The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-12-20
Passage ina the H1Ikc OF am
actor

"a CQOF.
We went one night to sec 4 come
dy. The chie! Il, tor was q i;avnritc
one, and the theatre was crowded.
The curtain drew up, and amid burst
OF applause the hero ofthe place made
his appearance. He had however.
scarcely uttered twenty words, when
ii struck u> that something strange
was the matter will him. The play
WAS Il boiscrous comedy Of the old
sch""I, and required CO nsidcraiIc
rlvacily on the part of the actors to
sustain it property: but this poor man
sc''"'rJ utterly l'icless. He walked
a'I,i talked like one in Il dream; the
i'rs, points he passed over without
il. prarlng to have perceived them, hi.
!:t::!> ,':s.!..,' - he wa!lr:!; III s#;iu
wa> Sna>tIy, his laugh hollow and
u, '';:lural; and frequently he w"ui
st".' abruptly i'll The middle Of Il
>pr,c!l and let his eye Wander vacant
y over he audience. Even when to
h character of the silly husband, he
hal to suffer himself to be kicked
bout the stag hy the y"uny rake OF
G I" ':c'.y, and afterwards t. bchod
hat .ya.rirsS iudivi.lnai making love
t" his wife and eating supper, while he
WAS shut up Ia closet from Which he
,''nsd not emerge, his cnnlurlI"ns Of
,",i'l, i'as wrath that lad never .ciorc
!..h.I t.. bring down thundc $ o!
,t ,au were now such dismal
.'iriIpl> !" portray the passion, that
iil,>r> were plainl, audible in valiou,
pats "i jiic theatre. A storm IL
80. ..,la', aud 4bu>c, long gathering
n". b,u,! ot li,r head of tho devoted
.ri,t. l'@nils 'any through the house;
.''"~A 'rorI,., I undcd with sticks and
"n,hrclas ,,n Tic floor; and TO verbal
attack. "range peel, apples, peanuts,
soon succeeded. The poor fellow
>l"pi"d 1T last, and turned TO the
nhoui,n. ciuvd. Never did we be
h"i'i such misery in human conntc-
nance. HIS fac, worn and ha.yar.I,
showed doubly mragre in the gas
light, and large tears rolled down his
painted chccks. We could see his
lips quiver with inward agony; his
bosom swcIled with suppressed emo
lion, whIIc his whole mie, WAS SO ful
of unu;lcrablc sorrow, that, after the
first glance, there was no man in the
housr who dared not to pity him
Tie audience was moved, and hy
degrees the clamor was subsidized into
a'soicInn silence. He stood near the
foot lights, quiet and detected. When
ali was calm, he spoke, ard, in
v"ic" broken. with sobS, proceeded to
offer his little explanation,
Ladies' and gentlemen, he said,
though, in my pcrtormpnce to night,
! am cohSious of having neritcd your
di>plrasurc, believe me that in one
point You do me an injustice. | am
nat intoxicated. Emotion alone, and
that Of the most painful kind, has
caused iic TO fulfil my allotted pant SO
bnAIy. My wife died an hour ago,
and left her bedside t. fulfil my
uniavo able engagement here. II |
have not pleased you, lmPlnrc you
to forgive me. | loved her, grcve
for her; and if misery and anguish can
excuse fault, bear my apology
here.
He placed his land upon his he 'rt.
and stopped. y burst Of tears,
relieved for moment, his paroxysm
Of grict, and there WAS not Il corner OF
that house, Dimes, that did not re
echo tnat poor acto,'s sobs. The
audience was completely overcome,
and an honest burst of SYM alhy
made he painted trees on the stage
trrmbIc as if struck with q sudden
storm. Women wcpt loudly, and
strong men silently. and during the
remainder of the evening the perform
ancc was scarcely y audible through the
hurricane of applause with which the
crowd sought, after their own fashion,