Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1875 — Thaddeus Knew. [ARTICLE]

Thaddeus Knew.

Macready was plaving an engagement in New Orleans, and at the same hotel where he stopped was boarding a family in which was a bright-faced, winsome boy of four years of age, named Thaddeus, who very soon became a favorite with thj? tragedian. One day, while sitting upon Macready’s knee, Thaddy expressed a desire to go and see him act. He had never been to the theater, and he wanted to see what it was like, and especially to see “ Mr. C’eady” perform some of those wonderful things of which he had heard such rapturous accounts. “Do you think vou would understand th® play*” asked Macready. “Oh! yes;”’ Thaddy was sure he should understand. Mr.’ Macready promised him he should go, and on the following day he secured a box for the family. ■ The eveningcame, and Thaddy went to the theater. The play was “ King Lear.” The great tragedian was at his best, Macready’s forte —his strong point, as those will acknowledge who remember him —lay in his silent acting, in his pungent, pithy, telling gesticulations and facial changes; and in the storm scene of Lear, where the poor mad King is exposed to the

fuiy of the tempest, he does this sort of dumb acting to wild perfection, as he certainly did on the occasion to which we refer; and not one in the vast audience seemed more interested in the scene than did our little Thaddy, His mother had feared that the roar of the mimic thunder and the flashing of the vivid lightning athwart the darkened stage might frighten him; but it did not. On the following day Macready took Tljaddy upon his knee and asked him hpw he liked the play. “Oh, it was ’eal nice, Mr. C’eady,” answered the boy with enthusiasm. “And you think you understood it?” “Oh, yes, the whole of it.” The tragedian cast a gratified look around. It was something so to act that even a child could understand. “What did you think, Thaddv. when von saw me in that storm, with the thunder and the lightning roaring and flashing and the rain pelting upon me?” “Oh. it was too bad, Mr. C’eady; but I knew you didn’t care.” “You saw me moving my arms about wildly in the dark. Did why I did that?” “ Oh, certainly I did; and how I wished I was down there to help you.” The_ great man was visibly affected by this childish sympathy. “ And what, Thaddy, did you think I was .doing ? Why did you want to help me ?” ” Oh, I knew what you was doing. I’ve done it,” cried the boy, with a burst of enthusiasm. “And what was it?” “Why, I could see just as easy as could be, Mr. C’eady. You Was catching lightning-bugs!”