cot," and in
which Mrs. Carter played the part of a Quaker maiden who has droll
adventures among the Spanish Pyrenees.

This did better than "The Ugly Duckling," but still the star failed to
"arrive," and still she and her manager kept up their belief in each
other. Mr. Belasco now decided to try a play of his own making, and with
this the victory was won.

No, not quite all. It remained for "Zaza," adapted from the French, and
brought out at the Garrick in New York, January 9, 1899, to round out the
little story which David Belasco told in his curtain speech on that now
historic night. He spoke only two sentences, but they comprised the career
of the star who came to be the inspiration of all the theaters that now
bear his name.

And this is what he said:

"Nine years ago a poor woman threw herself at my feet and asked me to help
her. Now she is the happiest woman in the world, for she can telegraph to
her son that you like her in 'Zaza,' and that the boy may be proud of his
mother."

The next day's papers told the story of that evening in headlines like
these: "Genius the Word for Mrs. Carter," "Mrs. Carter Scores the Greatest
Hit of Her Time," "The New Bernhardt."

RICHMAN DESERTED TRADE.

He Was Employed in a Chicago Store
and Spent Many of His Evenings
in Amateur Dramatics.

Reference to the premiere of "Mrs. Dane's Defense," in the paragraph on
Margaret Anglin, recalls the fact that that occasion marked the first
appearance of Charles Richman with the Empire stock company, he having the
opposite role to Miss Anglin. He had won golden spurs as leading man with
Annie Russell in "Miss Hobbs" and "A Royal Family," to which company he
had passed from "The Great Ruby" at Daly's, where he had been playing with
Ada Rehan at the time of Mr. Daly's death.

Mr. Richman went from trade to the theater by way of the amateur stage. He
was employed in a Chicago store, and spent many of his evenings with an
amateur dramatic association, of which he was one of the most active
members. A benefit performance for some charity on one occasion proved
such a success that a friend with money and a desire to sprout the wings
of an "angel" proposed to put the troupe on the road for a summer season.

"I was immensely excited and pleased over the notion," Mr. Richman
explained in telling me of his start as a professional, "but the rest of
the cast were rather dubious about undertaking the experiment, and their
friends