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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1899)
THE COURIEP MMIMillMMMMMMMIMI II .THE PASSING SHOW: LWILLA GATHER J Every now and then a pretty incident occurs that quite surpasses tho story teller's art. Such a one happonod bore a few weeks ago. Lizzie Hudson Col lier is the leading woman of tho Grand opera house stock company hero. A mighty handsome leading wnmnn she is, by the way, and an actrcEB of most unusual taleut and versatility. You can count on the ringers of one hand the other leading women of this country who are a match for her in all around work. She has been here now for throe seasons and her life has been even moro beautiful than her work. I think those of ua who know her intimately some times fail to do comp'et? justice to tho actress, so much do we admire tho woman. She is probably the most in. Huential woman in this city of half-a-million souls. She has entered com pletely into our lives "and the deaths we died she haB watched beside." I think nothing illustrates ibe power of hor per sonality more forcibly than the attitude of young men toward her. Take the boys in our office, for instance. They are all good fellows and gentlemen but they all saw the black side of life too early and they have the raporter's cyni cal attitude toward actresses. Yet tLey always speak of this woman in the lan guage of chivalry, as the knights of old spoke of women. They believe in her. And the giod of such a belief cannot be estimated or measured. I could weary the most patient listener with instances of her goodness and tact and charm, and of course she is unconscious of it, she doesn't know that she is gcod. She imply has the high talent for living beautifully, and lives to. Such virtues, in so fair a setting, are a source of per petual fragrance in the heart of this great, gloomy, joBtliog town, breathing . perfume into the lives of thousaide. But now for the story: They were playing "Jane" at the Grand some weeks ago, and, as you remember, there iB a baby in "Jane" thatplaje no inconspicu ous part. Well on this occasion it was a wonderful baby, positively the best I ever saw on any stage. It waBjust a poor little waif from the slums with a stupid, halt starved mother, who had a whole troup of children and a hu band out of work.- Why such an attractive child should have bren born into such misery and poverty is one of the ugly problems. It happens so every day. Well, she could act, this little thing of fourteen months. She didn't just lie blinking in Mrs. Collier's arms as the babies who have played in "Jane" afore time. She Bit up looking delightedly about her and kissed the leading man and shook hands with the comedian and flirted with the leader of the orchestra, and wanted to get over the footlights to eiamine bis bald head. The louder the applause, the more interested she be nkmA Rh dnmanded the center of she arrived at 11:30, all dressed in black and carrying this unaccus'omrd bunion through tho Bnowy winter night, sho looked for all the world liko tho be trayed and drsertnd heroine of a bluggy melodrama who returns to recoivo tho paternal curBO. Tho elevator boy nat urally bad a spasm when sho entered, and the chambermaids stood aghast. As for tho baby, it had a milk toddy and a hot bath nnd was wrapped in soft, tilky things nnd tuckod into tho leading lady's bed, and was wnr.ncr and happier than it had ever boon in it lifo before, and perhaps than it will over bo agiin. Sho haB dono many a protty thing in her time, our leading lady, but sho novor did a prellior onethau that. Rosenthal has been with mo again, that lion of tho north, and Edward Mac Dowell in a concert of his own composi tions, among them some of his wonder ful "Ocean Sudies," the result of bis summer by the sea. He was hero sev eral days, but he and Etholbert Nevin were together bo constantly that one had small opportunity to boo anything of either of tbem. It is an cxporionco to boo thorn together, tho30 two men bo absurdly young, bo world famous, who stand for about all there iB of American music. Two young emperors tht-y are, a Caracalla and Geti who share an em pire without ttrife, I made some such remark to Nevin the day after Mac Dowell left, but ho threw out his band with one of those quick, nervouB ges tures of biB and answered: "No, he is the king of ranco, while I, T am only tl.o king of Navarre. ' Maude Adams and her production of "Tho Little Minister' are the talk of the town. Certainly Mr. Barrie's little play is a delightful one, full of quiet, poetic situations, quaiut, natural com edy, and with a delightfully literary flavor about it. It is not at all a great play, but it is a mighty pretty ono, well constructed, though it is so light, logic ally developed and perfectly sustained and abounding in deft, clean cut char acterization. As for Miss Maude Adamp, I wish I could admire her, people do seem to get bo much pleasure out of it. There Ib no middle ground in tho caso of Mies Adams. Either she carrion you all the way or she moves you not at all, and I have the misfortune to be with out the charmed cir -le. To me, she is merely a clever iogenue, very unattrac tive to look at. Her perpetual "giilish ness" bores me to extinction, and the nasal twang in her voice is unpardon able. In her self conscious primness, her artful arlleesoesa, theie ia a fake note. There is sometbiag very cheap about her startled-fawn glance and her affectations of shyness when the is called before the curtain. She has been coming before the curtain for some ten years now, and it is quite absurd to aesume this shrinking timidity. 