Many of those dear friends have long since passed down the lonely mountain trail, but their sweet memories still linger by the roadside. If they but leave the perfume of their souls to mark the road for me to follow when I arrive at the corral nature has established in the valley I hope that we all shall meet and that they will elect me their callboy, that I may be privileged to ring up the curtain upon perpetual joy. N. C. G. OCEAN PARK, CALIFORNIA. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I COMMENCEMENT DAY 17 II MY DEBUT 22 III STUART ROBSON 26 IV JOHN MCCULLOUGH 35 V SIR HENRY IRVING 38 VI "BARRY" AND JEFFERSON 41 VII A SUNNY SON OF SOMETIME 49 VIII CHARLES HOYT 51 IX SIR CHARLES WYNDHAM 54 X CHARLES R. THORNE, JR. 56 XI SOL SMITH RUSSELL 61 XII RICHARD MANSFIELD 67 XIII IN VARIETY 75 XIV ELIZA WEATHERSBY 80 XV SUCCESSFUL FAILURES 89 XVI BACK IN THE 'EIGHTIES 92 XVII THE HALCYON DAYS OF UNION SQUARE 96 XVIII THE BIRTH OF THE SYNDICATE 101 XIX STARS 109 XX ATMOSPHERIC PLAYS 115 XXI ACTORS PAST AND PRESENT 118 XXII MAUDE ADAMS 121 XXIII TYRONE POWER 126 XXIV AN ARTISTIC SUCCESS! 127 XXV THE SKATING RINK 131 XXVI NUMBER TWO 134 XXVII A FIGHT WON (?) 140 XXVIII JOHN CHAMBERLAIN 148 XXIX W. S. GILBERT 152 XXX HENRY E. DIXEY 153 XXXI SWAGGER NEW YORKERS OF ANOTHER DAY 155 XXXII JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY 157 XXXIII DIGBY BELL AND DE WOLF HOPPER 159 XXXIV BLAINE AND INGERSOLL 162 XXXV JIM CORBETT IN ENGLAND 164 XXXVI THE COCKNEY CABBY COMEDIAN 166 XXXVII A GILDED FOOL AND OTHER PLAYS 168 XXXVIII GEORGE M. COHAN 177 XXXIX THOUGHTS VAUDEVILLE-BORN 179