18
THE SUNDAY' OKEGONIAN, PORTLAm, FEBRUARY 18, 1900.
PORTRAYS HIS LAST ROLE
DBATH CM Mf SCVOWT GDISB TO
GEWT&B KKTOMST OF BUSKIN.
msbt'K yi'lmtry Oartala Deoead on
Tragic Bnisede ia Storm-Bound
Waekengrtea. Hamlet.
They left flea Francisco la high spirits
for a tour of the "Northwestern" circuit
and the members of the small repertoire
company wet as Jolly sad lively a. crowd
of theatrical people as one would wish to
av-et Each and every member of the or
gar.izct.Gn seemed much pleased, and glad
to know thairfor a white, at least, the
no.-r buetie and clamor, evea of dear oW
Frk-co' would he left behind.
It was ia the golden Maimer time, and
Eii. nature was arrayed la her loveneet
four- and toilets. For to one who has
.eeti accustomed to the hot, sweltering
aajs and the warm and sultry nights of
tome of the large Eastern cities, with
their cloud-reaching buildings, a summer
,pent on the Pacific coast means to that
irdiudual peace, comfort and happiness.
The mad rush to the Klondike gold fields
was at Its height, and thousands of peo
ple were crowded in every seaport be
tween San Francisco and Seattle. Every
lotei and lodging-house was jammed fatt
f northcrn-tooond goldbuaters, who
ere waiting to ret passage on the heats.
jut, as a matter of fact, this was a dtffi-
u t task to accomplish, as every avair
cble space that would accommodate the
form of a man. on the steamers had been
so d weeks ahead, at a handsome price.
iruJ the goldeeekers' loss of time was
i business man's gain, as, naturally,
v y le waiting tor their chance to go north
Ci'-'y would spend money.
All Planned Oat.
Po this is how the proprietor and man
t f . r of the little dramatic company fig-
i d he could make a few dollars for
Hneelf. Ha would organise a ""snaa"
oupanj, as be called It, and play all the
e.ro-11 towns along the coast, as far sorts.
8 &agay, Alaska.
v?v,e are coming," he said, "from
e"r Prt of the universe, and will have
Tre t burn. After purchasing their
-ants' Nr the long, tedious and d'fficult
u-ney 0. the ioe and snow-capped
to un tains, ufcft while waiting for the boat,
r, rather, foeir chance to go, they will
aurally seek amusement at cheap prices,
nd I will get my share of the goldeeek-i-5
monej And, as there is no such
vrd as fall m my 'route-took,' I am
-n'ident .that 'Hays New Tork Theater
- mpany wlU do the banner business on
tne coast this season I am so sure of
i j cms that I have put every dollar that
I i s!eBs into my attraction, and I will be
ri to come out winner la the end."
" her j thing went well, for a time, and
t 1 Fhow seemed to be doing nicely.
I sfnoes was splendid, aad the muoii-
c 7 mired "man in white" appeared prompt -
' each week, dressed In his best suit of
otl.
v w r ge as it may appear, not a quarrel
b en recorded among the members as
- ' ngry words had not been heard
leihii g truly remarkable among an or-
, . asn. of Thespians aad it was
d and formed the subject of much
' rsayon, from the "heavy" man down
props." how each one of the oom-
" tried to outdo the other In making
" i 0'fi pleasant and agreeable. For, as
' j'ublic well knows, in many theatrical
n l anies it is a continuous series of
- j irreis and disagreements, from the com-
' ' ment of the season until the close.
A even then, it does not always cease.
I several well-remembered cases, the
n "iirs of . company kept up their blck--.
ii-s in the newspapers, after the at
" 1 1 .on had disbanded for the season and
t m the editors of the respective jour
tdls became disgusted and ended the war
1. words by refusing further "space."
Bright prospects and good business were
r t to last forever; clouds of adversity
s. gan to spread over the manager's horl
7 " things were not turning out so rosy
nu bright for himself as he had "booked"
' (Tn For some reason why, no one
- nd sa business began to faH off and.
: tht after night, the curtain would roll
t f" to nearly empty seats. Then, shortly,
" i man in white" was seen no more;
x arles were six weeks behind, and It
k -,3 known that the show could not hold
get her much longer, as the manager had
all the money he had put Into the
as ness He had no more, and what was
i worse, he could get no more, and it
e -ned as though fate itself had marked
-p. and bis people for punishment and
l "venter.
Trouble la Store.
