Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-17

"This is a fine trick you We played on mel"
he shouted. "Do you think I'm going to let
you play in my theayter with cheap second
company, after you promised me I'd get the
original production?'
| tried to calm him; but he would not
listen to me.
"When l book a New York company, l
rate road company" he yelled.
And-would you believe it?-it took me
two hours and three cigars to convince that
manager that, as my play had not yet played
either in New York or in any other city, he
was getting the only "orginal company"
that ever existed Some -night-stand
managers remind me of nothing SO much as
peacocks with dynamite bombs and argu-
ments strapped to their tails.
7 REMEMBER case in point that oc-
Cured a number of years ago when |
was taking the original tank melodrama,
"The Dark Secret" through the one-night
stands of the South. When we got to
small town in Alabama we discovered that
the theater was over big drygoods store.
We got to town early in the morning and,
going directly to the theater had the big
water tank placed in position on the stage.
Our advent had been heralded for weeks in
advance by the manager of the theater,
who had plastered the town with bills read
| ing, -Four thousand tons of real water on
the stage at one time" Of course, as this
was the first time real water had been
used in play, and as one of the actors, it
was advertised, had to dive into the tank to
effect a rescue during the progress of the
drama, the town focked to the boxoffice
and bought all the tickets in the rack in
less than no time.
Four hours before the performance was
scheduled to begin the manager of the the
alter came dashing into my room at the ho-
| tel crying out that the dam had burst. It
was true. The tank had broken, and the
drygoods store below had been flooded.
| at amt the drygoods store I'm thinking
about, though sobbed the manager.
| "Then what is it," | begged
"Why, it's my reputation! If get all the
townspeople into the theater to see the show
after I've advertised four thousand tons of
real water on the stage, and then don't show
EN- any real water, they'll never come to
my theater again. I'm ruined, tell you,
I'm ruined!"
After had dried his tears for him, I sug-
gested that in such a case the only thing to
be done was to cancel the performance and
refund the money. He broke out crying
afresh at the very idea of giving back all the
| money THAT Was dHeduy IepOSl1lS S1luSly III
the boxoffice safe
"Well then, if you don't want to fool the
villagers, and still want to keep their money,
what on earth do you want to do?" | asked
| him.
He stifed his sobs and looked at me- II
want you to help me out by diving into the
empty tank, /" he replied, just as placidly and
offhandedly as if asking me what time it was.
"You want me to dive into the empty
tank?' l exclaimed. "Don't you like me?"
"You can do it," he said. "Any other
actor would be afraid; but think you've
got nerve"
1t was beautiful compliment; but some
how was of the opinion that it was he who
had the nerve. He went on to explain that
if dived into the tank the people would be
fooled into believing there was real water in
it, and that, even if they did not believe it,
they would feel that they had got their
moneys worth if they saw someone dive
into the tank.
Now, of course | was not hugely pleased
at the idea of returning all the money either,
and | tried to get at compromise. But he
would not listen to any other proposition
| than my diving into the waterless tank. And
| finally, to settle the matter, | had to agree
to play the part of Old Tom in the play, fill
the bottom of the tank with canvas, and
take a headlong plunge into it when the
oft 4, hot 7