adventures and letters-第2节

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h　we　played。

Whatever　the　mental　stimulus　my　brother　derived　from　his　home　in　Philadelphia；　the　foundation　of　the　physical　strength　that　stood　him　in　such　good　stead　in　the　campaigns　of　his　later　years　he　derived　from　those　early　days　at　Point　Pleasant。　　The　cottage　we　lived　in　was　an　old　two…story　frame　building；　to　which　my　father　had　added　two　small　sleeping…rooms。　　Outside　there　was　a　vine…covered　porch　and　within　a　great　stone　fireplace　flanked　by　cupboards；　from　which　during　those　happy　days　I　know　Richard　and　I；　openly　and　covertly；　must　have　extracted　tons　of　hardtack　and　cake。　　The　little　house　was　called　〃Vagabond's　Rest；〃　and　a　haven　of　rest　and　peace　and　content　it　certainly　proved　for　many　years　to　the　Davis　family。　　From　here　it　was　that　my　father　started　forth　in　the　early　mornings　on　his　all…day　fishing　excursions；　while　my　mother　sat　on　the　sunlit　porch　and　wrote　novels　and　mended　the　badly　rent　garments　of　her　very　active　sons。　　After　a　seven…o'clock　breakfast　at　the　Curtis　House　our　energies　never　ceased　until　night　closed　in　on　us　and　from　sheer　exhaustion　we　dropped　unconscious　into　our　patch…quilted　cots。　　All　day　long　we　swam　or　rowed；　or　sailed；　or　played　ball；　or　camped　out；　or　ate　enormous　mealsanything　so　long　as　our　activities　were　ceaseless　and　our　breathing　apparatus　given　no　rest。　　About　a　mile　up　the　river　there　was　an　islandit's　a　very　small；　prettily　wooded；　sandy…beached　little　place；　but　it　seemed　big　enough　in　those　days。　　Robert　Louis　Stevenson　made　it　famous　by　rechristening　it　Treasure　Island；　and　writing　the　new　name　and　his　own　on　a　bulkhead　that　had　been　built　to　shore　up　one　of　its　fast　disappearing　sandy　banks。　　But　that　is　very　modern　history　and　to　us　it　has　always　been　〃The　Island。〃　　In　our　day；　long　before　Stevenson　had　ever　heard　of　the　Manasquan；　Richard　and　I　had　discovered　this　tight　little　piece　of　land；　found　great　treasures　there；　and；　hand　in　hand；　had　slept　in　a　six…by…six　tent　while　the　lions　and　tigers　growled　at　us　from　the　surrounding　forests。

As　I　recall　these　days　of　my　boyhood　I　find　the　recollections　of　our　life　at　Point　Pleasant　much　more　distinct　than　those　we　spent　in　Philadelphia。　　For　Richard　these　days　were　especially　welcome。　　They　meant　a　respite　from　the　studies　which　were　a　constant　menace　to　himself　and　his　parents；　and　the　freedom　of　the　open　country；　the　ocean；　the　many　sports　on　land　and　on　the　river　gave　his　body　the　constant　exercise　his　constitution　seemed　to　demand；　and　a　broad　field　for　an　imagination　which　was　even　then　very　keen；　certainly　keen　enough　to　make　the　rest　of　us　his　followers。

