The San Francisco call., 1913-08-03

M M
NH the usual thing in interviews.
One Is led back on the stage, Is
ushered into the presence of q
player IN the midst of his make up and
then proceeds to delve into the inner
consciousness of the said player. whose
time for atesself-revealment is at
the disposal OF a call boy who cuts
the interview in two without the
slightest evidence of feeling.
But I met John Mason between plays.
He had just been reading manuscript
to Manager Charles Bradford with
whom he was advising as to the pro-
duction of the drama next season The
hour was $50; the place, the St Fran
els hotel and the identical spot was
Mr.. Masons apartments therein.
Mr.. Mason was thinking of becoming
an artist, he told mean artist of As.
That was the role of the new play
and the author of it was Augustus
Thomas, naturally. The title was In
the title was pertinent to the thought
that a man may, like summer in the
east, come back" even If he Is 45
years old and a painter of canvases.
The plot of this new play By.
Thomas that am now considering, :
said Mr. Mason. is most enga ging and
is utterly without a moral and likewise
without preachment. 1t tells SIM
pie story Of great human interest. and
Il. pretends to no discussion of any
question vexing sociologists, metaphy-
slcians or scientists.
TT is merely the story of man
whose faith in human nature, having
been shattered BY an experience with
one of the fairest of her SEX permits
his ambitions to follow his faith and
die. Tt tells how this artist, at the
age Of As. recovers his faith through
the same medium of his loss. and, plac-
ing his adored one on her difficult
pedestal. is not disappointed in her.
She stands straight"
AS to Masons capacity to play the
artist nobody who has seen his per-
formance at the Cort theater could
doubt AS to his capacity to play the
role of man of 45, that should be
easy for one who has maintained his
youth on and off the stage. and whose
Characterization OF Jack Brookfield, the
gambler. in 1.-THE Witching Hour" and
his performance of Dr. Seelig, in "As a
Man Thinks are instinct with a youth
that is age old and ever renewed.
A ND speaking of gamblers re-
II minded Mr.. Bradford. who besides
being an expert on matters per-
tanning to fishes-4haying written books
on the favorite sport of Izaac Walton
rical, as one. indeed. should be to man
age a star. Mr.. Bradford told me that
he had been enga ged-a fact. I very
we'll knew-to manage for the Shu-
berts John Mason's western tour in
The Witching Hour" He (Bradford)
times from ain 'front.' before encoun-
tering the star of the plot, who by this
time had impressed him as being every
inch a gambler,
IT used to marvel" said Bradford,
"at the nonchalant manner in which
Jack (Brookheld, not Mason) used to
wager s15o,o00.O0o on the turn of a
card. I never saw anything like 1t, not
even in Reno nor Butte City nor Nome,
alaska. no bet was too much for
Jack (Brookfeld, not Mason), and he
won or lost with equal and suave In
difference I had watched other gam
blers elsewhere, but I had never seen
anything like Jacks almost blasphe-
nous contempt for coin.
1T was with something like temerity
that suggested on the trip across the
continent a little game of poker. I
carefully counted my little pile and
saw 1t fade on the first bet. but an
agent has to entertain hfs star. 1t Is
his duty, and like Frederick in The
Pirates of Penzance,' have ever been
slave to duty. So suggested lit
tie game to pass the time-and incl
dentally my money-away Mr.. Mason
was agreeable, but not too enthusiasts
tic, as bef1ted a born piunger. I tin
gled with excitement and shuffled Mr.
Mason did not seem to behave at all
like Jack Brookfield, and I may as well
tell you at once that took $40 and
some odd change from him with such
ease that I began to feel like a pick
pocket or a despoiler of nursery banks.
In short, my dear friend John (and he
pointed to the smiling victim of his
cupidity) is only like Jack Brookfield
in his willingness to bet. He can't
win
Thereupon Mr.. Bradford picked up a
card that was lying on the manteIshelf
underneath the expansive and grinning
mirror. 'Tl bet you any way you
like" said he. as 1T odd or even?"
And he put a dollar down to prove his
conviction.
IT'S even,' said Mr.. Mason, taking
the dollar casually. 1t was the two OF
hearts.
You see," said Mr.. Mason, 'T use
that card when I read play that I'm
studying. ! cover up my speeches with
it and expose only the cues. That's
why I knew it was the deuce of
hearts,"
ANY way" said Bradford, calcu-
lafin1 no douhf how he Gould caf tbat