THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN. PORTLAND. MAY 11, 1913.
3
Beautiful
Lord William Victor Paget
is the brother of the Marquis of
Anglesey, and is heir presump
tive to his wealth and to alt his
manv titles.
He is a young man, bom in
1889; is wealthy m his own
right, having built up a profit'
able broherase business in Fleet
street, London, with branches
in all the large English cities.
He is an art connoisseur and
possesses a rare collection of
oils, etchings and water colors.
He is a member of the Carl
ton. Army and Navy, Badmin
ton, Savage, Royal Thames
Yacht, Marlborough, St.
James, Crosvenor, United Serv
ice and Royal Yacht Squadron
clubs.
His sisters are Winifred Con
stance Hester, Viscountess of
lngeslre, the Viscount being Ac
heir to the Shrewsbury Earl
dom; Beatrice Eleanor, who
married Lord Herbert, heir to
the Earldom of Pembrofa
1904.
When
mony,
PAIR of nimble feet, encased in
the daintiest of -satin slippers,
kicked Miss Olive May. an Eng
lish chorus girl, known, as one of the
most beautiful women in London, from
the ranks of the "Merry-Merry" at the
Gaiety Theater into tho peerage.
.Mism May until a few weeks ago was
one of tho regular girls in the chorus
of the London Gaiety Company, and.
despite her lowly position, had already
attracted more than ordinary attention
and had been the means of swelling
the boy office receipts of that place of
amusement.
A -few weeks ago she became Lady
Paget, the wife of Lord William Victor
Paget, 'a wealthy broker of Fleet street,
and heir presumptive to the Immense
wealth of the Marquis of Anglesea.
From the day Olive May first Joined
the chorus ranks of George Edwardes'
company, seven years ago, sne attract
ed the attention of artists and others
on account of her uncommon beauty
of the distinctive British type, and it
was not long before the leading weak-
lies were vying with each other for the
privilege of adorning their covers with
her picture.
Artists and sculptors sought her out
aa a model, but Miss May felt that her
ambition didn't permit of wasting her
time as a sleeping -beauty. Desirous of
emulating Lottie Collins, of "Ta-Ra
Ra Boom De-Ay" fame, and Florence
St. John, who became Mrs. George Ed
wardes. she undertook to "do things.'
Both of these women had graduated
from the Gaiety chorus, but as Miss
Mav Dut It recently, 'they never at
tained their fame by posing as pretty
wax dolls." and accordingly she looked
for some means or ideas to stand out
in the limelight. ' t
Her beauty attracted the men, but
having once satisfied, their eyes in ad
miring the new Gaiety beauty their In
terest lagged.
Popular both before and behind the
curtain. Miss May was accorded prlvl
leges not given to her less favorite
sisters of the chorus, and she decided
to take advantage of her opportunities,
so one evening when one of the prin
cipals through illness failed to give
her number the present Lady Paget
volunteered to "fill in," as she had un
derstudied the principal in question.
. AppUdm From Lord Pa Bet.
Instead of following the Ideas of the
absent one, she- felt that her one real
chance had arrived and she decided to
make the most of it, whether it might
represent success or dismissal.
Between acts she requested the or
chestra leader to play a certain piece
of music when it came her turn to ap
pear in place of the indisposed prin
cipal. The managament and critics
stood In front while the stage man
ager and principals filled the -wings
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No," Sie Said to the Sculptors and the Painters Who Would
Make Her Name Immortal as a u Perfect British Type But
Handsome Lord Victor Paget Came Along Offering Matri
Well9 Here's What Happened: They Got Married Quick!
waiting to see how the understudy
would compare with the principal.
The cue given, Instead of a nervous,
demure' chorus girl quietly making her
entrance, there raced down the stage
a whirlwind of femininity, lacy frills
and multi-hued lingeries dancing all
about her, and with the self-confidence
and abandon of & popular prima baller
ina she executed an original dance that
combined about all the features from
the pas seul to -the mazy, swirling ef
fects of the serpentine "dance.
To be sure of pleasing all tastes she
introduced the high ticking that made
Lottie Collins famous and is now so
popular at the Moulin,Rouge in Paris.
Steps that wavered between ragtime
and minuet numbers were worked in
with such harmony of motion that no
one suspected the new number was not
one that had been rehearsed for weeks.
Refuted Check, Took Title.
A silence fell over the audience, then
a murmur of approval, then a storm
of applause broke out such as had not
been heard within the Gaiety in years.
In that storm of applause the chorus
girl heard the answer she had sought.
In a stage box sa( Lord Paget, and
he was loudest of ail her admirers in
his handclapping.
Within 24 hours her fame had spread
to the limits of London, and the name
of Olive May was on ail lips; the
dance, which she styled "La Dan6e Po-
Hchinelle," was the current subject of
conversation among theatergoers.
