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Show jce Cream His Inspiration Dion Boucicault Said He Actually Wrote "The Shaughran" While Under the Influence of the Confection. At the time when Dion Boucicault, who died in 1890, was at the height of his fame as a great playwright and a popular actor, I had occasion to call upon him one morning at his apartments; apart-ments; he took up his residence in this country in 1876, you may remember. remem-ber. But though the hour was clore to noon, I was informed that Mr. Boucicault was just preparing for breakfast, and was asked to wait until he had finished the meal. In a moment or two, however, a cheery voice that of Boucicault himselfsang him-selfsang out, "The top of the morning morn-ing to you!" and I was shortly usb ered into the breakfast room. As we talked over the business that had taken me to him, Boucicault, between be-tween his rapid-fire answers to my questions, made away with the substantial sub-stantial meal that had been spread before him. Then he motioned to the attendant, who left the room, but speedily returned, bearing a tray upon which reposed a single saucer and In that dish was the largest block of ice cream I had ever seen served as a single portion a block that seemed. In fact, to be sufficient to satiate the Ice cream appetite of at least three persons. Perhaps I involuntarily showed my surprise both at the unusual breakfast dish and its size. At any rate, Boucicault Bouci-cault turned to me with a merry twinkle In his eyes. "You have found me indulging in one of my peculiarities," he said. "Do you know, 1 am a firm believer in the value of Ice cream as an Inspiration of influence? I actually wrote 'The Shaughraun' under the Inspiration of It. If I became a little thick-headed while engaged In producing that play, or wasn't clear about the treatment of Con or any of the other characters, I called for a place of ice cream, and a large plate at that, and when I had eaten it, everything cleared up for me, and I was a-ble to get the right results re-sults " Between sentences Boucicault was tackling vigorously the little mountain ! of coldness. "I always have it on hand," he continued, "and I could go without my coffee for breakfast with less regret that I could do without my customary portion of Ice cream. Almost everybody else keeps ice cream for an after-dinner dessert, and Sunday dessert at that. With the last spoonful of the huge portion disposed of, Boucicault threw himself back in his chair like a man who is content with himself and 'l the world. "Ah," he sighed, "if I were a poet I would sing the praises of ice cream. To me it is what tea was to Dr. Johnson, a cigar to Bulwer-Lyt-ton, End what absinthe is to some of the more famous French writers." And the great playwright smacked his lips, probably partly reminiscently and partly In anticipation of the next huge portion of ice cream that would be set before hkn. (Copyright, 1910, by E. J. R1-.vprls.) |