Tifble was In store for the members
c ' he company, and they now wished that
v were hack again m 'Frteoo, even
T.li its noise, hustle and clamor. Still
' v did not complain, thinking and hop-
' the manager would get them back
nit in some way or other.
this they were doomed to disappoint
r r t One night, while they were play
as usual, to practically empty benches
' small village in the state of Washing-
, affairs reached a climax, and the
r ager realising, no doubt, that he had
nooked tho word "Fall" In his "route-
k, skipped out, with the few paltry
us that had been taken in at the
", Like the Arab, he sUently folded
1 i tent and stole away, leaving the
- mbers of, his company, without a .dol-
-w among- strangeM and far from their
run
vhen they learned that they had been
t penniless, a consultation was held
he pertormenB to determine what
uld be done. The)- had heretofore
t hered the season together, and they
v m to the conclusion that It would be
I er for all concerned to try to mam-
thelr organisation a little longer and
-, k their way back to San Francisco
-'os.Mble They had been playing stand-
- : crama in country-town halls all sum-
- , and now U wias close on to the hoU-
9eason ot the year Christmas time.
hough, as it appeared now, the day of
. od cheer" would not be one of happi-
r for the Mttle company of discouraged
1 ners
S ruggling along In the best way it
v..d the managertess troupe wandered
' m village to village and frost town to
t"Wn Just making enough In one place
o get to another. Try. however, as they
v. uld do what they would, rack was
ccainst the players; bnstness grew worse
vd worse, and. on Christmas eve, It
p med they must disband. One of the
nom'oens said: "tf we hold out a little
monger perhaps wa may get through,
somehow or othor." They all agreed with
Mm. and they became anxious to reach
the next Wand.
Their Trks Attaohed.
Having no msnsy with, whk to nay
their rallrooA tare, the only thing they
rould do whtt- to walk. In order to reach
tne next town. The landlord of the hotel
v here they had been staying, finding that
f le'i were nnanelally smbsrwisead, placed
v - attachment on their trunks and bag-
g ce for their board bill, wMoh they
uld not pay, and thus they were de-
ed of their wardrobe." The at-
hod property was stowed away down
the deep, dark cellar of the "Craay-
oe" hotel, the proprietor of which
1 been heard to remark that the "actor
--s' were a bad tot. and that If the
rtunlty presented Itself, they would
(heir trunks out of the house. He
,rt propose, he further declared, to
hem have their "city-made chaste,"
c . called the trunks, until they had
iated their board bul In full.
n hlnjc amunted, the little company
.d oat and, as the bells chimed
una day. they reached the next
where they intended giving a ner-
Tboy had planned, as they
-..ed aloof the railroad track, what
they would. Ho with lie njoney they wouRT
make during the holiday week, thinking
that they could soon square up their I
debts and sgnd Tor, the baggage that 'had.
been attached. "IThon," said the comediao.
"we'll be playlngon velvet, and it we are
moneyless and wear patched clothes, we
may have a streak of good" luck, after all,
aad have the stereotyped regulation run
of "one hundred and fifty nights"; do a
banner business and be compelled to
hanp out the !S. R. O.' sign every night,
at 8:3. Then we won't do a thing, Eee?
Just be living on Easy street"
Arrived at the town the 'members of the
company started immediately to find a
hall where they could give a performance.
But their hopes were speedily shattered,
for the "marshal" of the village, who
was neither courteous, civil or even, for
that matter, oolite, rudely informed them, I
In bis pompous, Chesterfieldlan way, that 1 and yet it is not so far from the days in
aa ordinance had been recently enacted which we watched for the groundhog and
by the town council which provided, fop stirrm& fr0m his nap, and his excur
the payment of a theatrical license fee of . .,, Wo ,,, , , .,ii.i
m, and then, as if wishing to make them slon ; fr 0In ?s burrow " the speculation
feel as miserable as possible, he ook it as to "whether he has been his shadow
on himself to say that the law had been
passed for the sole purpose of driving oat
"cheap, poor actors." A performance
could not be thought of. There was not
$W among the company, and to even think
of trying to raise the amount of, the license
fee, was well. It was entirely out of the
question.
Shelter Denied Them. .
A terrific snow storm had set In; and
the comedian volunteered to go and see
the proprietor of the only hotel in the
place, and ask if ho would allow the com
pany to remain over night at his house.
His mission, however, was In vain, to all
his entreaties the landlord turning a deaf
ear; it was, therefore, with a sad heart
that he returned to the little crowd of
brother performers and told them of his
unsuccessful mission. As the large snow
flakes swiftly, yet softly, fell, they seemed
to command sllende, for not a word was
uttered by the players for a few min
utes. Perhaps they realized that It was
Christmas day and were thinking of the
dear ones, far away.
Think of this. On Christmas day, when
kindness and charity are supposed to rule
the hour and "do unto others" Is the
golden rule, to be denied shelter, food, or
a place to lay your weary jiead; to
be turned out in the midst of one of the
most terrific snow storms in the memory
of the 'oldest inhabitant on the Pacific
coast!
The kind-hearted agent at the little
railroad station invited the band of play
ers to come into the "waiting-room" and
stay the night. He would, he said, keep
up a warm fire for them, and he told them
furthermore that he was only sorry he
could not give them free transportation
to their homes; but it was not in his pow
er to do so, either officially or financially.
Still, they were more than welcome to
sit in the depot, keep warm and make
themselves as comfortable as possible.
The players held another consultation,
and it was determined to take the road
that night for the next town, which was
W miles distant. "When they made their 1
intentions known to the agent he insisted
that they were foosh to undertake It,
as they never could reach tholr destina
tion in the teeth of tne fearful storm
that was now raging.
