Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-06-16

tue mead OF Original" We have right to
guess at the authorship, and we therefore guess
tnat Mrs. Estclle Mcdonald, wife ofthe talented
editor OF the Journal, is the authoreSs. She is
an actresS-a brilliant actreSs--and there are
passages" in her professional history, with
which we are acquainted, that coincide with
those delineated below Assuming that Mrs,
Mcdonald is the writer, VIC have only to saw
that She wleids the pen with the same graceful
freedom that she treads the stage :-4NurysriLLe
(CaL) Nccs.
Pnssn 9 es I'm the Life Ofnn Actress.
"Ihear the echOng tread of time,
Down the dim galleries of the Past,
And In the funeral train of years,
follow where my way cast"
1t is nearly ten years since made my first
appearance in the mimic world the stage; inter-
vening time is full of event-inportant to me,
but not, perhaps, of sufficient important to 9TH
ers tojuStily recital.
will tell only the portent of few hours in
which young girl-a very chid-lived years
Of trembling hope and gratified ambition, which
klndlcd in the soul a qucnchlcss thirst to drink
the libations which the multitude pour to the
Deity of Gcnins. | knew nothing Of the life
into which stepped, that night, across the
threshold OF my fathers door. My brother had
taken me but once to the thcater, TO see the
great actor Of the day in Macbeth. He WAS
great. But the person representing Lady Mac
beth was of ordinary capacity. The house
shook with applause, yet / thought could see
ary desire 10 spring upon the stage and under
take the more fOrcIble rendering of Il character
which the actress rendered absurd To my own
conception Still the audience applaudcd the
coarse, stupid woman, who was decorating the
noble bard whose creations have given immor-
tality TO historical beings which, but for him,
you'd now be Slumbering among the moth eaten
records from which the antquary translate
little of great achievement. That night | lay
awake till morning, reading Macbeth. /" |
need not detail the operations ofmind which in
Il few years crowned me with the mimic dia-
mondS of the tragedy queen.
stood trembling Mt the wing of the largest
Theatre in New Orleans, awaiting for the word
that would call me before the multitude of
strange faces. The house was one compnct of
humanity, attracted 10y the novelty OF first
appearance could read expectation and So.
we're criticism in the deep silence of the audi
ence and my heart almost leaped out as stepp-
ed before The immense throng. My first articil-
iation was slow and labOred, but although little
above 81 whisper, it sounded frightGully loud rs
the applause, prompted by my youthful appear.
ance, SnhSidcd 10 breathlcSS silence could
sec thousands of eyes fixed on me, and the au-
dIencc seemed TO extend back half mile, To n
great cfftHS. oRkc the narrowing street of
terror After perhaps dozen sentences, man
in the pit raped with his cane, and then came
a storm Of applause which to me seemed loud
er than the roar of thousand andward coming
waves, in their dissolution on the rocks. 1t was
INV first Intoxicating draught OF gratihed am
bition. My head rcclcd and swain as though
the Gulf Stream swept by me, but it was only
momentary ard when silence was restored l
was strong and selfrcliant. Round after round
of applause followed me through the piece ana
when the curtain fell could feel the stage
trembling as some one led me to seat, ana
fina ly before the cnrtun, IN response 10 'ne
continued camoringS in front. Blessings on
that old man with stick! But for him must
have Eaied-but for him the poor, trembling
Girl would have sunk before the mercIiesS gaze
of :he throng, before whom she was more "i "a
| lSueCtaCle than actress am Satlshed now
that my acting that night was 'iRe the oTnt3ry
of the school room, but the impulse OF that
kind-hearted man made me return home exalted
and proud as the young hero al his first ovation.
! Oh, how naughty was my step as strobe home,
listening TO the congratulations oil my triehaS:
SddonS, in her proudGSt conquest, never telt
greater exultation than did wneh my orotner
kissed my check, and talked of the events OF the
evening.
Gloriously rose the morning sun, with his
golden flood of day; the world was one great
temple of flame, TO the dome of which vas
swiftly to climb; the heavens were hnt scroll
on which my name was to be Written from an
aIphahct of stars Little did | think then that
> the flowers of youth and hope, which bent over
and dipped their faces in the gilded stream
would turn to Dead Sea fruit, and fall to ashes
in the stagnant pool, that lives without 9% tn tne
boundaries ofchristian mercy. Among the Wis
ions of the new day saw not the austere lorll
of Religion, with communicating ban, fur
rowing chnsn between the actress and and the nc
Sacraments; thought not that a department
art made luminous by the highest intellIgenceE
of centuries, should ever he craven around by
proscEye shiss Of tbsn the ,So fs'Ss"i' @ork Of
Y nain,er sculptor, or historian. l saw only tn
golden crested waves in which the sunlight Of
a Summers day was entombcd; / felt not the Arc
+ tic rigor which was to freeze me into compan
Tie Tie scene shifted; sat in lonely tcnemen
of a great city, watching the life ebb away @ fro'
!. little child whom had lifted from the sou
. troughs Of the poor Her face was thin an
pale, yet beautiful as photograph wrought b b
as the pure light of heaven, from a" angel VIII III
e smiles on the sleep of innocence. could SC
?. the blood coagulating in her blue veins, and
5, felt the tremor when the pure soul leapt o!
+. t into the territory of angels. was alono-W't
t. no ono to love me on earth. The tragedy quee
IS, bac,,re n DcaSaut of S0rrow,-alnnc in tt