After the matinee and night perform
ances Aldwych Circle took on the ap
pearance of a Johnnies convention, but
Miss May had little time or Inclina
tion for this type of stage-door fix
ature.
Lord Paget invited her to an enter
tainment that he was giving at Clar
ldge's, and privately her endeavors met
with as great favor as in public. After
her" performance her present husband
tendered Miss May a check for a con
siderable amount for her services, but
this she returned "to him with the sug
gestion that she had rather have his
friendship than his check.
That was the start of It. The rest
was a short story that culminated a
few days back in a little chapel in the
East End, where the Gaiety girl en
tered as Miss Olive May and left as
Lady Paget.
In her career at the Gaiety Theater
she has appeared in such successes as
"Two Naughty oBys," "Miss Aladdin"
and "The Girls of Gothenberg." In the
latter she was seen In New York dur
ing the season of 1908-09, when it was
produced by the London Gaiety Com
pany at the Broadway Theater.
Miss May has retired from the stage
and henceforth will devote her time to
her home and the society of her hus
band. "
Other Gaiety Girls Who Have Married Into Peerage
0
F THE dozen or more actresses
who have married Into titles, three
of them have been Americans,
these being Anna .Robinson, Frances
Belmont and May Tohe.
The latter is perhaps the best re
membered in this country on account
of the many escapades she has Deen
connected with. The daughter of a
hotel-keeper in a small Pennsylvania
town. Miss Tohe met with indifferent
success in the David Henderson pro
ductions In Chicago and with the Ca
sino musical comedies in New York.
It was In one of these, "The Lady
Slavey," that she went to London and
first made a success.
Subsequent to the long run of this
attraction she appeared in the "Magic
Opal" at the Avenue Theater and in
Little Christopher Columbus at tne
Lyric in that city, and it was in the
latter dece that she first attracted
Lord Henry Frances Pelhara Clinton
Hope, the brother and heir presump
tive to the Duke of Newcastle. They
were married, but the union was of
short duration, being dissolved in 1902.
Anna Robinson was born in Minne
sota, and after appearing in a series
of light comedy parts and musical
pieces in the United States she went
to London with an. exceedingly pretty
face and a stock of equally pretty
dresses and made her first appearance
at the Criterion Theater in a small
part in "The Undercurrent" Despite
the few lines she had to speak, her
gowns and Jewelry attracted the atten-
Lady Paget Who Was
Olive May-A Gaiety Girl
A CHANGE OF MIND domestic comedy by f. Harris deans
Hon of Sir Charles Wyndham, who en
gaged her to appear In a more Impor
tant role in "Mrs. Gorringe's Necklace"
at the New Theater.
After her success In this piece she
withdrew from the stage and lived In
fashionable Park Lane, where she made
the acquaintance of Lord Rosslyn and
later became Lady Rosslyn.
New Tork Girl Married Lord.
Frances Donnelly, whose stage name
was Frances Belmont, was born in New
York in 1884, and made her first ap
pearance on the stage at the age of
16 at the Victoria Theater, in New
York City, as one of the chorus of 12
charwomen in one of A. H, Chamber
lyn's productions. She ' was generally
heralded as the prettiest girl on the
American stage and bore the reputa
tion of being the most photographed
of all the actresses. Attention was first
drawn to her as one of the famous sex.
tet in "Florodora." She Subsequently
appeared in "The Toreador" and later
toured the United States with Charles
Hawtrey and succeeded to the leading
role in "A Message From Mars."
Toward the end of 1904 she retired
to private life and took up her resi
dence In Paris, France, where on Feb
ruary 19, 1906, at the English Church,
Passy, she - was' married to Francis
Denzll Edward Baring, fifth Baron
Ashburton. Lord Ashburton is the
holder of the oldest of the four peer
ages held by the Baring family, the
others being the Earldom of North
brook and the Baronies of Revelstoke
and Cromer. His estate comprises
about 36,000 acres and he is immensely
wealthy.
Others who have married Into the
peerage are Lily Langtry, daughter of
the late Rev. W. C. Le Breton, Dean
of Jersey, England. After the death
of her first husband Mrs. Langtry was
the belle, of London-society, and was
entertained extensively by the late
King, then the Prince of Wales. Tiring
of socletir life, she took up the stage aa
a profession, appearing at the Haymar
ket Theater, London, under the Ban
croft management, as Blanche Haye in
Ours," and subsequently as vaie
Hardcastle in "She Stoops to conquer.
Her stage career trom tnat time on was
a series of marked successes. In 1S99
she married Hugo Gerald de Bathe.
Baronet, and, though her husband was
miin of treat means. Lady de Bathe
was wealthy, having accumulated a for
tune of over $300,000 In six tours or me
United States.
Gaiety Girl Now Marchtonee.
