Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor

Fred Fearnot as an Actor; or, Fame Before the Footlights This installment of the *Fred Fearnot* serial (No. 7, January 20, 1899) opens with Fred and his classmate Terry Olcott traveling west by train on business for Fred's father; they encounter a theatrical company en route to Iowa engagements. The two boys impress the actors with their singing of "The Old Oaken Bucket," leading to witty banter in which Fred and Terry claim former experience with African opera companies. Fred demonstrates ventriloquism and performs a comedic rendition of Hamlet's Soliloquy. The boys befriend two blonde actresses—Nellie Traynor and Elsie Warner—and a brunette named Gussie Silvers, entertaining them with songs and conversation through the night. The next morning, after breakfast, the theatrical company leaves the train in Ohio, while Fred and Terry continue westward toward Iowa to attend to the father's legal business. The second chapter begins their arrival in an Iowa town and introduction to a prominent lawyer.