Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

British officer’s command prevented them from firing for fear of killing the girl. “ Such a scene naturally thrilled the audience to the highest tension, and Hammond, as he looked on, made up his mind that he had a treasure In young Fearnot. As for Gale, he played his part better than ever before, for he was indulging the hope that Ham- mond would recall his dismissal before the end of the week and let things continue as before. After the play Fred and Terry went on to sing the song of ‘‘Home, Sweet Home,” and during the time the other performers were in their dressing rooms putting on their street costumes. Gussie Silvers and another one of ‘the girls had a room to themselves, and while they were changing their dresses a large lamp on a table suddenly exploded, throwing burning ‘oil in every direction. The two girls screamed and dashed out of the room, scarcely half dressed. Gus- sie’s garment, though, was ablaze, and she dashed up the narrow stairway screaming in a perfect frenzy of terror. Fred cut short his song, dashed off the stage, and went behind the scenes just in time to catch her at the head of the stairs. With great presence of mind he tore the blazing skirt literally off her, threw it aside, seized her in his arms, and bore her to his own dressing room, where he took down his ulster, made her put it on and but- foned it around her. As it reached to her feet, she was not only not exposed, but was comfortably warm. Of course, while all that was taking place, the cry of fire created a panic in the audience, and one of the wild- est scenes imaginable took place. Men and women screamed, struggled and fought in’frenzied terror, to reach a place of safety. In the meantime, the fire down in the dressing room spread with startllng rapidity ; the clothes belonging to Gussie and her room- mate were entirely destroyed, but the others man- aged to rescue theirs, yet there was no escape for them, except through the front end of the building, which they could not reach, until the audience had first passed out. Hammond, Fred and Terry, seemed to be the only ones of the company who didn’t lose their heads. Smoke came boiling up from the dressing , rooms below, filling all the space on and about the stage, and rolling up towards the high ceiling of the auditorium. The girls were running here and there, screaming for somebody tosave them. Terry caught one of the blondes and held her, whilst another, Nel- lie Traynor, rushed up to Fred, caught hold of him, and begged him to save her. “Of course I will,’? he laughed, ‘‘ just hold on to me now, and stop that sort of music, and stand by me, quiet and cool as you please.” Of course the firemen dashed into the lower part of the building and were fighting the flames heroic- ally, but the more water they threw upon them the denser the volume of smoke that came boiling up into the auditorium, Finally the smoke became so dense that the per- formers had to leave the stage. “Come ahead,’’ called Fred. ‘* Follow me, now, “HANDSOME HARRY.” FRED FEARNOT AS fe; Se 8 ag 3 es eee . 3 7 AN ACTOR. and we’ll get out,’’ and he left the stage, leading © Nellie and Gussie, while the other followed him. Like all country theaters, the means of exit were very poor in case of emergency like that, and it looked as though those who were farthest away from the — door would be suffocated by the smoke before they could get out. “Here, Terry,” called Fred, ‘‘ give me your girl, run back to the stage and cut the rope that raises the drop curtain. Bring it here and we’ll let these girls down through the window there.”’ ‘Just the thing !’’ cried Terry, shoving his girl over to Fred, and darting back through the dense clouds of smoke, towards the stage. CHAPTER IX. FRED INVENTS A NEW SCENE. TERRY made his way back to the stage, sprang up over the footlights, drew his knife and cut away at the rope till he severed it. Then he pulled it down) and proceeded to coil it up so as to carry it away. He worked as fast as he could, yet he was almost suffocated before he could get away with it. Gasp- ing for breath he ran forward and handed it to Fred. ‘“‘ Here, Sam,’’ called out Fred to Innes, ‘‘1 want you to go down first.’’ ‘““No! No!’ they all cried ; ‘‘let the girls go first.’ ‘Keep cool, now !”? sang out Fred. ‘‘Some man must be down there to catch the girls and untie the rope from around their waists so I can getit back again to let down the others. Come ahead, Sam. No | need to tie it around you. Just get a good grip on it and slide down, while Terry and 1 hold toit.”’ ~ : ‘“All right,’’ said Innes, taking hold of the rope and climbing out of the window. It took him but a minute or so to descend to the ground, a distance of about twenty feet, after which Fred promptly drew the rope back up through the window. ‘“Now, Miss Nellie, you go next,’’ and heand Terry quickly tied the rope around her waist. “You must hold on to it with your hands, too,’’ he added, after which the two lifted her out of the win- dow and let her down to the ground, where Sam Innes promptly released her from the rope and sent it back. The others were lowered in succession with the ex- ception of Gussie Silvers, who remained to the last. Just as they were about to tie the rope around her waist, the cynic called out: ‘““No need of putting her out that way; the crowd has passed out and so can we.” ‘All right,” said Fred, dropping the rope and picking the little actress up in his arms, as he woul a ten year old child, and walking out with her; but) a were all pretty near strangled by inhaling the smoke, Gomi ie... | eee (E boo