The Marchioness of Headfort was
Rosle Boote, well known London Gaiety
girl, and as a member of George Ed
wards's forces made her first success
with her singing of
"Maisie Got Right
There." It was during her great success
In "The Messenger Boy" at the Gaiety
that she met the young Marquis of
Headfort. The occasion of their mar
riage In 1901 created no end of talk In
certain circles and resulted In the resig
nation by the young peer of his com
mission as Lieutenant, in the First Life
Guards. After retiring from the stage
the Marchioness has lived with her hus
band almost wholly in Ireland, where
the family estates are located. Thoy
have two sons, the Earl of Bectlve and
Lord Kenlls.
' There were few In the early '80s who
had not seen and heard Belle Bllton,
who as one bf the Bllton sisters was
well known in the London music halls.
London was shocked in 1389 when it
was learned that the music hall star
had married Lord Dunlo and had be
come the Countess of Clancarty. Lord
Dunlo's father tried every means possi
ble to have the marriage set aside, but
to no avail. Like Lord and Lady Head
fort. Lord and Lady Clancarty have
lived principally on their estates in
Ireland since their marriage.
Lady de Clifford was born in Londori
as Evelyn Victoria Ann Chandler, and
under the name of Eva Carrlngton, at
the age of 13, Joined Seymour Hicks'
company and made her first appear
ance -on the stage in a small part in
"Alice in Wonderland" at the Vaude
ville Theater.
She first met Lord de Clifford in
September. 1905, In Dublin while a
member of the "Catch of the Season"
company, which was playing an en
gagement in that city.'
Lord de Clifford was constantly in
her company, but was compelled to
attend to military duties In Cairo. On
his return from Egypt be continued his
courting of the actress and they were
married while she was playing in
"Bluebell in Fairyland" at the Aldwych
Theater.
Countess Onee Gaiety Girl.
The Countess of Orkney was pre
viously known to the theatergoing pub
lic is Connie Gilchrist, and for several
years was a bright particular star at
the old Gaietj. Theater. In 1892, after
a short courtship, she came into her
title through her marriage to Edmond
Walter Flthzmaurlce, seventh Earl of
Orkney. Her marriage was one of the
social features of the season, no less
a person than the late Duke of Beau
fort giving her away as the bride.
Lady Haldon was known on the stage
as Madame Mlska and flrat made her
appearance under the management of
the late Sir Augustus Harris in a "Life
of Pleas" at the Drury Lane Theater.
She next appeared at the Empire Thea
ter in "Round the World In Eighty
Days." She afterward visited America
and appeared with Joseph Jefferson
and other stars, also with Madame faa-
rah Bernhardt Since her marriage to
Lord Haldon, the third Baron of that
name, she has been seen on the stag
but once, at the Tlvoli MubIc Hall. Lon
don, In a sketch entitled "The Sporting
Duchess.
IN THE hall a departing visitor near
ly ran Into me. With that polite
ness that la one of my chief charms
I stepped to one aide. With polite
ness that seemed to be about his only
charm, he did likewise. So- I dodged
to the' other side again; he was too
quick for me, he was there almost be
fore I was. We appeared to be doing
some sort of combination of the two
step and a polka.' Without muslo It
lost most of its fascination. So I
topped still to let him pass in his own
way. Apparently he also took It for
the supper Interval.
"I'm afraid we neither of really
know this dance," I murmured, when
the silence seemed to have set In for
the rest of the day. "or else our steps
don't suit."
"I must apologise." he said, stiffly.
"Not at all." I said; "it's really rather
difficult. Let me see. we've done the
first figure; will you move, or shall I
huff your - j
He elected to move, and with a smile
that Just stopped short of being a bite,
took His departure.
"Who's that cheerful-looking Indi
vidual who's just left?" I demanded of
Mrs. Veralour, as- I entered the drawing-room.
"Who? Ob, you mean Mr. Gl adman. "
"111 take your word that I do; li
shouldn't have known instinctively that
that was his name."
"Don't you know him? I thought I
heard him talking to you."
"No." I said. "It was the door slam
ming you beard. We had nothing In
the nature of a chat. It was one of his
off moments; he appeared to be resting
his voice."
"Poor man!" said Mrs. Veralour. with
a sigh that was half a laugh, "he's very
nnhappy."
"Why? Wont she marry him. or
did she?"
"What made you guess It was some
thing of that sort?" exclaimed Mrs.
Veralour, 1a a tone of surprise that,
was an Insult to my Intelligence. "Be
cause they were married six months
age."
She-sighed reflectively.
"I can't help feeling really sorry for
him, although It's really his own fault.
But, there, I daresay he thinks it's
hers.-
"Of course. Our own faults make
us happy; It's other people's that make
us miserable."
. "I thought they were so suited to
each other, too," she said dolefully.
"Mrs. Veralour, when your years
bring wisdom you win realise that the
person who is really suited for us we
never marry."
