The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-24


money faster than his majestic and talented lady
could earn it Personally be was not worth his
salt. but he was engaged for the sake OF bis wife.
81 wish he was dead, doF said the poor
"'Husb. hush = said I, don't say that
"'But 1 do say II, and | mean II; little
wretch / shall never know moments peace
till be has drunk himself into his grave
"'Hush,' I repeated, for | saw the figures of
young Judson and Dossmorc emerging trom the
gloom.
"'WiTl he BE- here this morningr
"'No he's in bed, little bruter
"Rehcatsal began. 'Aaiba' (Foliambr) was
abscnt, and 50 was Rulla' (O'WarrebOyle -
Sicbnam told us that O'W., as we had called him,
had gone 10 Buckingham, TO arrange about our
opening there the following month OW. would
o OF have be en- bad actor for manager had he
not been afflicted with such terrible b ogue. He
Lad been educated az Trinity College. Dublin-at
least be said So. / have never been in Ireland,
but | should think Trinity must be a large col
ltRe, for all the lrshmen / have ever met date
hom IT, Pisayro was run through mean the
rehearsal, not the character-in the usual ram
hhaCkle way and then we commenced the ptntO-
mime, in which went on for the Demon Snge-
his wig-oh,' ki0g Of the Subierranean Salamau-
GERS. The performance that night was for little
CanRs's benefit. Canks was our propertyman,
and never acted except upon his benefit, when ne
always played clown-whCh he considered TO be
q triumph Of dramatic art In fact, he was a dis
appointed Brimaldi, and / believe would have
broken bis heart if be had not been permitted to
4" got home about three, and dined. My wife
ICOked out my armOr, and sent our eldest boy 70
he hair. drCssers' with my black-Tnglet wig. We
tNpC cted the pautomime TO draw good house.
Olo Proper, the great banker had promised his
support. He only visited the theatre twice a
esSon- once at he bespeak ei the conservative
| member, and once when Pi.ayrO was performed
| which play he considered the finest modern pro
| ductiOu OF the human mind.
During the whole Of the day | felt an unaC-
Countable depression Of spirits that | could not
| shake of. However, at six o'clock, started for
| the theatre, my carpet-bag in one hand, and nv
| rHpiCr, mutled in gun.c case, in the other. l
| should here mention that the stage was on the
/ same level as the ground, and that the gentle
| mems dressing. room was Immediately under the
| stage; the ladies' as was right they should, had "a
| com 'Ortabe room over the slage but our den
| was the most wrotChcd place conceivable. 10 had
| formed part of the gellaragn that had been so
| luckily ruinous TO Messrs. Cape & COrander,
! and was a dinEy hole. Though we put boards
| over that portion of the brick floor on which we
| dr5sssd, and made the stove red-hot, nothing
| could keep out the fearful cold, nor the damp,
| earthly smell and flavor Of wet sawiust, unwashed
| bottles, and stale river II was like dressing IN
a furnished sewer or dry drain; in truth, the
cellar was beneath the level Of the water at
| high tide.
Each actors dressing place was lighted by
| a candle in a tin socket. OWarrebOyle would
not 20 the expense Of gas-fttings; there was also
! for the diffusion of a general light, hoop sus-
pended from the ceiling with candles stuck in it
| u sort Of cheap impromptu chandelier, such as is
| sometimes hung up in dancing booths at country
| fairs. To gain this comfoTtless crypt we had to
| descend flight of stone stairs, picturesquely
worn and uneven as with heavy cOopers and
drunken cellarmen. Our dressing-p!sce, or
! dressing table, was merely few stout panks
nailed together by the stage carpenter; aud it had
| been portion of the paterna thoughtfulness of
our spirited and enterprising manager to fix this
dressing bench on the opposite side OF the cellar
TO the staircase, which gave us the trouble of
| ClammY
eeemed charged with cramps and rheuma'isms,
and to be sworn cemented foes to legs and feet
sncased in silk stockings, thin shoes, tleshings,
and Roman sandals.
