The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-02-13
My
Management
1t Was Not Wise, but the
Gain Was Considerable
By THOMAS r. DEAN

1t was not long after | became u
manager that ! was beSieged by play
Wrights who desired their productions
the men and the elderly ladies. but
when 1t came to pretty young womel
It was very hard for me to stave them
OF. One day when | had already nc
eepted more plays than | could Use In
several years u young lady called III
NY office and asked permission to sub
NIT a play. l told her that 1t would be
uselpSS for me to read any play unless
It promised a phenomenal success,
whereupOn she looked at me out Ut .
pair Of very beautiful blue eyes and
said she was quite sure her play would
BE- u phenomenal success. | could not
but smile ut her confidence. since 1t
was difficult to predict such result
even Ut u work by an experienced
playwright.
What could ! do? I took her mani
script from her. agreeing to look it
over and /: l should find It m%eritOriOus
would read 1t carefully. The young
lady asked when she might call for 1t.
and l told her l would drop her u line
when | hnd read 1t. This seemed sat
~tsfactory 10 her. aud she took her de
purture. leaving with me very pleasant
Seulembrnnces Of her.
but not having u spare moment l for
got all about her and her play. A
month passed. aud one day l received a
mite frOm her reminding mt that she
had left 4 manuscript with me ami
would he pleased to be informed what
bad been done with It. | determined
~ return 1t with the usual thanks AMI
! few complimentary words. but
We who must deceive authors have 81
many butts that it would not be worth
while to specify this one. | went to u
closet where | kept manuscripts hand
ID In for my inspection: but. although
went over all Of them carefully.
Gid not lind Consistency" the One
wanted. Then / remembered that l
had taken 1t to my home. But | did
not find 1t there. usually stopped at
ny club OF my way home and some
tmes at other places. l must have
left It somewhere. but inquiry failed
% elicit any truce Of it.
However. hoping that 1t might turn
Up. ! ventured to put the %autl,Oress
"a. ! wrote her that ! had read enough
Of her play to become interested In
4. but had been so busy with those
was preparing for the boards an to
prevent my giving it the attention it
1eemed to deserve.
The truth was that l was having
abNut 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 hut one
play. "A Sylvan Butterfly" that was
O%uccessful. but that had enough sue
Gers to make up for all the failures.
Hearing Of the new attraction. ! went
10 see 1t and was delighted with it.
ItS theme was n that will always
appeal to human sympathies. ! won,
Aered II the manuscript could have
gone the rounds. ~ most manuscripts
81 plays by unheard Of authors are
opt to do. l certainly would 'neve.
have turned 1t down II it had bee,.
altered to me.
didn't end the manuscript Of Con.
stancy'' and was much troubled about
4. Another month passed. and the
pretty playwright called ut my Office
and asked for her play. She said that
ether playwrights were getting their
productions on the boards and she saw
no reason why she should not do the
came. Mentioning "A Sylvan Butter.
IT," she said that her own play vas
Just as good and IL produced would
attain equal success.
Being used to the estimate play.
vrights attach to their plays. II l had
spoken my mind l would have told hel
that there were ninety-nine chance>
In 4 hundred that II her play Il pro-.
luced it would be a lMmpntable fail
lre. Al 1t was. l could only loOk wise
and say nothing. But when | saw
that her eyes were wet l broke down
and told her that ! had read enough OF
her play to warrant my paying hel
$500 for her play. my object being t.
compromise with her for that amOun,
for hn ving lost the manuscript.
At first she secuted the idea of ac
eepting such a sum for 4 play which
abe fnncted. as most young author,
fancy. would make Il fortune. but
represented to her the cost | would In
our and the risk In staging her play
and she finally consented to accept
ny offer. hut stipulated that. sine,
she had never made hut one copy 81
her play. l must no call ON her To-
smother. Glad to get ont at the wcrap<
~ paying n stipulated sum. | agreed
In this AMI give her Il check for $laN
- payment for a play that ! had neve
Head and did not pOsseas.
This embarrassing matter haytn,
1een put ont Of the way I heRan Il
4hOw the young lady son,e attention
4ndeed. Miss Alice Woodruff and l he
cane gradually fond Ut each other
Bhe did not trouble me about her pia!
except to indicate . desire to have !
Noduced- ] put her Oh for some time