When she said, "He
seems to have rather a brassy expression," Mr. Alcott could scarcely
hold his face. This was the first part: the second consisted of the
scene from the "Two Buzzards" already mentioned, and for the third a
witty dialogue about Mr. Sanborn's school. As more than half of the
audience was composed of Mr. Sanborn's pupils this charade produced a
great effect.
Her acting had this peculiarity, that she seemed always to be herself
and the character she was representing at the same time. This is the
case also with some professional actors and actresses, notably with
Madame Ristori and Edwin Booth: but it is not the finest kind of acting.
The anti-slavery conflict and the civil-war with which it ended appealed
strongly to her ardent and sympathetic nature; and this finally resulted
in her enlisting as a nurse to tend the wounded soldiers. Her lively and
picturesque "Hospital Sketches" written at Washington for the "Boston
Commonwealth" are the echo of this period. Very few passed through that
crisis without bearing the scars of it for life, and the fever which
Louisa Alcott contracted in the camp sapped her vitality and probably
shortened her days. She was one of the veterans, and deserved a pension.
While she was convalescing she said to a friend who condoled with her on
her misfortunes, "The loss of my hair was the worst of it" (this had
been cut off by order of the doctor); "I felt as if that were a
disgrace.
Pages:
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82