The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-03-06
My
Management
II Was Not Wise, but the
Gain Was Considerable
By THOMAS r. DEAN


1t was not long after l became a
manager that l was besieged by play
wrights who desired their productions
put on the boards. / could withstand
the men and the elderly ladies'. but
when it came to pretty young women
it was very hard for me to stave them
of. One day when l had already &C
copied more plays than l could use In
several years a young lady called at
my office and asked permission to sub
NIT a play. l told her that it would be
useless for me to read any play unless
It promised a phenomenal success.
whereupon she looked ut me out of q
pair of very beautiful blue eyes and
said she was quite sure her play would
be a phenomenal success. could not
but smile at her confidence, since it
was difficult to predict such result
even of a work by IN experienced
playwright.
What could l do? | took her manu-
script from her. agreeing to look it
over and if l should find it meritorious
would read it carefully. The young
lady asked when she might call for it.
and l told her l would drop her a line
when / had read it. This seemed sat
isfactory to her. and she took her de
parture, leaving with me very pleasant
remembrances of her. .
But not having a spare moment l for
got all about her and her play. A
month passed. and one day l received a
note from her reminding me that she
had left a manuscript with me and
would be pleased to be Informed what
had been done with'it. | determined
to return it with the usual thanks and
Q few complimentary words. but
We who must deceive authors have so
many butts that it would not be worth
while to specify this one. went to a
closet where l kept manuscripts hand,
ed in for my inspection: but, although
! went over all Of them carefully.
did not find Consistency" the n
wanted. Then l remembered that |
had taken it to my home. But ! did
not find It there. I usually stopped at
my club on my way home and some
times at other places. | must have
left it somewhere. bpt inquiry failed
to elicit any trace Of it.
However. hoping that it might turn
up. I ventured to put the authoress
OF. ! wrote her that l had read enough
o. her play to become interested in
Il, but had been 80 busy with those
! was preparing for the boards as to
prevent my giving it the attention it
seemed to deserve.
The truth vas that ! was having
about that time hard luck with the
plays I had brought out and was losing
money. Indeed. most managers were
In the same fix. There was but one
play. "A Sylvan Butterfly" that was
successful. but that had enough sue
cess to make up for all the failures.
Hearing Of the new attraction. ! went
to see it and was delighted with it.
Its theme was one that will always
appeal to human sympathies. | won
dered IL the manuscript could have
gone the rounds, as most manuscripts
Of plays by unheard of authors are
apt to do. | certainly would never
have turned it down If it had beeL
offered to me.
l didn't find the manuscript of Con
stancy" and was much troubled about
It. Another month passed. and the
pretty playwright called at my Office
and asked for her play. She said that
other playwrights were getting their
productions on the boards and she saw
no eason why she should not do the
same. Mentioning "A Sylvan Butter
1y." she said that her W play was
just as good and If produced would
attain equal success.
Being used to the estimate play.
wrights attach to their plays. If l had
spoken my mind l would have told he1
that there were ninety-nine chances
in a hundred that If her play was pro-
duced it would be a iamentable fail
ure. As it was. / could only look wise
and say nothing. But when | saw
that her eyes were wet broke down
and told her that l had read enough OF
her play to warrant my paying her
$500 for her play, my object being to
compromise with her for that amount
for having lost the manuscript.
At first she secuted the idea of ac-
cepting such a sum for a play which
she fancied. as most young authors
fancy. would make a fortune. but |
represented to her the cost | would in
cur and the risk in staging her play.
and she finally consented to accept
my offer. but stipulated that. since
she had never made hut one copy OF
her play. ! must lot call on her for
another. Glad to get ont of the scrape
BY paying a stipulated sum. | agreed
to this and gave her a, check for $500
In payment for a play that Iehad never
read and did not possess.
This embarrassing matter having
been put out of the way | began to
show the young lady some attention.
Indeed. Miss Alice Woodruff and be-