A CHARMING STORY-TELLER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 544, 26 June 1909, Page 11

A CHARMING STORY-TELLER.

MISSKITTY CHEATHAM. From time to tirno stray paragraphs have crept into the papery concerning Miss Kitty Cheatham/' the woman from tho Southern State 3 who has made 'a most fascinating art of story-telling to children. Mark Twain immensely enjoys her recitals, and roared I•wi^.delighi;?byer"nei;'-quaint little'southern rStories'of negro/'life".'[She charmed London/ to .give, a ; ,private recital for, .^'benefitof-thpvroyal children. An' American^magiaine"r gives[ [a;,, 'pretty-, description [of one/of jsfiss Chatham's afternoons'; f-' : ■';-'/*'■■ ■■■? «The"atmOTphere;is'Knshod.and expectant/ ."<>ward : ;.the ,;■ front" of the .house are: massed •roTv,,after' row;of : small\Moere;'facw.v.'Look-.' i^ffrom.'.behrndjyou.cannot Bee muqh' except oolbured'fiair [ribbons,;and broad' white linenwoman :[with...av-rather. MUdish; face, r*earin'g /a simple gown', and v a large";hat, ! -.cx>mes upon',the: stage, the;'accompanist.*strikes' a;'nofe or .two upon' the[piano,'.: begins; toeing: some..'simple little song, ; .;spinetbuig./:6f,■ Joel.".Chandler Harrjs' V>r:.EugenV,Fielo/.s M sense/verser-at-'all events, 'something light, and /.whimsical^; and. young.:. '- ;i :-'['.;, '■:•'':■.'B' ■ '•.The.children are.immediately delirious with deljght.';:Hair-fibbbhi ; bbb; and sturdy little. perhaps,.; the, they.'-call.her-in'■Europe, :coraes to/the-front,of■• the'.'stage and''■ pretends, say,' .that.'she'is[[6/ little .boy, .'. She doesii'tbaveto ' or'anybody else. Her..''acting','is'- .too[-finished. : for that.V The .little/boy.rwho'.is.beihg impersonated:is.afraid and r [[pretends':'hei:isn't^; : watch ', ,his .hands..arid' b,is':[eyW : :a'nd;iisten ;to 'the way his'.: voice";breaks [and/ recovers .itself [again,' and;'.you "would"know.,;the[.'wbol6 v stpry.v even if\'you['wefe"sitting,.so;far'[off.Hhat. you: could not [catch ; . a [word- •' It-is'one :of the essential art,[.then' presentediwithltheigreatest apparent ,ness; |VPositiv'elyithe;only dividing line in;the

audience of lrttlo ones and grown-ups is that tho UUlo onos don't know h is art and that the grown-ups do, lor tho boys and girls are ' lai having a monopoly of tho enjoyment. Perhaps nobody is over too old to re- ' member the tears and ©cstacies and visions of ' childhood—but it is vory rarely that tbeso i are mulled to hinfwith tho delicious, ahivory , vividness that' is within Miss Cheatham's j command. ' ,

■: . Tennessee -'woman; ' the ;daugttor 'of ;'a■;'southern' general, who _de- ;' <ii^^ivliearßhe'Vwas'a^teeh' , ;eiiTff.bld ) ''to'go ohythb.'stagOj and;-'coming'to.New''"York, was engaged! by/ Augustin /Daly. , Miss Cheatham' : belioTMi/thatfsho'wouJd -not bo'able to-do ; 'chUdTihoriolbgues/now .without; the wonderful ' training;that.;she once received in the ; Daly stock'''company', ;wherd ;sbo.;bad;.a new : role, ; every;-we6k/,whor(>;,nobbdy; was/ entitled toa : specialty; raid' ,whore.,eYerybody'-'had', tobave ■ a/soldier's'.' readiness' 1 ' to,, play',,anything-as^ •;,Xateri'Vth« ; J aotreas /left the' stage 'an'd/wehV. to live in England, keeping up, ■ :ho_weverJ:.;hex.~ friendship' 'with/many; or tne}gieatcst;artist3'6f!the tunej and singing" a-Jittle.nbw land then for. Hex friends 1 ! ahrose- ; -''■'■ ;;.;,; ,-;..// ■'■'~'-, ■»;■•:';'•! ■.".' One /of the great advantages of ;h«i!sonth- ; era childhood- Mias /Cheatham' has : never lost . —acknowledge of the 'old negro songs and folktales.':',- She,' l therefore/..began her recitals/for/children :withi/the'.Bimple-'.darky melodies-that .the;, old f mammies croon to children'q'rnsed'to, and that Miss Cheatham. herself- had'/fallen/.asleep to .-'many a/ time! ; During;;tho >past/.winter in < Now. York,- : her, 1 worki has. attracted'audiences of all, ages and' : met ! , with unanimous praise.' -If you "believe . in'fairies,'''as all -Miss Cheatham's audiences do, .she/will.-tako'.ycu straight;to Fairyland, but .that is by ;no moans' all. - She will take you. fe) 'Wonderland, top, ; with /Lewis Carroll and';other,.inspired/nonsenßejiuakors./ ;Shu will take.you to the'jungle with Kipling, and ■ tp'.those'itwilight lands of the imagination to, which' Stevenson has given'little children the key.:'- Thus'birds 'and: beasts "and elves ,and gnomes 'and dolls and pickaninnies, are all squeezed/somehow. ; inio one / enchantingly cpmpact'.aftoTnopn. ■~'.-;' '■'-■ ! : v'v ■ ; "Tho'ra,':'is.. one' -factor 'in-.'Miss Cheatham's success} whiih probably 'did; not' escape '..the attention of; the late Coquelih,' who/so greatly 1 admirediJher'mimicries of childhood., Her hands,- which .are small'and short, while, cap-' able, M'- great variety,; of ■ expression, contri-' ,bute wonderfully /to the illusion of cliijdhood. She/has studied,; the: gestures' of .''infancy to excellent aha. with, fivo, fingers she 'suggest'a-dramain miniatuie'.; ■ ';