Little Canks had a very good house. The
Proppers were in the stage box in regal state,
Mr.. Proper in the attitude of the country mem
ber, with his fat hand thrust into his white
waistcOat, and lost among his frill. Every time
| OWarrCbOyle uttered patriotic sentiment in
Dublin English old Proper received it as il il
we're the toast Of the evening, pulled the edge o
bis box with his disengaged hand, and cried
| Hear, hear after the fashion of members of thC
| House of Commons and cOnvvial clubs. ThC
effect was very funny. In the address TO tht
Peruvian army Ctour of them) 0'WarreboylI
shouted -
"'My br.r-reeve associatesl PARTNERS il
my tolls, my feelings, and my feeme! Cal
R-roR's worlds add vigor to the vir-r-tuou
ener-r-ges that inspire your harruts ?
Ono No! interrupted Proper.
"'Hhe thr-r.O we honor-r is the people
choice = proceeded O'W. (nOt "Rolla').
" H ear Hear = said Proper.
/ "'The laws that gov-ver-rn us are our BRAY
| fawthers' legaccep
) $50 they are = said Proper.
!, 1.-The faith we r reverence teaches us to Ii,
r in bonds of amitee with all mankoind, with sure
Y hope Of our Creators mercee and r-re-war-ru
1 | hereafter
"Bra-voi Very goodp from Proper.
: "'Tell your invadthers hisr
1 "'Yes Yesp
t ''And tell them, too, we seek NO change"
! bp- u han a
2 thinking of his notes.
]. "'And, least Of all, SUCH change as rHr
would br-r ing us !
g BRA.voP shouted Proper, amid thunde
!, of applause.
I, "0'waueboyle dared not offend the banlle
# but knew he teH daggers though he look(
3, none.
b "The piece went off very well, though that lit
a wretch Foljambe was the tipsiest Of "Atalibas
l observed that the eyes of his wife we're still re
J. but she had reached the dignifed and majesi
degree q eoDjugal quarrel, and took not Il
e, slightest notice of him, though spurred to it
IS his TemaTking, whenever she came near hiI
4 'Oh isn't she cross ? The combat between u
n and that stupid DossmOre was rapturously a
Jr plauded, and the curtain fell amid great enth
at sasm; O'W, as was his custom, insisting {
1t joining in his dirge, as he lay upon his Oi
lt "a butchers crutch, borrowed from the slaug
or ter. house in the lane.
"After the play, O'w told me he had bad lu
IS at Dundringham, and feared he should not
at able TO open there. He owed the proprietor:
r.. years rent, and they insisted on payment befO
le reoccupation. OW. did very well with his 8
rs towns, but he was an extraVagant man. and gal
TX bled fearfully tried to cheer him up, and tn
a descended the stone staircase to dress for
X demon In the pantomime
lg mo sooner had my feet touched the floor Tn
an asudden chill seized them. looked down aud 81
I'd that the bricks were wet-there was water at 10,
be | two inches deep upon them. / asked what "
es the matter, but nobody seemed TO know. Lit
ed ! Cauks, dressed as clown, was telling JudsC
)n dressed for harlequin, of his triumph at his Ii
ty | benefit, and how his leap had been encored.
sat down in my chair, and took Off my wig a
,e- leg armor. / was unbucNling my breastpla
of when / heard tremendous noise-a noise AZ
or the whole theatre were falling on US with a {
,e. rife crash With the quick instinct of fear,
sr- man rushed to the staircase. Half across the
e, lar we we're met by a vast volume Of water, whi
ed roaring like furnace, tumbled in upon us, O
10 lashed us back.
- "The brickWork of the dam or river wall l
re given way, and the flood was upon us.
IA at rolled In rapidly. We mounted upon
ep dressing-PlaCe, which was about three feet fr
er the ground. The water soon covered our kn
ey and stole swiftly higher and higher, till il reAcl
eir my chin. l thought my time had come, VIII
my foot struck against my dressing case,
20 article about eighteen inches high. l stood M
or H. and, my head and shoulders free, looked
W, upon the black death around me.
Cd Had il not been for my poor little dress
rts case, / should not now be alive TO tell this sta
r. As il was l felt the greatest difficulty in keep
NV footiuu ar.inHt the uOWnrful