In　an　extremely　sympathetic　appreciation　which　Irvin　S。　Cobb　wrote　about　my　brother　at　the　time　of　his　death；　he　says　that　he　doubts　if　there　is　such　a　thing　as　a　born　author。　　Personally　it　so　happened　that　I　never　grew　up　with　any　one；　except　my　brother；　who　ever　became　an　author；　certainly　an　author　of　fiction；　and　so　I　cannot　speak　on　the　subject　with　authority。　　But　in　the　case　of　Richard；　if　he　was　not　born　an　author；　certainly　no　other　career　was　ever　considered。　　So　far　as　I　know　he　never　even　wanted　to　go　to　sea　or　to　be　a　bareback　rider　in　a　circus。　　A　boy；　if　he　loves　his　father；　usually　wants　to　follow　in　his　professional　footsteps；　and　in　the　case　of　Richard；　he　had　the　double　inspiration　of　following　both　in　the　footsteps　of　his　father　and　in　those　of　his　mother。　　For　years　before　Richard's　birth　his　father　had　been　a　newspaper　editor　and　a　well…known　writer　of　stories　and　his　mother　a　novelist　and　short…story　writer　of　great　distinction。　　Of　those　times　at　Point　Pleasant　I　fear　I　can　remember　but　a　few　of　our　elders。　　There　were　George　Lambdin；　Margaret　Ruff；　and　Milne　Ramsay；　all　painters　of　some　note；　a　strange　couple；　Colonel　Olcott　and　the　afterward　famous　Madam　Blavatsky；　trying　to　start　a　Buddhist　cult　in　this　country；　Mrs。　Frances　Hodgson　Burnett；　with　her　foot　on　the　first　rung　of　the　ladder　of　fame；　who　at　the　time　loved　much　millinery　finery。　　One　day　my　father　took　her　out　sailing　and；　much　to　the　lady's　discomfiture　and　greatly　to　Richard's　and　my　delight；　upset　the　famous　authoress。　　At　a　later　period　the　Joseph　Jeffersons　used　to　visit　us；　Horace　Howard　Furness；　one　of　my　father's　oldest　friends；　built　a　summer　home　very　near　us　on　the　river；　and　Mrs。　John　Drew　and　her　daughter　Georgie　Barrymore　spent　their　summers　in　a　near…by　hostelry。　　I　can　remember　Mrs。　Barrymore　at　that　time　very　well…wonderfully　handsome　and　a　marvellously　cheery　manner。　　Richard　and　I　both　loved　her　greatly；　even　though　it　were　in　secret。　　Her　daughter　Ethel　I　remember　best　as　she　appeared　on　the　beach；　a　sweet；　long…legged　child　in　a　scarlet　bathing…suit　running　toward　the　breakers　and　then　dashing　madly　back　to　her　mother's　open　arms。　　A　pretty　figure　of　a　child；　but　much　too　young　for　Richard　to　notice　at　that　time。　　In　after…years　the　child　in　the　scarlet　bathing…suit　and　he　became　great　pals。　　Indeed；　during　the　latter　half　of　his　life；　through　the　good　days　and　the　bad；　there　were　very　few　friends　who　held　so　close　a　place　in　his　sympathy　and　his　affections　as　Ethel　Barrymore。

