The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-05
BEL.aStO Ar WORN.
Ink Files. Corks ,sarsapariila' Pop and
Pictures Chatter Down.

The first play | saw written. writes
fanderheyden Fyles in the Metropolitan.
was The Girl I Left Behind Me- with
which Charles Frohman opened his I'm
pIrr Iheatr. IN New York in January
1893
No one took much notice Of boy As
young as I. 20 | used to tlptoe noiselsssly
int" thu library at nome. where David
IN collaboration.
Daily for many months they worked
together on 1t. and almost daily | sat
IN IN" dark corner II a large green sofa go
observing silently
Tn" earlier work had been done at Mr..
B.lasco's apartments IN hotel in Madi-
SON Square. since tSQnoli-hed. There
my fathers original csnario was thor
Oughly gon. over under the master eye
Of Mr. Belasco
Those sessions | never saw. although
an incident ~ the last day there has
always stuck IN my mind. Mrs. Leslie
Garter and her mother had apartments
an the same hotel and the dransti-ts
were accustomed 10 lunch with them
When Mr. Belasco decided tn shift his
work To our house I went down with my
father on. morning tn gather together
such Il his writing materials as were
at tho hotel.
On the way out my father stopped
10 max. his farevrlls to Mr.. Garter
and her mother The former was not
vet fully dressed. 50 without pHy.lnx
ih. curtains 10 her boudoir she slipped
- long arm through for a good-hy hand
clasp. The uncon-iier.d q ctIon was pccll-
Harry effective.
Mr.. B.la-co. who se..s .veryth thin. and
forget- nothing. CAV" no indication 81
noting the incident at the tin. Several
years later ! was surprised Ia come upon
Its counterpart In his drama II The
Heart ~ Maryland developed into
picturesque and important scene True.
IN that case the man who held the ma nd
plunged through the portiArs was an
AZ tent lover going oh To be shot instead
q a matter 81 fact drama tist transferring
his pads and pencils to another work
room.
II The Girl ] Left Remind Me may bA
taken A. typical Mr. Pelasco ruins one
room for each drama written. But that
IL stating the result, before describing IN.
process Ny father. pen in hand sat AT
large table in IN. centre Of the library
Mr.. b-lasco never sat He walked and
walked and walked His left hand h. ran
continually through his thick curly hair
in his right hand he held a zen dom
think ! ever saw him write with il B,,f
every time he passed the centre tabl. ne
dipped The pen in the ink bottle and there
upon splaShed the black fluid nervo,Islv
over rugs and chairs 40 no wandered
tangled IN knotiy thought
Another diversion waa supplied by "A
handful ~ poker chips There were
iw.lE" ~ them and az the somewha
rnysil" genius wandered and pondared
and IIpn'lar"d and wandered he dis
tribiItfEl them IN eNa"f little piles ON
book cases, nant.l tables Than retrar-
ing his course. he would collect th.. china.
presently r"hisiribnfing thefn ia now com
bIna IONS or new places
Whether my father had coyertIy
tempted Nr BelaSco 10 this garue A.,
-rSi'iy for his rigs ! do not know bur
u ~as IN" only AID - Ba-lascu thnuRht
which did not h,av" ruin in it's wake
Ink did for rug. furniture. even vail.
Then one day i'''t.- violent hs.at rlIrtion
hT"k" ~ Nr yalaAcp and nv father
were arguing Sh"th..r 10 Iise the word
-lisien- or bark To me i'm NV lark
corner The poin' rcaYned ChikIiahIy trivial
di'f not then know that plav writing
rnore 80 even than literary creation IN
any other form-rneant a natural ingtincs