The sun., 1919-09-14

with him when he went to receive his
first salary, then sent me with a friend
or his to see the play, after which I
r1ade my first entrance through a stage
door to wait for my brother to take me
home. That night 1 had my first
glimpse of the stage. How / laughed
at my brother when he. danced with
his hobbyhorse. and when the trans
formation scene opened up went
crazy with delight over its crystal
lights, silver tissue and beautiful
angels dangling among the stars in
long skirts of gauze. Even the ballet
skirt in those days reached to the
ankle. Nowadays, it seems, all skirts
arc Hooverized.
All that night l dreamed of fairies.
knights and jewels, and awoke with
the determination to become an &C.
tress, Il determination that has never
left me.
AT the close of that extravaganza
Charles left Mr.. Buckstone's company
at the Haymarket Theatre and decided
that London was no place for him In
the profession he had chosen. He
Hooked for position where he would
/ have plenty of practice in every kind
of part by engaging himself as utility
man, which means he might be called
on to play heavy villain, an old man
or servant with few. spoken words
Such a position he obtained in the
Theatre Royal, Dublin. and vowed
never to return to London until he
could be recognized as an artist
The next season he was engaged as
the juvenile man for the Theatre
Royal at Hull, where he was very
lonesome, and he coaxed my mother
to join him there. At that time my
father, having formed in London a
company to produce an English news
paper in Brussels called the Co0hIdn
| Continental Despatch, was rather flush
and was sending mother money. She
gave up her school and we went to
| live with Charles.
Frank Follows the Sea.
Frank was only ~ years old, but he
had already chosen his profession-the
sea-an inherited taste, as his father
had started his career in the navy at
, the same age as midshipman, which
he continued till he obtained the rank
| OF Lieutenant, when he resigned and
| took up literary work. Frank was ar
| ticled for five years in the merchant
Ivice and had sailed on the ship
| CErnotic on his first voyage.
Charles Coghlan had become a great
! favcrite in Hull, and here my father
| decided to pay us a visit to witness
| his success. We lived in furnished
rooms, a great institution for the ac-
tor You paid for your sitting room
and bedrooms and did your own mar
keting. The slavey. as the house.
worker then was called. cooked your
| joint, or whatever you provided. and
! served 1t in your sitting room. This
comfort is still being enjoyed in Eng
land, but has never even been thought
of in America.
| At the theatre there were only six
| performances a week - no matinees.
| The bill generally consisted either of
| a long classical play, followed or pre-
coded by a farce. or possibly a one act
| piaylet followed by three act drama
or comedy, and the bill was closed by
a burlcsque. The performances were
long, beginning at o'clock and end
ing at II. The actors were engaged
each for a special line Of business In
! such plays as the old comedies, also
| Skakespeare's and tho classical
| dramas.
There seldom was a new play pro-
duced. owing perhaps to the dearth OF
dramatic authors or possibly II was
due to the lack of revenue they re-
ceived. That was the condition in the
sos and eos. They had a system OF
visiting stars during the whole season
with exception Of the holidays. when a
pantomime was produced each year,
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