Until　the　summer　of　1880　my　brother　continued　on　at　the　Episcopal　Academy。　　For　some　reason　I　was　sent　to　a　different　school；　but　outside　of　our　supposed　hours　of　learning　we　were　never　apart。　　With　less　than　two　years'　difference　in　our　ages　our　interests　were　much　the　same；　and　I　fear　our　interests　of　those　days　were　largely　limited　to　out…of…door　sports　and　the　theatre。　　We　must　have　been　very　young　indeed　when　my　father　first　led　us　by　the　hand　to　see　our　first　play。　　On　Saturday　afternoons　Richard　and　I；　unattended　but　not　wholly　unalarmed；　would　set　forth　from　our　home　on　this　thrilling　weekly　　adventure。　　Having　joined　our　father　at　his　office；　he　would　invariably　take　us　to　a　chop…house　situated　at　the　end　of　a　blind　alley　which　lay　concealed　somewhere　in　the　neighborhood　of　Walnut　and　Third　Streets；　and　where　we　ate　a　most　wonderful　luncheon　of　English　chops　and　apple　pie。　　As　the　luncheon　drew　to　its　close　I　remember　how　Richard　and　I　used　to　fret　and　fume　while　my　father　in　a　most　leisurely　manner　used　to　finish　off　his　mug　of　musty　ale。　　But　at　last　the　three　of　us；　hand　in　hand；　my　father　between　us；　were　walking　briskly　toward　our　happy　destination。　　At　that　time　there　were　only　a　few　first…class　theatres　in　Philadelphiathe　Arch　Street　Theatre；　owned　by　Mrs。　John　Drew；　the　Chestnut　Street；　and　the　Walnut　Streetall　of　which　had　stock　companies；　but　which　on　the　occasion　of　a　visiting　star　acted　as　the　supporting　company。　　These　were　the　days　of　Booth；　Jefferson；　Adelaide　Neilson；　Charles　Fletcher；　Lotta；　John　McCullough；　John　Sleeper　Clark；　and　the　elder　Sothern。　　And　how　Richard　and　I　worshipped　them　allnot　only　these　but　every　small…bit　actor　in　every　stock　company　in　town。　　Indeed；　so　many　favorites　of　the　stage　did　my　brother　and　I　admire　that　ordinary　frames　would　not　begin　to　hold　them　all；　and　to　overcome　this　defect　we　had　our　bedroom　entirely　redecorated。　　The　new　scheme　called　for　a　gray　wallpaper　supported　by　a　maroon　dado。　　At　the　top　of　the　latter　ran　two　parallel　black　picture　mouldings　between　which　we　could　easily　insert　cabinet　photographs　of　the　actors　and　actresses　which　for　the　moment　we　thought　most　worthy　of　a　place　in　our　collection。　　As　the　room　was　fairly　large　and　as　the　mouldings　ran　entirely　around　it；　we　had　plenty　of　space　for　even　our　very　elastic　love　for　the　heroes　and　heroines　of　the　footlights。

Edwin　Forrest　ended　his　stage　career　just　before　our　time；　but　I　know　that　Richard　at　least　saw　him　and　heard　that　wonderful　voice　of　thunder。　　It　seems　that　one　day；　while　my　mother　and　Richard　were　returning　home；　they　got　on　a　street…car　which　already　held　the　great　tragedian。　　At　the　moment　Forrest　was　suffering　severely　from　gout　and　had　his　bad　leg　stretched　well　out　before　him。　　My　brother；　being　very　young　at　the　time　and　never　very　much　of　a　respecter　of　persons；　promptly　fell　over　the　great　man's　gouty　foot。　　Whereat　（according　to　my　mother；　who　was　always　a　most　truthful　narrator）　Forrest　broke　forth　in　a　volcano　of　oaths　and　for　blocks　continued　to　hurl　thunderous　broadsides　at　Richard；　which　my　mother　insisted　included　the　curse　of　Rome　and　every　other　famous　tirade　in　the　tragedian's　repertory　which　in　any　way　fitted　the　occasion。　　Nearly　forty　years　later　my　father　became　the　president　of　the　Edwin　Forrest　Home；　the　greatest　charity　ever　founded　by　an　actor　for　actors；　and　I　am　sure　by　his　efforts　of　years　on　behalf　of　the　institution　did　much　to　atone　for　Richard's　early　unhappy　meeting　with　the　greatest　of　all　the　famous　leather…lunged　tragedians。

From　his　youth　my　father　had　always　been　a　close　student　of　the　classic　and　modern　drama；　and　throughout　his　life　numbered　among　his　friends　many　of　the　celebrated　actors　and　actresses　of　his　time。　　In　those　early　days　Booth　used　to　come　to　rather　formal　luncheons；　and　at　all　such　functions　Richard　and　I　ate　our　luncheon　in　the　pantry；　and　when　the　great　meal　was　nearly　over　in　the　dining…room　we　were　allowed　to　come　in　in　time　for　the　ice…cream　and　to　sit；　figuratively；　at　the　feet　of　the　honored　guest　and　generally；　literally；　on　his　or　her　knees。　　Young　as　I　was　in　thos