The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-03-21
BY
E9A H.,
oRM NIX friend. Master Gabriel"
Wl started this:

SBlN M Y friend Master GABRIEL
Mll started this
You see I've known
Master Gabrier' for the last--oh! let
me see, five years. when he was even
then entertaining big crowds of peo-
pie with his wonderful talents and
cleverness and I was a little youngiSh
at least, by those five years, which
is something and he told me al about
his nice self and
But, as 1 was about to say, my
friend. Master Gabriel" started this,
but before 1 tell you what he started
l must tell you why [ so "stuck-up-
ish-iy' refer to him as "my friend
Ever since l indiscreetly admitted
that ! had lunched with James j. Hack
EFT and dined with Lou Tellegen and
'tead" with Caruso and that OTIS
Skinner called me Dolly right 20
my face, l sort of established a prece-
dent for Dragging about my celeb
rity friends and certain asperslons
have been cast UPON my veracity and
certain hints have been laid about, that
the whole thing wasn't fair to those
helpless people in public life-so wheH
refer to my friend, Master GabrieP
II feel like 1 ought to produce a wit
ness--one who could tell you honest
to goodness" that have perfect
right to refer to Master GabrieT' as
my friend. but as long as 1 haven't
why--you'll just have to take my word
for the fact and recall the two nice
Interviews I've had with this distin-
guished little gentleman when he's
been here before.
AS l said before, my friend, Master
Gabriel" started this just by coming
back to this big old town to see his
hundreds and hundreds of friends ana
giving them a treat again-this com
plimentary" stuff which 1 am handing
him today, done up in neat little
package; mott isn't going to be an
interview-jnst a few "reminiscences of
the first time I met Master Gabriel
back in the late autumn of 1914.
I'd never seen him face to face or
talked with him heart to heart until
that particular day; and although IA
loved him as Buster Brown" and Lit
tie Memo" and later in "Rackety-
Packety House." still I only knew him
at a distance-and so when l was m
PRODUCED to him l remember how en-
barrassed l was, for 1 didn't know
whether to talk to him about velooi-
pedes and firecrackers and hobby
horses and all the things that little
boys like or-well--he settled the
question for me very quickly, if you
please by referring to his favorite au-
Acknowledgements Victor Hugo, II.
G. Wells and the rest, and there was
I, completely disarmed and all my am
munition gone to the bow vows!
my friend, Master Gabriel, was then
well past 80, quite grown up as 20
years. but only just the size of
watch charm; but as diminutive as ha
is, he is perfect Sc" cage or other
wise). He admits it; so do the people
who have measured" him.
my friend, Master Gabriel" is OF
French descent-his parents coming
from Alsace- Lorraine, and his real,
rightly name is Gabriel Weigel-which
sounds German-but isn't.
When [ saw my friend. Master Ca
briel," last-in 1917 when he wasfhere
he was still bachelor; he's terribly
rich and mighty good 'eatch," and ne
does all sorts of kind deeds for people
besides making hundreds of children
and grownups laugh and drive away
dull carei
I remember I said to the little gem
tleman:
will you always be the spirit Of
Peter Pan-the little boy who wouldn't