Buscoe's Protege...

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 136, 7 February 1903, Page 12

Buscoe's Protege...

(By Eichuu) Kann )

CRYSTAL FALLS never did amount to much as a show town. The capacity was £100, wxth chairs in the aisles, but eveii at that a performance without a leading man was not to he thought of. And Hampton simply play that night and maybe not for several nights. A man wm> cannot speak above a whisper J- not useful as a romantic lover on the *?*«> W since Buscoe was the sort of stage maliaier who did not believe m carryxTxg pfo P le on half salaries over the circmt on the chance that the leads would break down, Hamilton had no undeietU So y "it *** Planned to fife Cnrs^L Falls a "show," as Crystal Falls lovea was Costal Falls, and Buscoe was leS °HfSd a resourceful thing when he He *Z able in that manner his duties as a father under the all powerful title ofsta. 3 e ™a*ager. It was believed by the company that a love a S °hl !W! W TManrt hotel accompangood notices, although be would have feen as willing to play the last act ot "Camilla," m a crimson stock, as ne would to have it in white. Buscoe called a rehearsal before he essayed to play the part, but .he wouki not "hold the manuscript while he JJ over the scenes, and the result «^that in the second act climax he wen^to ■nieces He stood centre, with his arms Stretched, to receive Mane, with his came from the wings. «T,ut your line there^ Mr. Buscoe is, 'If I should say good-bye, little ql It was Jennings, the new P^ty man, picked up at Kansas City three weeks before, when he didnt know a prop from a' bunch light. v He was a Buscoe prote 5 e at £3 a week when the scale was £5. But, even at that he did not look like a property man. btiLL, he had come around with a desire to do anything in the company except play a part, and he knew the play he said backward. Buscoe was looking tor people who didn't care what their salaries were, and, after Jennings had told him that "the compensation was of do consequence so long as he could live upon it." Buscoe had him on the salary hS He was delightfully green, but at the end of three weeks he was a gem. Inen, he began to show signs of becoming a ]{n "Tne doorkeeper," he said one day to Buscoe, "is refusing bouquets for Miss Hamilton Now, why couldn't hepick out the roses, and allow me to use them instead of the prop, bouquet in the second act ?" „ , _ To which the resourceful Buscoe replied -'Course. Use orchids if you want to. Only, rip the cards oft. 1 don't want any notes from anybody in the front of the house getting m here to my daughter." After that, Miss Hamilton frequently had real roses instead of rubber ones, and real roses were an improvement especially since the business required Miss Hamilton to sniff them lovingly several times. „ „ T But, the further utility of Jennings had not occurred to Buscoe until the interruption at the Crystal Falls rehear"Seei here, Jennings," said Buscoe, suddenly. 'Did you ever act?" "N-o-o-o/ said Jennings, slowly; 1 never did. c . "Do you know the part ?" resourceful Buscoe asked quickly. "Yes " said Jennings positively . i think I do. I've heard it every night for a month." „ . . -, r T "Marie," he said, "this is Mr. Jen-

nuiigs. We are m Crystal Falls. Tin a scene with him. Maybe he'll do to go on to-night." She smiled as she took his hand. 1 am very glad," she said "that papa has mtroduced you." Turning to Buscoe, she added, still smiling "He does look the part, doesn't he? Let's try it " Well one trial convinced Buscoe that he was safe— for Ciystal Falls. There was only one thing badly wrong with the new' man. "You must remember," Buscoe told him, "that the shilling seats have a right to> hear just as well as the front rows. When you make stage lo\emake it loud." And, after that, Jennings reached them easily That nieht he had three curtain calls for his first c^ood scene at the end of the first act, something that never happened to Hampton. Buscoe disliked to admit that he was astonished. He had watched the scene careful ly. prepared to use the promptbook, but the manner in which Jennings humoured the scene was marvellous "He couldn't have done better," thought Buscoe, "if he meant c\.-i\ word he spoke." He was in the act of congratulating himself onoe more upon his extieme foresight w hen a boy carrying a box of flowers walked hurriedly thiough the stage door a^d almost into' his arms "Who ordered these things 9 " roared Buscoe "A man fiom the show " sniffed the boy. If BuscO'C wa= anything at all, he was resourceful Draseine; the boy to the side entiance he pointed at Jennines. "Is that the man?" he asked him "That's him." said the boy. 'I e een him do it " "Send them back," said Buscoe He could haidH wait to ring down to pounce upon the new property man "A boy came in here Mr. Jennings " he said, 'with a box of roses. You know the rules. I sent them back." "Haven't I the right " asked Jennings very calmly, "to send floweis to myself if I wish?" Buscoe was speechless. "Of course you have," he began, "but' " "And I have also the right, I believe," interrupted Jennings, "to send flowers to my wife. When, you assumed to carefully guard your daughter from the man you knew she loved, a year ago, you made her promise not to marry him until you w ere sure enough of him to introduce him to her yourself You thought you would never do that but you did introduce him this afternoon. She married him at 5 o'clock. She had no flowers at her wedding, so I thought it would be nice for her to have them tonight instead. lam very sorry you sent them back." "Your name is Clark?" asked Buscoe. "Robert Clark?" "I had a right to a stage name, didn't I ? " asked Jennings. "And you are — " "Your son-in-law, mv friend." "Well," said Buiscoe, always resourceful, "I never saw a man play the lover any better. You'll stay until the end of the season, won't you?"