But they could not remain there. So,
out into the bleak storm they went, dis
couraged, hungry and footsore. They
were just passing the brilliantly lighted
church, which was decorated with beauti
ful flowers, potted plants and colored
lights, in tribute to him, of whom it is
said, "loves even you" a seeming hollow
mockery to this little band of stranded
actors when suddenly, with a cry of
misery and despair, the "heavy" man,
faint with exhaustion, worn out from ex
posure and privation, fell at the costly,
stained-glass door of the church.
His companions went to his assistance
and tried to help him to his feet; but,
alas, it was of no avail, for in the soft,
pale light, streaming through those grand,
arched windows, out on the spotless snow,
his life was ebbing fast, and this filled
his comrades' cup full of bitterness and
sorrow to the brim.
"Peace and Good Will."
Inside the choir sang fervently, "Peace
and Good "Will Towards Men," the while
the dying man's thoughts traveled to a
cheerless tenement-room on a side street
in far away San Francisco, where he knew
a woman and two little children were
hungry this Christmas night, end he
imagined he heard the little ones say:
"Oh, mamma, If papa was here, we would
have candy and toys, like the other little
boys and girls, wouldn't we, mamma?"
And then the mother's sad reply: "Your
father is working to send you some."
"Gan you come on with us, Frank?"
asked the comedian, In a trembling voice.
"No, boys; my end Is near. I tried to
stay with you, but I could go no farther.
The curtain of life will soon fall on me,
rung down by nature's stage manager,
who rules us all. If you ever reach 'Fris
co, tell Mary, my wife, that I said good
bye to her and the children; tell the
babies to be good. That's all boys I am
sleepy" He was dead.
The sM-mon -was over, the closing prayer
Was said Trtjtle heads were bowed;
On the steps outside, a form lay still,
"With a snow-drift for a ahroud.
Tor a "white-winged'' angel, with icy breath,
Had wMepered "Come with me!"
To a land where stranded actors rest
And they charge no license fee."
The news of the sudden death of one of
the "actor" men spread rapidly over the
small town, and it seemed as If the na
thetlc occurrence had softened the hearts
of the citizens, for they provided a place
for the remainder of the company to
sleep and eat, and showered kindnesses
and heartfelt sympathy upon them. A
benefit was tendered them by the towns
people, and it proved a golden harvest
The entire receipts were handed to the
company, thus enabling its members to
send the remains of their dead brother
performer to San Francisco for burial, re
cover their trunks and procure their rail
way passage home. L.UE VERNON.
Had Hnd Enough of It.
Two miners from Cape Nome wandered
into a mission chapel ana had just seated
themselves, when the choir, composed of
any and all who would join In, commenced
to sing the old hymn, "There Is a foun
tain" "Come on, B1U," said one of the min
ers; "let's get out of here. These folks
are going to sing about the blasted pen
filled with ink that we could not use last
winter. Let's get out" And they went
' P .
Stlff-Xeckcd Fowl.
Stranger in Portland By gosh, the barn
yard fowls are much stronger out here
than they be back in Kansas.
"How so?" asked a resident of Portland.
"Well," said the granger from the corn
state, "you fellers out here use them in
building wagons, by crickets! See there!
That feller has a wagon, and he.just told
me that the bed of It was fastened to the
front axle with a 'gooseneck.' "We have
healthy fowls in Kansas, but by gum.
J they are not near as strong."
SPRING ATTIRE TOR MEN
DAMB' FASH10IS PRESCRIBES -FOR-J
THE LORDS OF CREATION.
"Wliat to Wear and What Jfot to "Wear,
v If Yoa Aspire to Be Quite Al
together In the Vogue.
At first glance It seems rather absurd
to talk about spring fashions, when one
is getting his first taste of real winter.
The February thaw is hardly at hand;
or not. Be this as it may, fashions her
aid seasons and already the shops are
filled with promises of spring.
In writing about men's attire, the points
are comparatively-few. Just now thero
are the spring shirtings. The colored
shirt Is one of those articles which has
oome to stay. In the fashions for spring
there Is hardly any difference In the cut
or the style. The cuffs are attached,
even in the cheap grades, and they are
FIRST SNOW Of
STORY OF A SLEIGH RIDE,
round and narrow. There are always two
button-holes in the bosom, and all shirt3
open in front, and you see very few which
employ the screw stud. Thes, of course,
are hot in fashion.
Much ingenuity and even artistic tal
ent have been employed In the various
patterns and mingling of colors and shades
for the spring shirtings. One dealer
shows a delicate blue, with the very faint
est of stripes, runhlng up and down, of
a darker shade. Around these are en
twined a delicate tracery of vines, with
tiny flowers, all In the 'same shade. These
are also in lavenders and faint pinks.
There Is something decidedly "summery"
In this pattern. The collars are attached
or detached. The all-around turn-down
is almost generally in use for these col
ored shirts. They are narrow and about
214 inches In height. The corners are
rounded.
Stripes Everywhere.
Another favorite pattern is stripes quite
wide and running up and down on a white
ground. These are in pinks and blues
end lavenders. The old rose shades are
also very popular, and another dealer
shows a pink shirt, with wide stripes of
old rose running across the bosom. In
fact, there are stripes everywhere. It is
difficult to say which will be the most
fashionable, as at one shop on Fifth ave
nue the patterns all run up and down,
and at another they run across, and these
two places are within a half block of
each other.
