The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1913-03-20
SAVING THE SCENE
An Emergency For Which Actors
Must Ever Be Prepared.
ACTS NOT ON THE PLAYBILLS,
Presence of Mind by Which Clara
Morris Turned to Advantage Ca
nine Interruption In "Miss Mutton"
and Feline Intrusion In "CamiIle."


An experienced actor is supposed to
be able to cope with any stage emer-
gency, no matter what is lacking or
what happens. Cool, self possessed, it
is expected Of him to turn the ridicu-
lous into a source of applause rather
than Of disapproval or laughter.
And among the necessary acquire
ments for the actress is an unshakable
self control. no matter if by some care
lessness she is thrown into a situation
almost without precedent She must
| never fly off at tangent because. CT
some unrehearsed incident. She must
not scream when the perennial gallery
idiot yells ''Fire!' If something is for
gotten she must try hard to hide its alb
sence OF invent substitute.
If anything unusual occurred I al
| ways tried to incorporate it into the
play if possible, as when in the school
room scene Of miss Mutton" I was as
tonished to see large water spaniel
come trotting on to the stage, waving
his tail at me as if we had been bosom
| friends for years. I don't like to recall
all the things thought about that dog
| for moment or two.
| Then l rose, and, thanking heaven
and a generous master for the collar he
| wore, grasped it, and, having stroked
his silky ear with the other hand,
said to my pupils: "Children, I do not
| wish to curtail your pleasures, but l
have told you before that cannot per-
nit you to have your pets in this room
during lesson hours. Now, don't force
me to remind you Of that again.
| And the little girl who played Paul
| quickly and cleverly responded to my
wink. "Oh, excuse US this time, Miss
| Mutton, and we won't do it again.
And, taking the dog from me, she led
him off into the retirement of private
life, while in the morning one newspa-
per remarked that "among the prettiest
| of the lighter touches Of the perform
ance was the scene at the Christmas
tree in the first act and the dog scene
| in the third act"
Another time, in Baltimore, when
| was playing Camille" had similar
| experience. In the fifth act had stag
| gered from the window to the bureau,
nearing that dread moment when I was
| to see the reflection Of my wrecked and
ruined self in the looking glass. The
| house was all attention, watching dim
eyed the piteous, weak movements Of
the dying woman. Just then l heard
the quick indrawing of the breath that
startled womanhood always INDUCES
in before either scream or laugh.
My heart gave plunge. what is
it? Oh. what is wrong?" And glanc-
ed down at myself anxiously, for really
I wore very little in that scene what
is it?'
Then came a litter, and evidently it
was growing. In agony turned quick
ly about and found myself facing a
monstrous cat. Starlike, he held the
very center Of the stage, his two great
topaz eyes fixed unfinchingly upon my
face. His tail stood straight and ag-
excessively in the air, twitching with
short witches at the very top.
| Alas, no wonder they giggled! But
how to save the approaching death
scene was what went through my
mind.
Clinging to the bureau, slipped to
my knees, and with an earnest prayer
that he would not resist my appeal in
a faint voice I called him to me.
Thomas looked suspiciously at me, hes
itated, then approached gingerly and
shifted at my fingers. Then he rubbed
his dingy body against my knee, and
in an instant my arms were about him,
my cheek on his wicked old head.
| What a sigh of relief went like wave
over that audiences! l had won!
1 then called Nanine to relieve me,
and the applause that swept the house
was as balm to my great distress. l
said to Nanine, "Take him downstairs;
| he grows too heavy for me to pet"
And Sir Thomas was carried off re-
| luctantly. imagining perhaps that l
was envious of the hit he had made
| My manager, who was somewhat of
Wag, of course made the most of the
! saved situation. A gentleman met him
on the street the next morning and was
anxious for him to settle an argument
| between himself and wife.
'My wife, who has seen the play sew
eral times in New York, insists that
the beautiful little scene with the cat
belongs to the play, while. I don't recall
it, nor do any Of our acquaintance
whom l have asked this morning
Won't you kindly set us right?"
"Willingly," replied my manager
"Your wife is in the right, my dear sir
That cat scene is always done. It is
great favorite with Miss Morris, and
she hauls that cat all over the country
with her"
May heaven forgive him!-Clara Nor
ris in New York Press
| Inquisitive.
"What is your Names" asked one five
year-old miss of another.
| HNfv GOODNESS ovoIo;rood 49,