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Show INTERVIEWEDJJARY ANDERSON. Hw a Better P,ay( .d the piirt Boy and Scored a Beat Among the well known men about town m Brooklyn!, Frank Coo" at one time promised to be Bartley (w, merly a Chicago newspaper reporter that he had a very singular adventure At the t.me Mr. Cooper was vervvoun ; and very amb.tious to shine in'hU pr fess.on and when Mary Anderson, who was then the awe of the theatrical world, reached town, l)e thought he saw his chance to ascend the first few rungs of the ladder of fame. He would interview inter-view the noted actress. - This decision was reached in an instant, but many days passed before the project was put into execution. Miss Anderson's stepfather, Dr. Hamilton Griffin, was keeping his precious charge far from the interviewer 'in those days. Mr. Cooper finally decided to apply for the honorable position of bell boy in the hotel at which the Anderson party stopped. JIi8 vouth-ful vouth-ful appearance helped him and ho soon donned the appropriate uniform. Then he lay in wait for a ring from Miss Anderson's Ander-son's room. For over twelve hours he dashed about on errands and carried pitchers of ice water and glasses filled with something stronger before Miss Anderson mado up her mind that she wanted anything. Then the little flap covering the number of her room dropped with a click. Cooper had his eye on it, and almost before the clerk could cry "Front!" he was at the desk. "Number So and So!" said the clerk, "quick." The messenger needed no urging, but flew up the ntairs. His magnet wanted a scuttle of coal and down Cooper rushed. The next minute he was knocking at Miss Anderson's door with one hand and holding hold-ing the bucl; et with the other. Once inside in-side he made for the open grate, but in his nervousness ho spilled most of the coal on the carpet. Then he sat down in the midst of the ruin he had wrought and looking up found the actress standing over him. "What do you think of the future ci the stage?" hurst from his lips. Miss Anderson was impressed with the .humorous side of tho situation at onco and began laughing. This reassured the disguised reporter, and in a few minutes he was carrying on a discussion with the actress on matters pertaining to her art. This lasted for some time, Miss Anderson Ander-son expressing great (surprise at the knowledge displayed by a bell boy, and Cooper got an interview that all the old bands in town had despaired of being able to procure. How lie got out of the room, he says, he never knew, but when lie reached the office he threw up his job and rushed for his desk in the city de-partment de-partment of a local paper. The next day his interview and a description of the scene appeared. It was the talk of the hour. It was copied far and wide, and the author was assured that his future would be a bright one. PThe next day he paid for his temerity. His chief, the late Samuel Medill, a brother of the present owner of the paper pa-per in question, was so tickled at the "beat" he had obtained that he insisted that Cooper should meet Dr. Griffin. So that night he took the youthful imposter down to the hotel, and, sending for Dr. Griffin, formally presented him. For a full minute Dr. Griffln looked the reporter re-porter straight in the eye, and then, drawing back his hand, struck him in the face. The blow was a hard one, and Cooper reeled and would have fallen to the floor had not Mr. Medill caught him. Before anything could be done Dr. Griffin Grif-fin had turned and left the room, and Mr. Cooper never saw him again. New York Times. |