Pinks and reds thero are In abundance.
Blues and lavenders are next, but the
old shades are seldom seen. One new
dealer who has opened a shop o.n the Ave
nue Is showing shirts in madder and
dark browns, on which are fleurs de lis
in green and red, or large figures which
look something like great Interrogation
marks, and again like vast microbes.
These shirts he is evidently closing out,
aa ho had them labeled $2. He has also
In tho same case shirts of bright red
flannel, with white linen cuffs and all
around white linen collars attached. They
are for traveling and for tho sea, 'and
they look comfortable, but. they must be
the despair of the laundress.
Tho ties are In many cases following
the shirts In color and pattern. The silk
and cotton and madras ties, to be mado
into little bows, will be again In favor,and
pinks, lavenders and blues will be worn
a great deal. For tho heavier materials,
It looks as If there would be a revival
of the white pique four-in-hand and the
white linen or marsellles Ascot. These
seldom go absolutely out of fashion, and
they always look very neat and seasonable
in tho first days of spring.
Tics Made to Order.
Just now the last ties brought over from
England In Ascot and four-ln-hand shapes
are either in black figured silks, .or in
dark greens and blacks, with small de
signs In reds, or dark bluo with purple de
signs, or black with purple flowers. All
thes designs are very small, and are prin
cipally in the shape of little crosses or
circles or small blossoms. The higher
price shops import these squares of silk,
and sell you one for ?5. -From this they
make to order two ties, an Ascot and
a four-in-hand, and In some there Is
even remnant enough left for a club or
bow tie Thus you have your own selec
tion, with the comforting assurance that
It will be difficult to find another exactly
like it.
None of these squares, which are many
in design, are exactly similar,
The same
Idea prevails at tho higher-priced tai
lors, and they sell you a bolt of cloth,
with just enough goods for one suit. You
might Imagine that you would be able
to get at another tailor's the same pat
tern and material, but you will be mis
taken. Let one of the garments wear
out or become torn, and you will have
groat difficulty "in matching It As trous-
IMPERVIOUS TO
ARMORED MOTOR WAR CAR WHICH CAN" GO ACROSS COUNTRY.
The latest of man's devices for destroying his fellows in warfare, says the New York Herald, Is the armored motor war car. Its Inventor
la Frederick K. Stoma, of London, Kngland, and he has just been granted letters patent on his car In this country.
The war oar la unique In many ways. It differs from the armored trains which have been used by the British in their war upon the
Boets. Ia that It is built to run anywhere. Its lntentor claims for It tho ability to follow rough roads, or to run across country, If neces
sary. The armored railway train, betas confined In its motions to following a narrow railway track, Is necessarily used In defensive fight
ing only. Not to the motor car.
Mr. Shams has fitted up his car with a couple of revolving turrets. These are protected after the same fashion as are the turrets aboard
sMp, with-strong attel plates. Inside each turret s-lts a man who alms and fires a rapid-flripg cannon or Gatllns gun. Below and within the
boeona of thte armored land oruleer are men whose duty It la to pass ammunition up to the gunter. The war car Is shaped much after the
fashion of a cigar. Its sides are of strong- eteel and are rounded for the better deflection of an enemy's bullets and ehellst They are so Ihlk,
however, that the ordinary bullet would not penetrate them. In fact the only thing that the occupants of the car have to fear is the fire
from an enemy's cannon. A ehell bursting above the car might disable It and one bursting below might overturn It A aolld shot at short
range, which struck the car square in the middle would probably penetrate Its side; otherwise it would be deflected.
ers often wear out first, men have been
known to have a large collection of coats
and waistcoats.
The handkerchief 'of the year Is of fine
linen, with a narrow border. It is, of
course, white. -The colored handkerchief
has never been very fashionable in New
York. Tou see it in Paris, but seldom
in this country.
For evening dinner ties to wear with the
I dinner coat, the soft black- silks will be
the most worn. Many of these are fig
ured and a very loose bow Is made. The
Idea of negligee or mufti, as the Eng
lishman would call It, must prevail with
the dinner coat.' Mr. Harry Lehr wore
last autumn at the Hot Springs a Tuxedo
or dinner coat in the evening, and with
it no waistcoat and a long black silk
four-in-hand, tied in a loose saildr knot.
This Is a bit out of the ordinary. Mr.
Xiehr sometimes affects fashions, of this
kind, and this winter he hasran overcoat
of black melton, with collars and cuffs
of astrakhan. So far the cloths for
spring- suits' will be in grays and checked
goods.
Brown Out of Favor.
Grays and grayish greens and mixtures'
will prevail. Brown Is out of favor for
the present. Tfhts are all more or less
neutral. In evening dress there should
be but, one standard, but the Frenchman
will wear plaited and flowered shirt bos
oms. The Count de Castellane has very
ornate linen, and he has discarded-the tall
straight collar, and wears In Its place the '
THE SEASON.