"I do hope this Isn't going to be one
of your bright afternoons." said Mrs.
Veralour anxiously; "don't you think it
might pass off if you kept quiet for a
littler
"I don't think you really appreciate
me, Mrs. Veralour." I said, sorrowfully.
"Talking to you Is like casting' pearls
before oysters" ;
"Do have a cigarette," she said im
patiently; "It will be something to oo
oupy your thoughts."
I took my hands from my ears with
a sigh of relief as she concluded her
sentence.
"I thought you were going to be vul
gar and say mouth," I explained, in
reply -to her amazed look of inquiry.
"Society is so mixed nowadays that
one never knows what one's friends
have picked up from the upper classes."
Mrs. Veralour pushed the cigarette
box towards me with an air of com
mand. "I want to tell you about Mrs. Glad
man." . "I'm listening." I said, lighting a
cigarette.
"Let me see." began. Mrs. Veralour,
"did you know a Miss Smith?"
"Smith." I repeated thoughtfully,
tapping my forehead, "I seem to have
heard the name. There was a Smith at
school with, me; he must have been a
proUjsr,"
"She hasn't any brothers; perhaps It
was a cousin."
"No, on second thoughts, his real
name was Jones: we called him Smith
("because there was another Jones in the
same house. But go on, I'm interrupt
ing you." y
"As" a matter of fact, I don't think
you did know her; you must have been
abroad when she came out. She was
rather a nice girl; he used to say she
was his ideal woman."
"Ideals are our dreams," I remarked,
crossing my legs; "when we marry we
wake up. Dear me, have I Interrupted
you again?"
"You're not Interrupting me," said
Mrs. Verakrur, restraining herself with
difficulty, "because I'm not listening to
you."
."He said," she went on presently, "that
he wanted a thoroughly domesticated
wlfe the sort of wife who would al
ways know where he had left his slip
n.ra and would see that dinner was
ijust ready s4 whatever hour, he cams
In. Well, she reany was uni
girl, a born Hausfrau."
"Give nature its due." I protested,
"such women are made, not born. What
he wanted was a sort of clockwork
housekeeper who wouldn't want wind
ing up. And I suppose as u
got married she kicked over the
"No," she didn't; that's Just what he
grumbled at." '
"It's getting what we want that
makes us pessimists." I observed sage
ly "Realization is the nightmare of our
dreams. What ow "
"From what he told me she overdid
it. He said his wife was too monoto
nous. He complained that he could set
his watch by the gong for meals and
knew the day of the week by what he
had to eat. Once the cat knocked the
gong over In the middle of the night
and he got up and .went down to break
fast thinking the sun was late that
n,nminr. He wasn't allowed to throw
his cigarette ends in the fireplace andH
If he happened to crop any mo j m
floor she rang for a maid to come and
sweep it up before it got trodden Into
the carpet."
"In other words, his house was run
by machinery all right, but he'd become
a oog on the wheel."
"Something like that," admitted Mrs.
Veralour. "Another thing he complained
of was that she was so busy looking
after him that she hadn't time to look
at him. Of an evening she was so oc
cupied with her accounts she never
had a moment to talk to Mm; and a
man does like hlawife to talk to him,
Mr. Blake, doesn't he?"
"M'm," I said. "Well, perhaps he does,
when he hasn't been married very
long."
"X admit I sympathixod wilh. him,"
Mrs. Veralour confessed, frankly.
"Sympathy," I said, unimpressed, "Is
consoling oneself for other people's suf
ferings." "Well, and I did more than that."
she said,- somewhat hurt at my lack of
appreciation. "I made up my mind to
give his wife a little advice." She re
garded the expression on my face with
an air of protest. "You can't mean you
don't think I'm clever enough to give
advice?" she queried.
"No. I even thought you were clever
enough not to. Advice is like wine, it's
improved by keeping. What sort of
advice did ou give her?"
"Well, I told her not to give so much
time to her household books and a lit
tle more to her looks. It was one of
the things he grurfibled about. A nicely
dressed wife often atones for a badly
dressed entree."
"You think, then, the eye is of more
importance than er, liver? What does
it benefit a man if he retains his illu
sions and loses his digestion? Still,
I appreciate your point. Go on."
, "Well, I advised her to liven things
up more for him. Go out to theaters,
and so on, with him. Keep the house
full of people. And well, you know
the sort of thing. She said she'd try."
Mrs. Veralour paused. "That was a
month ago." She sighed dispiritedly.
"I might bave saved myself the trouble.
Here he was round this afternoon as
full of complaints as ever."
"Of course," I said contemptuously.
"I should have thought your common
rsense would have told you that, Mrs.
Veralour. As if the girl could change
her nature."
Mrs. Veralour glanced at me pity
ingly. "Don't be so ridiculous,'?, she said.
"He was complaining of her frivolous-
aessV
s