The Washington herald., 1921-06-13

Continued from Yesterday
TO sfell the total family income by
salaries paid to Lottie and Jack
struck me as highly desirable. AND
so presently it turned out that the
three of us-cur total ages barely
12-were producing not-at-all
negligible proportion of mothers
total income!
For the first few years we con-
tinued to live in Toronto, my en-
gagemepts in the stock company
becoming more and more frequent,
and little by little Lottie and Jack
getting bits to 90 more and more
often.
Education Not Neglected.
Mother saw to 1t that none Of
this interfered with our education.
At first she taught US herself. ana
later-as soon as she could AFFORD
it-employed a woman to teach US
at odd moments at rehesrsals. All
CT US got probably as much edu
cation in this fashion as the aver
age child gets in the lower grades
in school
But finally, one day, when 1 was
years old, came my FIRST chance
to leave Toronto-with a travelling
company, a very cheap repertoire
organization offering very mellow
melodramas to not too discerning
communities, referred to in theat-
rical parlance as "one nights"
The manager of this company had
happened to drop in for a chat one
evening with the stock manager.
and had looked in on our perform
ance. My part in that especial plsy
was better than usual and made
my performance stand out.
The visiting manager liked my
work. He made inquiries about
me. Presently my real friend, the
TO my dressing room (where my
mother was with me, as always)
and told me about it, ......
An Honest Manager.
You can do better for yourself
with him than you can by staying
here with me-" he said frankly.
I'D hate to lose you, Gladys, but II
you are going on with your work
this is a chance you can't afford
to overlook @
OF course I had every intention OF
showing New York and London ami
Paris and Rome-one wonderful
day-just exactly what Shake
speare had in mind when he cre-
ated the lovely lady 1 loved most,
Juliet
l had listened to the grown-ups
in the company talk about the
great actors of the past and bewail
their lack in the heel
present-day stage of the theater,
and had secretly resolved that in
good time l should do my bit to
make histrionism take its rightful
place once again in the category Of
great achievements. oh, vauntins;
place in my S-year-old brain,
But hard experience had made
me more than wary. Even my
mother was hardly more cautions
and practical. AS things were, we
were able to pay our rent each
month and pay all our other little
bills on time. In a vague sort OF
way l knew that there was little
for me to learn by remaining with
the stock company. The parts that
came my way were, and must con-
tinue to be, only little parts.
But in the repertoire of smash
ing meiodramas-of the general ilk
of Uncle Toms Cahin'-there were
really big emotional roles for a
child to play. OF course, generally,
the child" chosen for such parts
was old enough to have children of
her own. Only occasionally could
a child actress. capable of playing
these big parts. be found.
The opportunity; from the view
point of advancing my art, was
undoubtedly presented in this un-
expected offer. Also I had the nat
ural. healthy curiosity Of the child
that makes its heart beat fast at
the prospect of travel, of seeing
cities that have been only names.
But against all these considera-
tions were the cold. hard facts
which I never forgot for long.
facts personified by my mother, by
Lottie. by Jack. II went away,
what about that?
At my own managers urgent
suggestion l consented to meet the
repertoire man after the perform
ance. Before he came ] had had a
little talk with my mother. and lie:
her understand I'd not let my en-
thusiasm run away with me- Nat
uralIv thA ons fhfnD ,nnarw<.s a..