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

We went one night to sec conc
! dy. The chief Il, tor was tavnritc
one, and the theatre was crowded.
The curtain drew up, and amid burst
OF applause the hero Of the place made
his appearance. lie had however.
scarcely uttered twenty words, when
IL struck II, that something strange
was the matter with him. The play
was a boisIcrous comedy Of the old
school, and required nsidcrahIe
v'vacity on the part of the actors to
sustain it property; but this poor man
sc"lnrd utterly lricIess. lie walked
ANA talked like one in dream; the
''rsl points he passed over without
Appearing to have perceived them, hi>
!!:hs ,f;''!>,! ;.% he walked; i:;$ s;:.ilc
wa> gha>lIy, his laugh hollow and
~ ";:lural: and frequently ne would
st".' abruptly i'll HE middle of Il
speech and let his eye wander vacant
/. over The audience. Even when to
h character OF the silly husband, he
ha'l to suffer himself to be kicked
bout the stag hy the y"ung rake OF
C co !e..y, and afterwards tn beho.d
hat ,'arrics> individual making love
to his wife and eating supper, willie he
WAS shut np Ia IL closet from Which he
c"nId not emerge, his cnnlortiulrs Of
,",i'i Tolls wrath that had never ctolc
.i,I t., bring down thundc 5 OF!
,# AN e were now such dismal
:'irm't> I" portray the pa>sinn, that
misses were plainl, auditIe in va,iuu,
nni> al the theatre. A storm Of
-" ,,.io!', and abusc. long gathering.
n"w bnr>.I on The head of tho devoted
.c',''. la nils 'any through the house;
i'",>y pcopl., + undcd with sticks and
"nbrcllas n'i The floor; and TO verbal
attack. "rlnse peel. apples, peanuts,
sn"n succeeded. The poor fellow
>l"pl".d ut last, and turned to the
>honIin4 c1v"d. Never did we be
h"ii suck misery in human c,un,c-
nance. His fac, worn and hagyar,,
showed doubly mragrc in the gas
light, and large tears rolled down his
painted checks. we could see his
lips qnivcr with inward agony; his
bosom sweIled with suppressed emo
ton, while his whole mie.. WAS so f.l!
OF unuilcrablc sorrow, that, after. the
first glance, there was no man in the
hons'' who dared not to pity him.
The andirnceS was moved, and by
degrees the clamor was subsidcd into
asocrnn silence. He stood near the
foot lights, quiet and detected. When
ali was calm, he spoke, and, in
v"ic" broken with sobs, proceeded to
offer his little explanation.
Ladies' and gentlemen he said,
though, in my performances to night,
] am cohsions of having meritcd your
displrasurc, believe me that in one
point You do me 81 injustice. | am
not intoxicated. Emotion alone, and
that Of tho most painful kind, has
caused me TO fulfil my allotted palt SO
badly. My wife died an hour ago,
and left her bedside t" fulfil my
unlavo able enlargement here. If
have not pleased you, implorc you
to'torsive me. | loved her, gricvo
for her; and ifmisery and anguish eau
excuse a fault, bear my apology
here
lie placed his hand upon his he 'rt.
and stopped. n burst Of tears,
relieved for a moment, his paroxysm
of grief, and there WAS not II corner OF
that house, Dimes, that did not re
echo tnat poor actors sobs. The
audience was completely overcome,
and an honest burst Of symIalhy
made The painted trees on the stage
trrmblc 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 audible through the
hurricane of applause with which the
crowd sought, after their own fashion,