Part 22 (2/2)
Only too well did Clara Morris understand what that meant--that the choicest parts would be reserved Then an a in self-confidence, suddenly developed an ability to stand up for her rights By returnto do with thewoman and play all parts or none His reply was a surprise, as it contained a couple of signed contracts and a pleasant request to sign both and return one at once He regretted her inability to grant his request, but closed by expressing his respect for her firned her first contract, and went out to mail it When she returned she had reat risk She had decided that her ain receive coh to bear the welcome burden, that they would face the new life and its possible sufferings together--_together_, that was the lass sravely bowed to the reflection and said, 'Acceptlady!'--and then fell on the bed and sobbed
because, you see, the way had been so long and hard, but I had won one goal--I was a leading wos of sowith the Ellslers, of whose theatrical fa, easy When the hour of leave-taking came, she was very sad She had to make the journey alone, as her mother also was to join her only when she had found a place to settle in Mr Ellsler was sick for the first tiood-by to hi very despondent, he seee then,” says Miss Morris, ”, 'Co, entered A ried throat, and his poor voice was but a husky whisper:
”'I could not help it,' he said 'You were placed under h you are pleased to consider yourself a wo the city without so God-speed'
”I was inexpressibly grateful, but he had yet another surprise for me
He said, 'I wanted, too, Clara, toand remind you daily of--of--er--the years you have passed in ood girl and a good actress,' he said, 'needs and ought to own a'--he touched a spring, the box flew open--'a good watch,' he finished
”Literally, I could not speak, having such agony of delight in its beauty, of pride in its possession, of satisfaction in a need supplied, of gratitude and surprise iain 'Oh!' was all that I could cry, while I pressed it to loated over it My thanks must have been sadly jumbled and broken, but h, and then the carriage was there, and laughter stilled into a silent, close hand-clasp As I opened the door of the dusty old hack, I saw the first star prick brightly through the evening sky Then the hoarse voice said, 'God bless you'--and I had left er”
To say that Clara Morris made a success in Cincinnati is the barest truth Her first appearance was in the role of a country girl, _Cicely_, a simple milkmaid with only one speech to make, but one which taxed the ability of an actress to the uttermost to express as meant Clara played this part in a deoith a little hat tied down under her chin On the second night, she played what is called a ”dressed part,” a bright, light-coht hers was a ”tearful” part In three nights she completely won the public, and on the third she received her first anonyift, a beautiful and expensive set of pink corals set in burnished gold ”Flowers, too, cahts, the like of which she had never seen before, so ht ca its sender's signature, went straight back to hian to be whispered about that the new star sent back all gifts of jewelry; but when one matinee a splendid basket of white cahted her and created a sensation in the dressing-room That seemed to start a fashi+on, for candies in dainty boxes caht of her first appearance, a lawyer of Cincinnati who saw her play the part of Cicely was so delighted with her interpretation of the small role that he at once asked: ”Who is she? What is her history?”--only to find that, like most happy women, she had none She came from Cleveland, she lived three doors aith herseen her a second tiht to be in New York this very n theaters--their schools and styles, as well as I know the home theaters and their actors I believe I haveher in the ”tearful part,” he said firmly: ”I shall never rest till this Clara Morris faces New York She need clash with no one, need hurt no one, she is unlike any one else, and New York has plenty of room for her I shall make it my business to meet her and preach New York until she accepts the idea and acts upon it”
As a result of that determination, at a later date, he met the object of his interest and roused her to such an enthusiasing his aid in reaching New York ers, and one day, shortly afterward, she held in her hand a wee sheet of paper, containing two lines scrawled in an illegible handwriting:
”If you send the young woe no actress without seeing her--A DALY”
It was a difficult proposition, for to obtain leave of absence she would be obliged to pay a substitute for at least two perforht at a New York hotel, and so spend what she had saved toward a su to be set aside That very night she asked leave of absence, ements, and before she had time to falter in her deterreat bustling city of her drearay veil, a pair of gray gloves and a bit of fresh ruffling Then, having made all the preparation she could to meet the arbiter of her fate, in her usual custo care she had an unfaltering trust Then, she says, ”I rose and went forth, prepared to accept success or defeat, just as the good Lord should will”
Having found Mr Daly, she looked bravely into his eyes and spoke with quick deterirl come out of the West to be inspected I'm Clara Morris!”
That was the preface to an interviehich ended in his offer to engage her, but without a stated line of business He would give her thirty-five dollars a week, he said (knowing there were two to live on it), and if she made a favorable impression he would double that salary
A poor offer--a risky undertaking, exclaimed Clara ”In my pocket was an offer which I had received just before leaving for New York, froer, with a salary of one hundred dollars, a benefit, and no vacation at all, unless I wished it This offer was fairly burning a hole in my pocket as I talked with Mr Daly, hile we talked, was filling up a blank contract, for ainst one hundred dollars 'But if you et seventy dollars' I thought, and why should I _not_ make a favorable io West or South not much harmed If I wait till I am older and fail, it will ruin ave a little farewell tap to the contract for one hundred dollars; I took the pen; I looked hard at him 'There's a heap of trust asked for in this contract,' I re the contract?'
”'I won't forget anything,' he answered
”Then I wrote 'Clara Morris' twice, shook hands, and went out and back to Cincinnati, with an engage season”
As the tangible results of a benefit perforown and bonnet and send her off to visit in Cleveland, before turning her face toward Halifax, where she had accepted a short suaged rooms in a quiet old-fashi+oned house near the theater, and telegraphed her mother to co found us housekeeping at last We were settled, and happily ready to begin the new life in the great, strange city”
Froh the frenzied days of rehearsal with a new coe number of untoward incidents crowded into each day, life moved swiftly on toward the first appearance of Clara Morris on the New York stage
With a sort of dogged despair she lived through the worry of planning how to buy costuoere ready, she had two dollars and thirty-eight cents left, on which she and her mother must live until her first week's salary should be paid Worse than that, on the last awful day before the opening night she had a sharp attack of pleurisy A doctor was called, who, being intoxicated, treated the case wrongly Another physician had to be summoned to undo the work of the first, and as a result Daly's new actress was in a condition little calculated to give her confidence for such an ordeal as the co one She says, ”I could not s food--_I could not!_ As the hour drew near my mother stood over ; then she forceda breakdown if I tried to go through five such acts as awaited ht ht that they would not move I dropped my head for one moment on her shoulder; she patted me silently with one hand and opened the door with the other I glanced back Mother waved her hand and called: 'Good luck! God bless you!' and I was on hts, a huowned, bejeweled woroo lady had never before confronted! A chance for triu sobll, it grew as the play advanced Again and again Clara Morris took a curtain call with the other actresses Finally the stage er said to Mr Daly, ”They want _her_,” and Mr Daly answered, sharply: ”I knohat they want, and I knohat I don't want Ring up again!”
He did so But it was useless At last Mr Daly said, ”Oh, well, ring up once more, and here, you take it yourself”
Alone, Clara Morris stood before the brilliant throng, vibrating to the spontaneous storm of enthusiasm, and as she stood before them the audience rose as one individual, carried out of themselves by an actress whose as as rare as it was unique--hich never for one esture was throbbing with vital human emotion