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Ah well, it is to in tvery girl's boarding school; ou will always find some unaV trnctivo, puttyfacjd, back-achy, head achy little minx, wlo ncvar can get hor leB-ons unaided, and about hor you in ovitably (led a dozen Hue, 6ound, clover girls who ask no greater bliss than to be her handmaidens and got her lesaonB for her and "do" hor hair and clean her gloves and offdr her violate and sighs, Fur if there Ib ono thing strong peoplo lovo better than another, it is being gulled by weak ones. In May, Mies Adams is to appear as Juliet in New York with a magnificent company, and I intend to go over and boo her. A Juliet right out of the Elsie books, a Juliet well brought up and after Ruth Ashmoro'H own heart is not to be misled. It will bo the greatest libel on William Shakeporo that has ever been perpetrat ed in all the centuries. Vet this young woman is to popular and bo idolized, that I am always half afraid it is an in dication of Eome honible moral depravi ty in tne that I cannot admire her. In defense of my position I can only say that I think an actress ought to be ablo to act a little. CRACKED." the stage, and the brightest glare of the of the piece. She does or Bays nothing .it. ,. ,. tn.,r.Viv nhrtut hnr cues to indicate tnai "uauuie is Hcoicn at and refused to have her "business'' cut. The louder the applause, he moro ani mated this infant became. She shook hands with the leading man, and kissed the leading juvenile, and made eyes at the conductor of the orchestra. Well, on one of those fearful cold nigh's when the weather man hung sinkers on the thermometer and the mercury dipped to indicate all, yot iu tho play she is cot a gypsy, but Lord Rintoul'a daughter masquer, ading. In tho com dy szenes Miss Adams was unctuous and kittenish, but quite without humor. In the more seri. oub scenes she was jerky and hysterical and insincere. Her winning ways do not compensate for her lack of imagina tion. In short, her work seemB to me way below zero, Mrs. Collier discovered quite without tinish, repose, distinction, that this poor little waif lived some- flavor, charm. And as for temperament, where down in the tenement district, Miss Adams has no more than a suck- and that its mother proposed to take ing dove, but offers in place of it a pre- her home, thinly clad as it was, through sumptuous artlessness. GirlishnesB and th. hltlnar cold. Mrs. Collier didn't do greatness are alliterative, but that is a thing but bundle the baby up anu take it over to her room at the Hotel Duquesne and keep it all night. When tho only thing they have in common. Tho gracoB which charm in the draw ing room are seldom effective either in Hki.kn C. Habwooi1 It's (imply slitlng here, my dear. Et ouffant, I asEUre jou. The rain kept up that steady drop, drop, drop, and through the rattling glass doors crept a chill breeze. " Ah, jou do not think so? You Ara?r ijars Bontber yourselves. Such an iden !" "Clemence, come poke the tire. An other briquette, L'Atuericaine is cold. Tonez c'eBt assez That's enough. Poor old Zutro hobbled neaier the blue flicker which was making a desperate at tempt to rally. He gave several approv ing snilTp, as with great difllculty he set tled himBolf down once more. " Zutro is growing old, mon Dieu ! I too, for that matter, but qu'est ce qou'on peut faire ? What can one do ! "How is your friend that was here this afternoon 7" " You mean that old thing, Madamo Roblie r " Yes, sho has n't been bere tor a long time, has Ehe ?" "No, several weeks; but that's often enough . She is too old, my dear, fright fully old I She's not a bit interesting any more." " How old is she ?" " Eighty one."' " Oh !" Madame wbb seventy-eight. Zutro growled. " I wonder it my Bon iB coming. I tell you, child, be is cracked; he certainly la self in pessimism (hat nothing in th world, bo it ever so sweet and pure, but had its scar. "Look at his head," continued Mad ame " That's Bulliuiunt proof, A year ago ho woro hh hair long. Now, lo voila. Ltehold him. Shaved. Prepcnterous I Not a spoat of hair on his luad! And wnllc, walk ! Ho does nothing bnt walk al! day long. I wIbIi that ho had some occupation. Ho might have made u journalist of hinuolf. Dame, but I Wiiuld n't object to trade.'1 "But, Madame, you are partly Eng lish. Wben ho began to have thtBe morbid idoas, why did n't you Bond him to a good boys' echool in England, whero they have athletics tud healthy idean. He's simply caught, in an extravagant form, the fashionable melancholia." " Voyons done, Mademoiselle. I am French, I BEEuro you. Englishwomen have not any tusto in dresB. Didn't I mairy a Frenchman ? Wasn't my mother French V "Yob, but pardon, your father was English, and you wore born and brought up in England. You know that jou con fess to have a fondness for tho English tongue." " Thai does not alter Iho casp, mon en fact. I am French. My son is French. If bo would onlyBce his child again, but ho simply won't. She's a pretty littlo thing, le petit cbou. The Bweetbeart. You eeo ho is fearful, if ho knows her, that he may learn to care for hor. And that is utterly contrary to all of bis ideas." ' It'B only a whim,'' I suggested. J " O, no, no. His theory is, that every affection brings us grief sooner or later. He's crocked. He is." Zutro arose, with a grcan or two, and barked as vigorously as possible between coughs. Monsieur entered. " 1 have walked since four o'clock, molher." Jesus Maria ! and it is ten now." "Franco iB in a terriblo condition coiruption '' "Stop, Henri, stop. I won't hoar a word of it.'' " Well jood night. O, by the way, 1 am goin& to Florence tomorrow." ' Ob, mon cher file, to see your child?" "No, no. Way do you continually boro me with bor. I have told you time without number that I have a written cer.iflcato every week from the doctor to say tbat bor health is good, and that she ie woll cared far. What more can I do ? Of course I shall not see her. I am go ing to seo my cat, Antonis.", as he disappeared, Madame tapped ber head dubiously, murmuring while she lighted the candles for the night : " Cracked, crackoJ, cracked, When I was a gal. men were not made so." I hear that 8pacer has given up jour nalism for the ministry. Yep, ho wants to got into a profession ., , nui r 1 whero ho can libel people without beine Monsieur Cribier, Madamo s son, was a . , . v v ,UB man of splendid education, extremely '. lazy, and one who bad so drenched him- Subscribe for Tne Couiuku $1 a year.