The reputation of the rising young actress began to spread now beyond the
bounds of her Kentucky home, and on the 6th of March, 1876, she commenced
a week's engagement at the Opera House in St. Louis. Old Ben de Bar, the
great Falstaff of his time, was manager of this theater. He had known all
the most eminent American actors, and had been manager for many of the
stars; and he was quick to discern the brilliant future which awaited the
young actress. The St. Louis engagement was not altogether successful,
though it was brightened by the praises of General Sherman, with whom was
formed then a friendship which remains unbroken till to-day. Indeed, the
old veteran can never pass Long Branch in his travels without "stopping
off to see Mary." Ben de Bar had a theater in New Orleans known as the St.
Charles. It was the Drury Lane of that city, and situated in an
unfashionable quarter of the town. Its benches were reported to be almost
deserted and its treasury nearly empty. But an engagement to appear there
for a week was accepted joyfully by Mary Anderson. She played Evadne at a
parting _matinee_ in St. Louis on the Saturday, traveled to New Orleans
all through Sunday, arriving there at two o'clock on the Monday afternoon,
rushed down to the theater to rehearse with a new company, and that night
appeared to a house of only forty-eight dollars! The students of the
Military College formed a large part of the scanty audience, and fired
with the beauty and talent of the young actress, they sallied forth
between the acts and bought up all the bouquets in the quarter. The final
act of "Evadne" was played almost knee-deep in flowers, and that night
Mary Anderson was compelled to hire a wagon to carry home to her hotel the
floral offerings of her martial admirers. General and Mrs. Tom Thumb
occupied the stage box on one of the early nights of the engagement, and
the fame of the beautiful young star soon reached the fashionable quarter
of New Orleans, and Upper Tendom flocked to the despised St. Charles. On
the following Saturday night there was a house packed from floor to
ceiling, the takings, meanwhile, having risen from 48 to 500 dollars. An