The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-16

When is a lady not Iady?s
| Answer:
when she's a perfectly nice gentle
man."
! Now, then-we're Off
My mental picture of The Greai
Richards" round at the orpheum--the
man who impersonates woman
rather collapsed yesterday morning like
a pin-pricked toy balloon when l met
the gentleman himself.
| l imagined l was going to talk to 9
nice little creature who wore a cane
and a lovely marcel wave" and carried
| a lace handkerchief with Mary
Garden perfume on it. but that vision
! Richards.
He rushed down to the Palm room
at the "Hillman,' with no mincing OF
lady-like steRSS-not he-but with 2
stride that would have done honor to
the most mannish
| His broad shoulders and fine physique
would put many a football captain" to
shame,
| why" I gasped. "is it possible that
you are the lady saw on the stage
yesterday"
Gently" he replied, at the same time
guiding me to a comfy little place,
where we could sit and chat, and may
as well say right here that there's not
a silly bone in this gentleman's body
he's all business, good and properl
aren't skirts an awful hindrance? %
I asked him as we seated ourselves.
It's much nicer being a man, | as
| sure you said Mr.. Richards "Of
course I've gotten used to being a lady;
but it was hard to do. because most
peoples idea of seeing a man dressed
up as a woman is rather like my own
| they don't care for itr'
"Just how much do you like being a
| lady, now that you've gotten used to
| itY L asked
Enough to make an honest living
out of it," he answered. TITS a gold
mine for me. If 1t wasn't for the en-
couragement I get from my audiences
think l should have been a real wom-
an and tainted when 1 first started the
business, but--oh, well, you can get used
to anything"
| ing lady?" asked. THAT you can't
voter"
"Oh. no; not that" he quickly said.
Its the--the-er-er-"
OF course knew what he meant, but
I wouldn't say for the world, but just
| sat still and enjoyed his embarras-
ment because felt sure he wasn't GO
| Ing to know how to tell me just what
| he did most object to in being dressed
like a perfect lady.
| wanted to have a real, rollicking
Rose Stahl sort of a laugh about the
situation had gotten the young man
into when he suddenly veered round
and said:
| "I don't wear the miserable, uncom-
! Portable things you are thinking of.
You know they aren't stylish now.
Everything is the sloppy effect, loose,
graceful, and thank goodness big waists
are the fashion,
equilibrium. But how do you manage
| to get yours into the dimensions IL you
don't wear er--er-Y
MY gowns are all made just as yours
are, on a girdle,' said he with the know
ledge of a Poiret or Callot, ''and hold
my figure In to just the proper number
OF inches in the waist
| f1OW lOVtiy, tXCidlIueu, as L re-
called his svelte, sylph-like appearance
| in all of the lovely costumes he wore
when he was doing the beautiful. steps
! In the ''acrobatic" dance, the ''serpen-
| tine" dance. the ''toe" dance and other
Terpsichorean effects that he essays.
| I'm curious to know" L said presently,
whatever put the notion of impersonat t.
| ing woman into your head. Was it
Julian Eltinge?'
! mo-" said Mr.. Richards. II have al
ways liked theatricals and long before l
was big enough to go on the stage. sang
| in a boys choir 1t sounds rather con-
! ceited, but they used to call me the won
| derful boy soprano and | sang for a
great many years and also danced a
great deal. One day went to see Bes-
sic Clayton, and l was perfectly carried
away with the idea of becoming dane
er. I applied to Miss Claytons teacher,
Madame Mendzies, for lessons. She
taught Gertrude Hoffman, Mademoiselle
Dazzle, Loie Fuller. Isadora Duncan. and
] a lot of other celebrities. I studied with
| her and then decided I would go on the
stage"
| "And then of course you began to take
notice of wornen's clothes and all that
| sort of thing" suggested.
| Yes" was the answer. I'D stop at
/