shland
Avenue, had a stage, and Georgia Timberlake, a romantic-minded girl of
twenty with flaxen hair, imagined she could act. Mrs. Timberlake, a
fat, indulgent mother, rather agreed with her. The whole idea, after a
few discursive performances of Milton's "The Masque of Comus," "Pyramus
and Thisbe," and an improved Harlequin and Columbine, written by one of
the members, was transferred to the realm of the studios, then
quartered in the New Arts Building. An artist by the name of Lane
Cross, a portrait-painter, who was much less of an artist than he was a
stage director, and not much of either, but who made his living by
hornswaggling society into the belief that he could paint, was induced
to take charge of these stage performances.

By degrees the "Garrick Players," as they chose to call themselves,
developed no little skill and craftsmanship in presenting one form and
another of classic and semi-classic play. "Romeo and Juliet," with few
properties of any kind, "The Learned Ladies" of Moliere, Sheridan's
"The Rivals," and the "Elektra" of Sophocles were all given.
Considerable ability of one kind and another was developed, the group
including two actresses of subsequent repute on the American stage, one
of whom was Stephanie Platow. There were some ten girls and women
among the active members, and almost as many men--a variety of
characters much too extended to discuss here. There was a dramatic
critic by the name of Gardner Knowles, a young man, very smug and
handsome, who was connected with the Chicago Press. Whipping his
neatly trousered legs with his bright little cane, he used to appear at
the rooms of the players at the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday teas
which they inaugurated, and discuss the merits of the venture. Thus
the Garrick Players were gradually introduced into the newspapers.
Lane Cross, the smooth-faced, pasty-souled artist who had charge, was a
rake at heart, a subtle seducer of women, who, however, escaped
detection by a smooth, conventional bearing. He was interested in such
girls as Georgia Timberlake, Irma Ottley, a rosy, aggressive maiden who
essayed comic roles, and Stephanie Platow. These, with another girl,
Ethel Tuckerman, very emotional and romantic, who could dance
charmingly and sing, made up a group of friends which became very
close. Presently intimacies sprang up, only in this realm, instead of
ending in marriage, they merely resulted in sex liberty. Thus Ethel
Tuckerman