lliam H. Crane, the actor, is looking unusually robust this
autumn. He seems to have recovered entirely from the malady which
made life a burden to him for several years. He thought there was
something the matter with his liver. Last July he put in a good share
of his time blue-fishing with Grover Cleveland. One day they ran out
of bait.

"Wonder if they'd bite at liver?" asked Crane.

"They love it," answered Cleveland.

So without further ado Crane out with his penknife, amputated his
liver, and minced it up for bait. He hasn't had a sick day since.

By way of introduction to a few words respecting the close, quizzical,
and always sincere friendship that existed between Field and Helena
Modjeska, the following invention of March 29th, 1884, may serve to
indicate the blithesome spirit with which he tortured facts when
racketting around for something to add to the bewilderment of his
readers and his own relaxation:

A letter from Mr. William H. Crane imparts some interesting gossip
touching the Cincinnati dramatic festival. It says that an agreeable
surprise awaits the patrons of the festival in an interchange of
parts between Madame Modjeska and Mr. Stuart Robson, the comedian;
that is to say, Modjeska will take Mr. Robson's place in the "Two
Dromios," and Robson will take Madame Modjeska's place in the great
emotional play of "Camille." It is well known that Modjeska has a
penchant for masculine roles, and her success as Rosalind and Viola
leaves no room for doubt that she will give great satisfaction in the
"Comedy of Errors." Mr. Robson has never liked female roles, but his
falsetto voice, his slender figure, his smooth, rosy face, and his
graceful, effeminate manners qualify him to a remarkable degree for
the impersonation of feminine characters. Moreover, his long
residence in Paris has given him a thorough appreciation and
elaborate knowledge of those characteristics, which must be
understood ere one can delineate and portray the subtleties of
Camille as they should be given. Those who anticipate a farcical
treatment of Dumas's creation at Mr. Robson's hands will be most
wofully surprised when they come to witness and hear his artistic
presentation of the most remarkable of emotional roles.

[Illustration: MODJESKA.]

Elsewhere I have referred to the roguish pleasure Field took in
ascribing the authorship of "The Wanderer" to Helena Modjeska. That