The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-01-29

her with her Shakespeare before her, buslly
engaged in putting the words Of -lrthur in
her memory.
Well, the pretty young gentleman feel
ings, when he discovered.the dreadful state
of affairs, may be imagined.
In vain Carrie tried to represent to him
the necessities of the case. Charlie was
snlky.
Il tell you l don't like it for you to be
stared at by whole houseful of people
dressed like that And | won't have it
There -
''De you suppose | like it, Charlie? p
said the poor girl, her heart almost ready
to break. 1T is necessity with me. Unjust
do it,
Now, Carrie" said this nice young
man, with the delicate instincts or brute,
''you know that I am disrleased with this
whole matter anyway. People know that
| am engaged to you, and it hurts my posi-
ton. But now for you to go and play Il
mans part-why I'm not going to stand it
now-that' $ all there is about it -
Selfish creature Is it not wonder Car
RE did not dismiss him then and there >
But what will not woman overlook in the
man she loves?
The poor girl, with tears in her eyes,
tried to talk over this stubborn fellow, who
however much we may excuse his natural
repugnance to seeing his tinancee on the
stage in boys dress-was actuated 50
thoroughly by a pitiable selfishncss. that
he could not see how necessity goaded the
young girl he professed to love.
1T hurts me, Charlie, more than you
know, to play this part or even to play any
part. De you think it is pleasant for me
to go upon the stage in the most novel and
placed? All, do have sympathy for me =
Do you, | entreat of you, even if no one
else can be moved to pity me ~
For the moment the man seemed to be
touched, and he went away leaving ray
Of hope in the poor girl breast that. after
all, oh, wondrous boon she might be able
to keep both her lover and her situation at
the theatre.
But the pretty faced, blonde whiskerel
fellow was true to his own selfish instincts
when he once removed from the seftening
influence of the poor girls tears. No, no.
he was not going to allow this sort of thing
to go on any longer.
lie stayed away from Carrie day after
day-hc who had been in the habit of call
ing at least once in every twenty-lour hours
and Carries heart sank within her as
time passed and still he did not come.
At length, on the very evening which
was to receive her debut in the part of
-4Hhur, she received letter from him \
thrill Of joy shot through her breast as she
received it ; but a film passed across her
eyes, when she read
q have concluded it will be best to break
off our engagement. think ! have made
a mistake about you. have been consult
ing some of my friends, and they think I'd
better not marry-an actress.
The letter fell to the ground. Her hands
were pressed for an instant over her burning
eyes, and then-it was over. The veil had
DROPPED. She would be strong.
She had loved him-oh, how dearly she
had loved him but now he had shown her
his baseness at one glance, and she would
forget him, like brave and sclf-reliant girl
He who should have been the staff of her
steps, the pillar of her strength, was weaker
than the broken reed, and had failed her
at the point of her sorest necessity. She
would show him that she could live and do
her duty without him.
Almost as in a dream-a dream as of one
who has wandered far from all delights,
she dressed herself for the part of lrthur.
and walked upon the stasc-into the glare
of the foetlights-into the presence of a
thousand eyes-with the dream still OIL her.
Those who remember how Carrie Lee
looked on that night Of her debut, will bear
me out i'll the assertion that in spite of her
unaccustomed dress, she was wonderfully
lovely-with her fair hair curling about her
head, her pleading eyes full of sorrow. and
her face of a marbla whiteness.
A murmur of applause ran through the
audience at sight Of her; but she was I'M
conscious alike Of applause or censure.
Hubert, the chamberlain is commissioned
by King John to put out the eyes of Arhur.
with red hot irons. At the beginning of
the fourth act Hubert enters, bearing the
irons, which he eenceals behind him. At
the same moment -irMur enters.
In low, musical voice, Carrie spoke:
Good-morrow, Hubert
Good morrow, little prince
The scene which followed was played by
the fair dsbutante with pleasing degree
of pathos, and it was evident carrie was
making good impression OH her audience.
Still it was not an extraordinary ability
which she displayed until the moment
when she was speaking the lines
Nay, you may think my love was crafty
love-
When, lifting her sad eyes mechanically.
there in the stage box she saw her lover
sitting. picture of sullen displeasurc. with
some Of the friends who had coaxed him to
come and sec the debut of the girl he had
east off
All, girlhood is weakness, and love is
strong, She thought she could put HIM
away without struggle. But now, at the
sight of him, there came back upon her
heart all the memories of her love-all the
miseres of her situation.
Oh This ,ras cruel. He might have
spared her this. Was it not enough that
he had cast her SO rudely otf'-that now he
must come to exult in public over her an
guish and embarrassment What had she
done that he should use her thuso She had
been to him all trust-all faith-all kind
ness.
And as these bitter thoughts filled her
mind, she fixed her eyes on his, and speak
ing the words of Arthur as her memory
mechanically retained them, spoke still to
her lover, sitting there, unable to turn his
eyes away.
S1,n 81, .,