WITHOUT WORDS.
old-fashioned rather low standing collar,
with the ends turned down In points.
At a recent ball, where there was more
or less mingling of sets, there were some
extraordinary variations in evening
clothes. "White waistcoats with long points
were seen, and. three .mfin had Jeweled
fobs, which are very much out of fashion
and quite unnecessary. The single-breasted
white waistcoat Is much In vogue for
evening wear, but the mixture of white
waistcoats and black ties Is deplorable.
The evening tie, which will not change
this spring, Is of moderate width and Is
tied In a square, firm bow. It Is un
starched. The little narrow white ties
are as much out of fashion as the great
wide artistic affairs. Two buttons and
not three should bo the proper arrange
ments for the evening shirt, and never
under any consideration jeweled studs,
and least ,of all turquols. Rather one
great diamond screw stud like a head
light, If you. Intend to relapse Into vul
garity. "White gloves for evening wear
should not be stitched with black.
The spring will bring a few changes,
but these rules for the present are Im
mutable. New York Times.
Oregon, My Oregon.
Tune: "Maryland, My Maryland," ,
Land of the "West, I sins of thee,
Oregon, My Oregon;
Thy sea-washed shores aro dear to me,
Oregon, My Ortgom;
From Blanco Cape to Idaho
Thy wondrous soil andt climate show
A land where wealth and beauty grow,
Oregon, My Oregon.
Thy mighty rivers onward flow,
Oregon, My Oregon;
Their banks in green and gold aglow,
Oregon, My Oregon;
Tho mighty ships for ocean bound
Bear treasures in thy bosom found
Thou queen of states, thou favored ground,
. Oregon, My Oregon.
Thy famous farms of golden grain,
, Oregon, My Oregon; ,
Inspire our eong with loud) refrain,,
Oregon, My Oregon;
In "VTestern vale, on teastenn plain.
Thy unsurpassed returns maintain
Thee, Eden of this vast domain,
Oregon, My "Oregon.
Eternal snows thy summits crown, t
Oregon, My Oregon;
Thou land of beauty and: renown, ,
Oregon, My Oregon;
Those heights sublime, in twilight hue,
"With raptured soul I pause to view
OI could I pay the homage duo
Oregon, My Oregon.
Thy winding shores of foresta grand,
Oregon, My Oregon:
And mince of wealth on every hand,
Oregon, My Oregon;
Jj&aA all to sing with loving zest,
From North to South, from East to West
How nobly are thy children blest,
Oregon, My Oregon.
But there's a wealth that can't be told,
Oregon, My Oregon;
Thy veins ot gold are hard and cold,
Oregon, My Oregon;
True loviner hearts the treasures hold,
Unfettered minds a wealth unfold.
Surpassing, far, thy weight in gold,
Oregon, My Oregon.
Wo print the above song by the request of H.
W. Youmano. Tho eong was composed by Mr.
Youmans while he was confined in the Jail, In
! Albany, last week. Mr. Youmans is traveling
through the country putting In acetylene ligr.t-
lng plants; and becoming short of funds, at
! tempted to sell same books and" walrfips wWVi
I he had taken In exchange, when he was ar-
i rested for peddling without a license, and re-
fusfng to pay his fine was thrown Into Jail
from last Friday till Tuesday of this week.
People's Press.
I B
Wow!
The pelting sun moves toward the West,
And nature's peace stills all unrest;
Should that sun take a backward flight,
"We wouldn't sleep a wlnK tonight.
Chicago Record.
ANY MISSILE BUT CANNON
ASSUMES HER FIRST PART
FA3D3 GTTKS SORRY GREETING TO A
STAGE-ASPntlXG AMSEX.
Scrlo-Comlc Pilsrrimagre of "Fearful
iBuyer" Company Winds Up la
Irretrievable Disaster.
Oh, the life of an actor Is a happy one.
So free from ev'ry care;
A life as bright as summer's sua,
A life I long to share.
While In San Francisco some months ago
I received a letter from a young lady ac
quaintance asking me If I could not secure
her a position on the stage. She was will
ing, she said, to play any kind of a small
part to make a beginning, and wasn't a
bit particular .about salary Rn fact, she
was so amazingly ambitious that she
wouldn't mind paying her own expenses
for awhile, so long as she couldga!n ex
perience. Of course I paid but little atten
tion to the letter, because I was pretty
well occupied just then In getting myself
a "position on the stage," and, besides, I
didn't really care to encourage young and
unsophisticated histrionic aspirants.
"Well, the young woman, came to San
Francisco, and fortunately (or unfortun
ately) secured a place with the "Fearful
Buyer" comedy company, with which I
had already signed." She was cast to play
quite an Important part In the comedy, be
cause she had some money which she
loaned the manager, and besides site paid all
her own expenses and didn't draw any sal
ary. I mention these little incidentals, as
they generally qut considerable ice with
any manager who risks his reputation by
putting new people in the business by
this I mean, initiating an Inexperienced per
son In the "art of how to learn to act.-'
Tha manager of the "Fearful Buyer"
company didn't have so much knowledge
of the business that he could afford to give
any of it away, still he knew enough to-
! keep his weather eye open for people who
were looking for experience, and had
enough money to pay for it He explained
to us that many years ago he had man
aged a theater of his own, back East some
where, and subsequently went into the
mushroom and artichoke business. I don't
know to this day what he meant by "oub
sequently going in for mushrooms and arti
chokes," but at the time I thought it was
all right.
