Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

~ FRED FEARNOT AS AN ACTOR, | LES PAIR TR Ch MUP aaa GP Pee Dg GR a ae we Cha Re OM ay We Oe .——s“<_—“—“—“—_—_—=<=SSsSsSsSsSsSss—ee_o_—_<—<—<—_— 4 barrassed. le thanked them all kindly and in an- | of laughter that were kept up evenafter they emerged swer to their invitations to visit them in their homes, | out upon the street. . said that it was a physical impossibility for him to do so, as he had to perform twelve times a week. Then the girls asked him for his photograph, with his autograph signature on each. «T haven’t a single one, but will sit for a picture soon, just to oblige you, for the ladies of Minneapolis have been so extremely kind to me, I shall ever bear them in grateful remembrance. I shall have to leave you now,” he added, ‘‘for | will have to go on again in a few minutes.”’ With that he bowed himself out of the box and re- turned behind the scenes, where he found Nellie Tray- nor in an extremely bad humor. «‘¢They’ve been making love to you in there, have they ?’’ she remarked. “Oh, no,’”’ he replied. ‘‘They simply wanted to know if I were in love with you.”’ ‘¢What did you tell them?” <‘T told them I was desperately in love with you, professionally.” “‘Oh, professionally, eh? to that ?”’ “They asked me if you were in love with me the same way and I said | thought you were, but that off the stage you detested me.”’ ‘‘Hred Fearnot, did you say that ?’’ <<Yes,’? he laughed. «Well, Pll see if I can’t find some man who can whip you for telling such a story on me.”’ «“Why, can’t you understand that?’’ he laughed. *«“It was to give them an idea of your splendid abili- ties as an actress, and I succeeded, for they quickly ‘remarked that one must be a splendid actress to so well portray a passion she did not feel.’’ She accepted the compliment and was really pleased. They soon went on the stage again and passed through another phase of the lovers’ romance that thrilled the audience to such an extent that many women wept through nervous, sympathetic excite- ment, and when they sang a duet together they were almost buried under a shower of bouquets. A day or two later a petition signed by hundreds was presented to the manager, asking him to put the Revolutionary play on the boards during one of the matinees, in order to give school children an opportunity to see it; so the announcement was made the next day that it would be done, and that afternoon the great building was packed from pit to dome with boys and girls, whose patriotic im- pulses were aroused to the highest pitch of enthusi- asm by the acting of the patriot spy and the Yankee girl whose lover was a prisoner in the British camp. The moonlight scene at the old well, with the hoot- ing of the owls, the cry of the whippoorwill, followed by the howls of the wolves and the fierce fight with them by the British officer, thrilled them as they had never been before in their lives. Then came at the end of the play the song of ‘Home, Sweet Home,”’ in which Terry’s blubbering evoked screams And what did they say “HANDSOME HARRY.” ‘ os er, A week later Fred was met by a man on the street, in front of the theater, who told him he wished to have a few minutes of private talk with him. ‘Allright, sir,’? said Fred. ‘lm at your serv- ice.”’ ““T wish to engage you for my theater in St. Louis for the next season, if you have not already signed.”’ ‘“‘Thave not signed yet,’’ Fred replied; ‘‘but the opening of next season isa good way off yet, and | don’t think I can see my way clear to make an en- gagement so far ahead.”’ “Why, my dear sir, I’ve made engagements five years ahead, several times.”’ “‘T don’t doubt that, sir, but they were with pro- fessionals who were very glad to make future engage- ments, particularly when the manager was responsi- ble.”’ “‘ Well, ain’t you a professional ?”’ ‘““No, Lam simply an amateur playing for fun.”’ ‘Oh, well, now, you can’t give me that sort of stuff.”? » The man looked at him as though he suspected him of trying to play him for a greenhorn. “Well, it’s a fact nevertheless,’? laughed Fred. ‘I got into it simply by accident, and will get out of it as soon as I become tired of it.”’ ‘Well, Pll tell you what I’ll do. Ill give you three hundred dollars a week if you’ll sign with me for next season.”’ ‘Well, that’s pretty good pay and I may take the offer, but I want to think over it for awhile, because I don’t want to separate from my friend, Olcott.”’ ‘Oh, Pll take him, too.’’ “ What’ll you give him ?”’ *“T’ll give him a hundred dollars a week.”’ “Well, PH tell you what Vl do. IT’ll give you the first show after my engagement ends with Ham- mond, for that’s got two months to run yet.”’ ““Oh, that won’t do. A manager has to secure his talent just as quick as he can, for fear he’ll lose the opportunity to get such as he wants. I'll give you a week to make up your mind about it. “All right,’”’ replied Fred. ‘‘Give me your ad- dress and I’1] let you know. I’ve been thinking of getting up several specialties that would be some- thing new on the stage and draw like a plaster.”’ ‘So much the better. If I can see any money in any specialty you get up, ll take it.”’ ‘But there’s a little girl in this company that I want to fit in to the specialties.”’ ‘“Which one is that ?’’ the manager asked. “<The little brunette. She has had no show in this company, and yet she has more talent than any girl in it; but she is a very quiet, good little girl, and others.’’ her,’” Eomicbooks.com 2 hasn’t the nack of placing herself forward like the — 4 4 ‘‘ Well, if she has any special talent, ll give her a 1 show, but it’s strange Hammond hasn’t developed —