The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-12-25

"You know the beasts; they were the sam
three I've got now-Brown, Jones, and Robin
SOD. Old Browns O harmless old chap enough
not q sound tooth in bis head, and no NOR
harm in him than 10 an elderly ~iackass; Jones
is a deep old dodeer, but there isn't mucl
harm in him; but Robinson Jig q na~sty-temperet
beast, q brute you never can be sure OF, an AMI
NAL that will lick your hand one minute. an
be ready to snap your head Of the next.
"Well, I got q first-rate reception; [ though
the gallery would have never left Oh applaud
ing; and the sight Of the house, crammed II
the ceiling, made me almost g1ddy. Perhaps
it was the heat of the place, which was like 81
oysl. perhaps, as I'd been standing treat o.
beng stood far Of and on pretty we'll all day. ]
may have taken a little more than was good 1ol
me: ANYHOW, I felt the house spinning rounc
me-, Just as ifPd been some du1er OF q novice
instead or the old stGger l ann.
81 looked at the family box q. r, CURIOUS u
see who'd taken it. There was only one gen
tleman there, n msn OF fifty or there-abouts
with a cadayerous lantern-jawed tace, anc
light reddish hair, very straight, eombed neat
Iy on each side of his forehead. He was dress
ed in black, regular evening dress, wnlte
choker and all complete, and, do you Know,
the instant I set eyes upon that man, ne gave
me q turn" :.
"That was 8 queer fancy" said MIR. de la
Zoucbe. helping himself to tobacco from the
Heirs gutta-peroha pouch, which Lay open on
the wall.
"Perhaps it was; but If that night was to
cen over agan, I should have the FANCY over
again." replied P~rusinowski. 1t vas parry nus
ma: not like the rest of the audience, al good
nature. expecting to be amused, but with q
| sreadKast rayenous kind Of look, that made my
| blood run cold. That's q man who'd like TO
see something happen to me- said to myself:
* didn'tg give way to the fancy all at once, !
began the performance; but !! stole q glance ~
| nv sandy-bared pale-faced gentleman now
| and then, and always found HIM looking at
me in the same way. He had large h,ght-gray
| ewes, very light, and very prominent. l can
| see them now, and they followed every nova !
raade like Q cats following a mouse. de never
| moved his eyes from me, he never smiled, ne
\ never applauded; he sat in q half.croucnn8
attitude, leaning over the front OF me POI
| watching me, and he made me feel as l hao
| a ton weight tied to each Of my legs. Every.
| thing went we'll for some time. though l felt id
never done things worse. Brown and Jones
behaved beautifully; but just towsrd the last,
Ewhen Ihaf tosput my mead into hooinsons
mouth to bring down the curtain, l saw that
| the brute Was in one OF his nasty tempers. l
suppose the heat had put him put; Anyhow,
| he turned nasty, and when l wanted 70 couar
him, bounced away from me.
me house turned as still as death all IN q
moment, and T could zee the audience was
| frightened. Igaye q look OF my gentleman 10
| the box. he was leaning q Little farther over
the cushion, with something luxe 3 mile Oh
his face. -
bray to not pc frightened, laties and shen,
| tlemens, I said, in my broken Euglish-o!d
saueIkraut, the ophecleid at the Lsane, tausat
me that dodge; lid is nozing. Te peass viii to
all I veesh;" and then I gave Robinson . pretty
smart cuff, and began TO draw bis jaws open,
The brute snarled. turned upon me, and y!
a, -. --.Il hasa had htd fa6th IN
nv shoulder, if I hadn't given the sigual Tor
| the curtain. Half q dozen carpenters ruaneo
upon the stage and helped me to tackle him;
| We had him safe in less than a minute, but
| lust at that one moment, before the curtain
dropped, It vas aB near as o TOUGHER.
There was 9 goodsdeal Of applausei not that
ness Of pntang my hesdin the bruteia mouth
was in the bill, and the audience bad been
swindled out OF that; but they evidently knew
| I'd been IN danger, and they called me before
| the curtain. Hooked up at that whlte-faced
| doyil in the private box He was standing ups
| rubbing his hands in q satisfied kind OF way
as if he had seen what he wanted 70 see; sna
as I passed Just under him he said IN q SLOW
| measured voice that gave me the shlyers.
"A narrow escape, Herr. Very we'll done in
deed. I congratulate you"
gave him q look which he ought to have
understood, ifhe didn't, made my bow to the
house, and went off the stage. Robinson was
| quiet enough by this time. My man Joe Purdy
| had walked him of to his box, and there ne
| was growing over his shin-bones, as mild q
| lion as you'd WISH to see, 'Only let me get You
/ safe back to London, my friend, says ], "and
I'M take YOU down to Jamraok's and sTop you
| for something better tempered. Talent 10 all
| very well; but temper's worth all the talent IN
| the world" However. that's five years ago,
| and there's Robinson still performing with me.
| The brute has such 3 wonderful! GUT ior hls
| profesaon, and his heart and souls in 1t, too.
| Take that animal in the middle Of the day,
| when he amt particular hungry, and he's o
| decent fellow enough; bnt come bet Eeen him
| and his business, and you'll lind out what g
| lion 10. He's been Q fortune to me frat AND
| last. has that animal, Brown and Jones ere
| nothing more than supers to him.
"You didn't see any more OF your n1end IN
| the box2" inquired MIR. de Ia Iouche;.
nv clothes he had LEFT the house. went
| round to the box.of6oe to see II the bo1-keepers
| could tell me anything about him. No, he was
| a n He had taken his box that morn.
| ing. finding there was no stall to be had. and
| paid his three guineas without q question,
snow, I dsresay you'll think me- sp out.snd
fool, when L tell you couldn't sleep taat
| that man, couldn't get his pale cheeks and
lsnkjaws aud light gray eyes, with that horrid
| FLOATING look in them. opt Of my mind. "Thst's
! a fellow who'd go to see 3 nan hung SAID 70
I myself. .tThat's q min who'd stand BY to see
his fellow-creatures hung, drawn, and quarter.
| ed, and enjoy ESPECIALLY the drawing" !
| hadn't q doubt in my mind that ne was on the
lookout for an accident al! the evening; !
hadn't q doubt in my mind that 1t was through
] him I made q mess Of it at the end.
Die you never see him againf" asked Inc
low comedian. go.
aNeyer: God forbid I ever should, for I've Q
| notion that if l did, it would be. the death OF
me. I'm not q nervous man In q general way,
| nor superstitious, eitherI but I'd give up Inc
biggest haul I ever made BY Q benefit, rather
than act before that man."
"a queer notion" said the humorous lid
dikins.
manly'de Ia Zouche,
He was not a fine actor, the walking gentle-
man. belonging rather to that class OF per.
formers who is CONTEMPORARY ikened to q
stick, and his dramatic path had been % no
means strewn with roseo; yet he was IAN %
Congratulate himself that it had not been beset
with lions. He had been somewhat inclined TO
envy Rudolph P%rusinowski The distinction ano
prosperity Of his career; but just now 1t OCCUR
red to him that there were two SIDES to tn,e
picture. He rubbed his sho9lder thoughtful;
iy, and was glad to think that be was exposed
to the assaults OF no 6ercer animals than those
rampant tragedians who snuobed him when ne
| played "HoIatio," and made light OF him IN
"Cassio," but who melted q LITTLE on their Den-
cit nights, and treated MIN to beer.