On the Road.
Anyhow, we started in to rehearse "The
Fearful Buyer," and in the course of a
couple of weeks went on the road. I don't
mean that wo started to? walk right on the
jump, but In the vernacular of the actor,
"going on the road" signifies that a railway
passenger train is taken the real Walking
part comes later that Is, It generally
comes when the manager goes and leaves
his company behind.
"We opened In Redwood City, Cal., to
what the newspaper reporter called a "big
house," and so far as the, house was con
cerned we had no kick coming. It was
plenty big enough, but I, believe, in a
pinch. It could have held more people
than It did the night we opened there.
Among several of the notable events which
marked our appearance was the scarcity
of eggs. Eggs are something of a rarity
In that portion of the country, but clams
appear to thrive In abundance, so we took
the clams Instead of eggs.
After the performance Miss FItte, the
young woman who wanted experience,
asked me If all audiences were so wildly
demonstrative as those in Redwood.' As
she was inexperienced, I explained to her
that later on we would, no doubt, find
them simply wild, without the demOnstra
tlveness, and the very next town proved
the truth of my statement. They did go
wild, Not because the performance was
so good, but rather on the contrary. And
for several towns after that they were
wild until finally our manager decided to
return to the starting point and strengthen
the company preparatory to a trip north.
This meant that Miss FItte would have to
separate herself from the rest of her bank
account, a thing she cheerfully consented
to do, when the manager promised that,
In future, all her expenses should be paid,
and that If anything was left over out of
the general funds she would also receive
a little salary. At this rate, of course,
thero wasn't really much in It for Miss
FItte, but she seemed Immensely happy,
and, besides, what difference did it make?
She wanted experience, and she was get
ting it we all get experience, and we have
to pay for it, too.
They Start Again.
"Well, we left San Francisco the second
time with some additional features in our
' company, and struck north.
The first
place we landed at was a town called "Whi
tens, in California, and I'm telling the truth
when I say that we met with a frost; the
town did not belle Its name. They didn't
go wild there; on the contrary, they were
very quiet but most distressingly em
phatic, and well, we let town very early
the next morning and made a long detour
over to Chlco. Nothing of..ny particular
note occurred fn vnico, because It rained
SHOT OR SHELL
so hard thaf we decided not to show.
From Chlco we went to Red Bluff, where:
we were billed for two nights, but owing to
a lack of appreciation on the part of the
audience we oiny played one night Sev
eral members of the company were obliged
to leave their laundry in Red Bhiff, as we
left town In such a hurry that they didn't
have time to take it out I have 'since
learned, however, that the hotel man took
the wash in charge for safe keeping, but
whether that Is the only charge on it or
not I am. unable to state.
From Red Bluff our manager skle
traoked us into a little mining place
called Keswick. Keswiek is stuck on top
of a mountain, and as the Southern Pa
cific wasn't running trains up there, we
had to walk. The distance from the depot
to Keswick is about two miles, straight up
hill and over a road that hasn't as yet re
ceived the attentions of an asphaltum con
tractor. It crossed a creek in, several
places, and' at times was so steep that it
actually leaned toward us. But we strug
gled along and had nearly reached the top,
when Miss Fitte slipped on an Ice cake and
fell into the creek. It was then that she
first began to show signs of getting cold
feet Not so much that she wanted a fire
to warm them, but in a theatrical sense of
the word, she was becoming- tired of a
good thing and wa3 beginning to realize
that the actor's life Is not entirely a bed
of roses. And we all well understood that
If Miss FItte took a notion to get tired the
show would go up against it. so it be
hooved each of us to do a little footwarm
lng, so to speak. In the way of jollying.
Pipe-Dreams.
We told her a fairy-story about Edwin
Booth having; walked from Reno to Vir
ginia City, In tho dead of winter, when
the weather wa3 sq cold that It fro2e
two -of his toes;, that a little thing hke
that didn't bother him though, and that
he kept right on acting and became great.
A few more pipe-dreams like this, and
the day was saved. Miss Fitte again per
spired. I mean aspired. And the show
continued for the time being. f'
"When we finally reached Keswick, It"
was quite late at night, so we did not
show. The next morning we learned that
the town boasted of no opera-house not
even a hall of any klnd-and the best we
could get was an empty stare. "We took
the store, gave the performance to a
large and really delighted audience and
left the place with the hearty good wishes
of everybody. Keswiek, you see, had
never had a show before, so I guess they
were ready for anything that came along.
Our next stand was in Oregon, and
when the train bore us over the state line
from California into the land of the
"webfoot," we all cheered and wished the
merry natives a happy New Year, because
It so happened on New Tear's day that
we passed from the one state into the
other. It's a funny thing how actors will
always yell and holler when they pass a
stato line. And after they've passed It,
they'll roast the state they Just left and
sing the praise of the one they are going
into.
