Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-02-26
EkVL Ell DORADO COUNTY SATURDAY FEBRUARY

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Of passion, and her majestic method Of cros-
sing the room. Finally, in Offering hcf' the
leading part at his theatre during the ensuing
month, be promised to respect the secret ofi1e'
name until an enthusiastic public would be
deHied the revelation no longer. ef ..e
"And now that you have made your bust.
ness arrangements with my future prOprietoEyi'
said Nina, with laughing eyes and raAient
countenance, as her brother returned from an
interview with their visitor, "do, pray, dear
brother, till me how much may be worth
per week."
swell, love-" replied Cecil, with hesita-
tion, " considering that you are entirely un-
known and quito inexperienced; that you
have not the great theatrical lineage which
some possess, to give an interest TO your de
but; that Il am only quoting the manager s
words, you know you have no decidedly or
ginal readings Of any well known"
Am worth nothing :" interrupted the girl,
passionately. "What does all this tend to I!
Was the man lying to my face ten minutes
agoI" ..-------..--.
/" No, Nina, no." stammered her brother;
" but the offer seemed SO small, so insigniti-
cant, that scarcely liked 10 come to it. Fif
teen pounds week. 1t would be positively
distressing, were it not so ridiculous; but Sid
donses, O'Neills, and Nina Hothams must
begin, you see, upon trifc."
y She tossed her heal and pouted little at
this intelligence; but presently left the room
to pursue her studies, in her natural high
spirits. Cecil stood looking at the door
through which she had departed, with loving
but melancholy eyes. lie had schooled the
manager in the part he was to play with Nina
before he saw her, and his subsequent busi-
ness arrangements with that gentleman had
been different indeed from that which he had
represented them. Urts.
81 think l was right" he unused; "I trust
| was right. To have told her tue miserable
truth-that have had to pay fifteen pounds
a week for the privilege Of bcr being permit
ted to act-wOuld have gone we'll nigh to kill
her; After next month, too, all these things
will be changed Such beauty, such grace,
such genius, cannot remain long gunapprociated
by any who have eyes and ears"
At the little transporting theatre the effect
Of this pecuniary dramatic arrangement was
tremendous The first tragic lady, who had
to become the second tragic lady at once, en-
acted little cxtempOraneous tragedy upon
her own account by going into hysterics.-
The second and third tragic ladies were each
proportionally indignant at being unceremO.
niously thrust down q peg apiece In the dra-
matte scale. The sentiments Of the whole
corps Of female artistcs can be only parallel
by those Of tho military, when the highest
step is not allowed, for some unexplained rca-
son, to go in tho regiment. Tho male actors
protested in soothing tones that they would
scorn to act with the interloper; or, if they
were obliged to do SO, that they would act ex-
ceedingly in.
AccOrdingly-for to this universal Jealous
ly Of his sisters position, poor Cecil always
Hscribcd the catastrophe the namelcss
tragedicnne made Her First Appearance at the
transporting theatre, no failure had ever been
10 complete, on either sidO Of the; Thames.
There waR pretty general applause when che
made her first majestic appearance; but from
the moment when she began to speak, until
she closed her eyes in mimic death; tho Noes
had II.
The second night was not so completely un,
fortunate as the first only because there were
not so many people In the house to express
disaPprobation. On the third night the do
posed first tragic lady of the theatre resumed
her sway.
It would be painful to narrratc in detail, how,
at this and that inferior theatre, Nina Hotham
attempted again and again to assert her fan
cied preeminence, and always In vain; how
hundreds Of pounds were spent IN this costly
whim of herS, although hCr brother never had
the heart to tell her the truth, and how
he himself never lost his loving faith in her
but believed that tho world would welcome
her ono day, yet Pecvish and fretful at the
slightest ciOsS, as she had ever been, she
now began to pine under this great reverse.
Her vanity, so far from being crushed by these
repeated disappointmchts, grew ranker and
wilder than ever stretching out its too lux.
uriant tcndrils on all sidcs' and finding moth:
ing to support them, anywhere. It really
seemed as ifthe glare Of the 4oOt.lighta and
the breath Of popular applause were a. light
and air to her, end that both bOiaR- denied
her, she must perish. hehl - .ael 7t.tAte4
Cecil Hotham, knowing 90 much better than
she did, in what light estimation her talents
had betn held, was yet so blinded with admi.
ration for her rs to determine to risk his all in
one more grand attempt to get her q public
hearing. One Of the two great London thea
ters being advertised to be lot, for q certain
time, this good young man-sensible enough
in ordinary circumstances wherein his sister
was not concerned, but about as fitted for the
part Of manager Of such an establishment as
the Vicar of Waketicld--TesOlVed to undertake
the management of it. Matters were the more
difficult and untavorable for him, insomuch as
oil things were made subservient to the inter-
eSts Of Nina. The stars who CHANGED lust
then to be not fixed, were excluded from his
company, lest they should dim his sisters
brightness, but the minor consultations ex.
acted from him the pay Of their superiors.-
They were not going to do second business
chow Indignantly poor Nina echoed that ordl)
to person without an established name, un.
less they were we'll compensated for that hu.