Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

FRED FEARNOT “Yes, I know; but in this profession you have to make hay while the sun shines, and just now it’s hay- - ing time with us. And now, while we are talking about it, Pll say to you that if you’ll stick to me in this thing, to the end of our tour, I’ll pay you one hundred dollars a week, instead of the twenty-five you started out with.’’ *That’s all right, sir. tour ?”’ *Oh, it is to run a couple of months yet. When it ends I’d like to make a contract with you to open in New York City in the fall for the entire season.” *“Not on your life!’’ laughed Fred. <‘*I wouldn’t. play in New York City for a thousand dollars a night.” “The deuce you wouldn’t! with playing there ?’’ *‘Oh, my parents live there, and both of them would go out and commit suicide if I were to go upon the stage.”’ What is the length of the What’s the matter . “Thunder! Don’t they know anything about it?” * «No. They’ve never suspected me of doing such A athing. The truth is, I never performed in public in my life, until I struck up with you.”’ “Great Scott, Fearnot! What are you giving me ?”’ *«‘The straight truth,’ laughed Fred, ‘and it’s the same way with Terry. We were both classmates at school and while he was spending the holidays with me, my father sent me out West to attend to some business for him, with the understanding that when it was settled we were to Spend our time as we pleased, seeing the country.”’ «Well, let me tell you, my boy, you have it in your power to make both fame and fortune on the stage, and I would advise you to turn your attention to it, simply because I am satisfied you can make a tre- mendous success of it.”’ “Well, I’ll think about that, but if I do I shall have to adopt a stage name and keep about a thousand miles away from New York City.”’ “‘Oh, that’s allright! Keep out of New York, then, until you’ve established a reputation in the the- atrical world. At present neither you nor I know what your best hold is as an actor. It may be that you can do better as a tragedian than in the melo- drama. We must try to find out that before the tour ends.”’ «Allright; but while you are trying to find out what I can do, give little Gussie a chance to show what she can do. I am Satisfied there is the mak- ing of a splendid actress in her.”’ «¢ Well, I hadn’t noticed anything very. promising about her other than she is a faithful, painstaking girl in her work.”’ “<T’ve beem watching her closely. She has a won- derful depth of feeling, and is very quick to catch _ the spirit of a scene and act right up to it.” “‘ How about Nellie ?”’ the manager asked. ews « — le et . ae | 4 AS AN ‘ACTOR. 25 “She’s a good one, and so is Elsie, ,but I don’t think that either of them have the real histrionic ability that Gussie has.”’ CHAPTER XI. FAME AND FORTUNE OFFERED FRED BY A ST. LOUIS MANAGER. DuRING the week following their removal to the other theater the Revolutionary play was kept on the board during the evening, and that of ‘‘The Lovers” at the matinee. ‘The house was packed each time with appreciative audiences. The matinees were crowded with women, anxious to study Fred’s love- making from the standpoint of their own experience. Sometimes there were a thousand women present and less than two hundred men. Hundreds of women be- came extremely sentimental for the first time in their lives, and notes and bouquets poured in on Fred until he was almost in despair. Parties of them would take a private box and send urgent requests to the manager to bring him in that they might get ac- quainted with him. “Great. Scott !’? gasped Fred, the first time the manager came to him with the request that he visit the private box at the right of the stage, where an _ elderly lady, with half a dozen beautiful girls around ~ her, was waiting to see him. “*Oh, you’ll have to go,”’ laughed Hammond. “It will make you all the more popular, and if you can become a social lion so much the better for you.”’ “‘T see, now,’’ remarked Fred, ‘‘ that I made a mis- take in not adopting a stage name at the beginning ; but I guess it’s all right, as I’m a thousand miles away from home. So, go ahead, I’ll follow,’’ and the manager led the way to the entrance of the private box, where he was introduced to the elderly lady, who in turn presehted him to the others. “We couldn’t resist the temptation to send for you,’’ said the elderly lady, ‘‘and tell you personally how much we appreciated your splendid acting. We’ve never seen anything like it in this city before; and the most astonishing thing is, that one so young as you should be so skilled in the art of love-making.’’ «Thank you, madam,’’ he laughed, ‘I don’t know a thing about the passion from personal experience and doubt very seriously whether I could really do as well with an ugly girl as with Miss Traynor.”’ “Oh, my !”’ exclaimed one of the young ladies, “if you can make love so ardently without feeling it, what in the world would you do if you really were in love ?”’ “'That’s a question I’ve asked myself,” he laughed. “While I am one of the greatest admirers of the sex, I have never yet fallen in love with one, so I don’t know what I would do in that case.”’ Then they praised his singing and paid him go many handsome compliments that he really felt em- Cconnicloooks. conn ~~ Faia tt ey