Ashland .was our first stand in Oregon,
and we played there two nights. Just how
we did It, I can't explain, but I dare say
that If It had not been for Miss FIkte'3
bank account, we wouldn't have lasted a
minute. The show was roasted to a beau
tiful brown the first night, and the second
night there were hardly enough people
present to pay the light bill. After Ash
land we played a number of other Oregon
towns, with more or less Jndiff erent suc
cess, and this state of indifference soon
began to tell on the regularity of sala
ries, which our manaeer began handing
out.on the Installment plan.
Very Annoying-.
Now, If thero Is one thing that worries
the actor more than another, it is when
his salary comes to him In sections. "When
this condition of affairs exists, the man
ager will generally call the more Import
ant members of his company aside and
ask them Individually If they "can't get
along on a dollar or two for a couple of
days, when business will pick up and
matters can be squared." The less im
portant members are hustled together in
a- bunch 'and each handed a dime, or a
quarter, with the warping not to spend it
foolishly on laundry, shaves or haircuts,
because there's no telling when the next
money will come, or where it will come
from.
All these things superinduced another
case of cold feet on the part of Miss FItte,
and, In a fit of despondency she told me
that she was sorry she had ever gone on
the stage and only Intended to continue
long enough to get the money back which
she had loaned the manager.
Poor girl; I really felt sorry for her. I
could see her finish getting any money
back that had been sunk in that show.
I had just such an experience as this Once
before, and I fully realized that It wasn't
a case of getting any money back, but a
case of getting the company back from
where they started. But the milk had
been spilled and there was no use crying
over It. "We had a week's engagement in
Portland, 'which we expected would pull
us out of the hole and again 'send us on
our way rejoicing.
But, alas! such hopes were not to bear
fruit "We, only played one night in Port
land, and 'all because the opinions of the
audience present were of such a conflict
ing nature regarding our good and bad
qualities that the local manager decided
to close us then and there.
The Last Straw.
And this .was the fatal straw that broke
the camel's back; It had been our last
hope, that Portland engagement, and to
snatch it from us was like dismasting a
storm-tossed ship at sea, as she fast ap
proaches the cruel rocks upon which she
Is eventually cast, a total wreck.
There before us (speaking In a theatri
cal sense, of course) we saw those same
cruel rocks upon which we knew our poor
bark, hopeless and helpless, was soon to
strand. Dismantled and dismasted, with
no helping hand to give us succor, we
but, pshaw! what's the use In getting sen
timental? "We plainly saw our finish, and
that's all there Is to It The "cruel rocks"
I just mentioned bobbed up serenely in
the placid waters of the Columbia river
at The Dalles, and on them we stranded
high and dry. Some ot the members are
still there, I believe, trying to reconstruct
the wreck and give an amateur perform
ance for the benefit of the "Breakbeam
and Good-Natured Brakeman's" fund.
Tho rest of us came back to Portland,
where a select few expect to spend the
summer.
Our manager has gone back to his mush
rooms and artrchok&s, and Miss FItte
went home, poorer in pocket, but with ex
perience to burn. As we parted, she
handed me a revised edition of the
poem, "The Life of an Aotor Is a Happy'
One," and of which the first four lines
are as follows:
The actor's life, I, fear, 1-s sad;
"Tie one of trials and- rears,
"With landlords, breakbeams and the like
To fill his mind with fears.
MAX STBINLE.
P. S. The balance of this poetry is in
my possession and can be had by per
sonal applioatlon. Accompanied with slow
music It" would make a first-class declam
atory piece for Fourth of July open-air
exercises. M. S.
Two Kinds of Coal.
"What," asked the -teacher, "does an
thracite mean?"
"That's a kind Of coal," said Mttle Wil
lie. "Yes. Anthracite coal Is what we call
hard coal. So anthracite must mean bard.
Now can you tell me what bituminous
means?"
"That's coal, too," Willie replied.
"But it isn't the same kind of coal that
anthracite is. Is it? Bituminous coal Is
what we commonly refer to as soft coal.
Now, Willie, let us see If you can form a
sentence containing the words anthracite
and bituminous."
Willie thought the matter over for a
minute and then said:
"Here's one. This morning- before pa
started downtown, ma wanted 95 for gro
ceries and things, and she tried to get it
by saying bituminous words, but pa gave
her an anthracite look, and when he dis
appeared around the corner she was weep
ing bltunoinously." Chlcagg Times-Herald.
FINGER IMPLICATION
PASTTttE TCSD BY MAfXpBCAtX3CIAX
TO TEACH AlUTHatKEKX,
Digital Sxerolsem In, Fellah- Pnblle
Sohools Carried late Mangr Oa-
'xleas CemhlnatloBS.
The boys aad girls In the. seheote of
Poland are itaoght a method of umltfrM
cathm'by the um of Uw nutans. It Is
said that the little people find Jt amok
mora. Interesting than studying a my
multiplication tables. This mthad is
used In multiplying nunbws above S;
below that, the children eoauatt to mem
ory the few short tables mcewmry. That
they may learn the finger pro owe read
ily, in the begtanrae- the nonthara ara
written with pencil on the flngT-aaits.
