fortune Hunter and oh, a lot
Of other plays. We have so much TO
do with the stage" she explained.
"that when we read plays we can shut
our eyes and see the action just as
though il were really going on in
theater and we were in box, watch
ing"
NVFILLIE says that the ambition of
M his life is 10 be a great comedian
the greatest in America And
he VIII be. too" says his father con-
hdently, while Mother Helm mods her
head with certainty. why. If he keeps
his health and the stride he is making
now, he viii be the finest comedian in
the country by the time he is of age
Willie looked at me curiousIy from
under his painted eyebrows and won
oered what / thought about ii. In a
childish treble he asked me If really
thought he was a funny comedian.
answered something to the effect
that he not only was comical but that
he was a little dear and quite the most
fetching Of funny men.
viii not ever waste time pitying
these clever little people of the stage.
who are in their element, and who solve
the problem Of happiness-their work
is play, and I'll bet that every young
ster in town will agree with me when
] say that it's lots better than chon-
y,fvp lxsnSTfrr -OP