The method Is as follows:
The thumb represents g the ftrst finger
X the middle finger the next 9, sad the
little finger la.
To multiply any of those nmnntca the
(fingers that represent (he nraNtpWer and
rauitipiicaiKi, or numaers te toe atnWHiMud,
bra piaeed together, as llhiatratuC
Sx.
For example, to multiply 3 by 9, tha
fourth finger of the left hand Coownttng
always the thumb as the first finger) and
the third finger of the right hand aro
placed tip to tip. Counting these two
flngT3 thus joined with those above, on
both hands, ttfero are 7; add a eipher
kand you have 7a, Below those. 7 fingers
there are 2 on the right hand and X on
the left; multiplgrma- one by the other
2x1 equals 2. Adding this 2 to H, tho
first result obtained, yon bav 72, tha
product of 9 and S.
7x8.
The second illustration, Mowing the
multiplying of 7 by 9. may bo clearly
seen. Joining the second fingor of the
right hand to the fourth of the lalt and
counting these two with these above
there are 8; adding a cipher da, Below
there are 3 on one hand and 1 on the
other; $cl equals 3, whleh, added te tho
60, equals 88, or 7x.
6x.
Multiplying S by 8 with the joining of
the thumbs works oat as follows: Adding
the thumbs, being no fingers above 2;
with cipher, 3, Multiplying the fingers
below, 4x4 equals 18, added to 38 equals 38,
or 8x6.
Any of these nunthers represented on
the fingers can be multiplied m this way
with always perfect results.
13x14.
A somewhat hnlhu- process ean be used
with higher numbers, the thumb repre
senting 11, and so on. In ths ease there
is a change In the latter part of the
operation, and MO Is always added to the
final result
To multiply 13 by 14, place the fingers
representing those numbers together (the
third on the right hand, and the fourth
on the left). As before, add the upper
fingers; Including the two that touch,
there are 7; with cipher, 70. Now mul
tiply the same fingers that were just
added, that is the 4 and 3 npeer fingers
that were added to make the 7 are now
used again and multiplied 1x3 equals 13.
This 12, with the 78, makes 93, and, add
ing the 108, the final result is MB, or 13
times 14.
Any number from 11 to IS multiplied in
this way will give correct results, as In
the case of the smaller numbers.
This finger multiplication was invented
by Procopovitch, a Polish mathematician,
who carries his method Into many and
much more difficult combinations. Jean
Ely, in New York- Tribune.
Sno-w JHst Plain "Show."
The snow, the heaatifal seew,
Happy we are to a the aamr toma;
It eevexa the agly apote bwb hate fcehw
And makes them rooomMn smm waKci Fairy's
home.
It oHngs to pedestrians ent m the stem
And kfeeea the cbedfeo of the fteenttttH girls;
It whirls aad It daneeo m nuiUotfc term.
As'hKfcer aad thither tt. netdty wMrfe.
With fleeey whne trimming It eovew the trees
Aad roeee Mother Berth, fa a nearaneg wmu
gowa.
While still It eesaes eanetaig; this keaetttal
fleeoe,
Merrhy dsaetog and getiwlag dwra.
But while I am writing tMs itrMiy wrtreta.
The -wind ver0 arame to amtth of smtaeeat.
The eowflaks give pteee te the ftMe-felttag
.raiB,
Aad dees It hnerave tbtgs7 Oa, et to tha
least
The anew fans frem the Met wttk a aiehenmg
The patters ara choked wttk a eHrty brews
stfwus:
The reads are transformed btto itvecs of ants'.
And heenttfut snow le a. ueuul ena,
"John." la the PMtodefnhta. hutwtrer.
e
Senator Mantle' Sweethearti
Bx-Senater Lee Mantle, of Montana,
managed the Inter-Mftontaln- newenaper
for a time In Butte City, before ne was
elected to the United Statot senate.
Mr. Mantle, who Is a bachelor, and re
garded as a matrimonial "eaten." much
surprised society recently hi Montana,
when he referred to his "sweetheart."
He was plied with queodenu about the
identity of the lucky woman, but tor some
time dodged an answer. At hurt, how
ever, be replied:
"She is not pretty; she's beautiful,"
and finally, hie face growing tender, he
added, "and she fcr not veay young, some
where between and M. My sweetheart
is ray mother."
9
Words, Mere "Word I
"The very spot oa winch ye stand,"
He said, "to eear to nte!"
He &eia the gentle wnloWs hasfl
Aad preseedt It lovhtgiy.
011 C lOOlCCO TJ k JH0 63Mf,b&f AMHP6V
Her sigh a sigh or two.
Aad heaven, though see seeks xe word,
Was opened to hto vtow.
"Ah, yes, the spot beneath year feet
le dear to toe." he erfed
"The place a which yon otsad fa pweet
By yW'tfe eanetUto'
snt& 9tJpiJifc 80BSB sHlT WS flw 0PMW
WltteBut tne tost ade,
The iofronwhfen they tottered to olio
Aad both of them went through!
Cbtoafo TbnoB Morale.
4ii
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