The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-12-25
which was his notion OF peace

public house," which was his notion of pesc'
and retirement.
IT wish it WAS to be tomorrow, William,
the little woman answered sadly; 81 shall
never know a happy moment till you've don't
with those animals."
The first " nights at Lowshore, this OBJ
scure northern seaport, had been tolerablJ
successful; but what the drama, whether ls.
Ultimate or Legitimate, failed to do, the lions
succeeded in doing. They drew very fair
houses-not the nobility and gentry, as repre-
scented by one elderly peer, whose estates Dor.
dered Lowahore, but who was rarely known tc
inhabit his great stone castle, preferrinR . lit.
tie box at Richmond, stuffed with rare old sil.
yer and costly curiosities, and the vicar; but
tho ~shopkeepers and their young men and
maiders; the few visitors and the lodging.
house proprietors; all the sesfaring men and
their families; the maids-of-all work md fisher.
/ boys; the policemen od duty, and q s%prinkline
OF farmers from inland farms. It was late in
October, the veryi dreariest time Of the year,
and Herr Prusinowski had come to 1owshore
in 8 speculative humor, just to ill up o blank
in his winter programme.
The house was nearly full the first night, a
trifle less we'll attended the second, and on
the third q considerable falling off was appa-
rent. Still, it Has o very fair house for Low
shore. There was q cheerful sprinkling in the
! pit, a very good gallery. The boxes alone bad
Q cavernous and dismal aspect.
Herr PrusinowBkl had brought q dramatic
company Of threa with him to support the
lions, and to exc out the evenings entertain.
ment with q couple OF fsrces or oomedi-
ettas. The performances began Wit" Delicate
Ground" and were to conclude with the "Se-
oret," q farce of sn ancient and respectable
character.
The weather IVES against Herr ~Prusinowski
on this particular evening. The north winds
| came bowling across the German Ocean as II
they were intent upon sweeping Lowshore
from the face Of the earth, driving q salt.fa.
| vored sleet before them, which well nigh blind.
ed the adventurous pedestrian. The Herr OK
or, as he took leave Of his family before set
ting out for the theatre. The oomedietta was
Just over as he went in at the stage door, aud
he had to dress 10 o hurry, struggling into his
close-attInp raiment, and girding himself with
scarlet and gold, while q feeble little orchestra
Of four played some old-fashioDed country
dance tunes, what time the audience RECALLED
themselves with pra'Hns and porter. The three
lions looked tremendously big. on the small
stage. awfully real against the back ground oil
faded scenery. Robinson was oat OF sorts. BE
vas sensitive upon The subject Of weather, and
had an especial aversion to high winds.
The feeble little orchestra made q great
struggle to produce . soul-insptring chord,
and came out superbly, the aeoond violin 9
on tho stage from Q rocky set piece, and began
his work rather lane:uIdiy, handling Robinson
with o certain amount Of caution,
He had got through half his performance.
and was leading the three lious round the
stage on their hfhd feet, to the stirring music
Of the march in ''!!5lue Beard"-stirrlng even
from those poor feeble players-when he heard
the opening and shutting OF q door st the BACK
OF the boxes. He looked up quickly, A Rep.
rlemar IN evening dress waa seating himself
deliberately ip the centre place-s psle-com-
plexioned man, with straight reddish. hair.
The iion.tamer's heart turned cold. II was
the man he had seen at Manchester and Spin
dlecum-the man whose presence, by some
morbid fancy, he associated with the idea OF
peril to himself, During the last three yearn
be bad been always more or less on the LOOK,
begun to congratulate himself upon the proba-
biliity that he would finish his public career
without ever performing before him again; and
here he was in tfl5 remote seaport town,
watching him with the same eager eyes and
hungry faoe-wstclhng aa mea watched the
gladiatols in old time, greedy f1r their blood.
II he could have brought the entertainment
to an abrupt conclusion that instant he would
have daae 80. He would have willingly re.
turned the people their money, and sacrificed
the nights profits 10 escape performing before
that man. He wan halt inclined to plesd sud
den illness, and bring down the curtain With
an spalogyj but to 40 chat would be to confess
himself afraid of that man.
"D-n him |" ho muttered to himself, she
shap't zee that I'm afraid Of him" ..Fasterl"
be called out to the orchestra. "Faster and
loudsri" and as the music quickened, he
urged The animals with his whip.
Robinson, alias Ntoloch, resented the 1mper.
Thence with a suppressed roar, and trom that
moment Rudolph Prusinowsk lost his pres.
ence Of mind and loat hia temper. He was de-
termined to bate not one OF his tricks, to de.
monstrste to that cold.hlooded wretch in the
boxes that be was not afraid OF him. he made
the animals do more work thar usual, looking
de6sntly at that watohful face in the boxes all
the while, The little theatre shook with sp.
plause, the pit rose to him, as the good old
actors were won't 70 say; the gallery rang with
Ali in a moment, at the last, In the browning
feat which was to conclude the performance,
The ,hraYos changed to an awful shout Of hor-
ror. No one could soy hos it happened-the
brute's movements we're LOO rapid lcr human
eyes to follow. Eerr PrusinoWsk! was lying
on the stage msugled and torn, tns lion CROUCH
ing upon him.
The keeper and 9 couple OF brawny scene.
Shutters rushed upon the stage; they dragged
him from under the inturiated beast insens,0le
and covered with blood, and carried him on to
the dressing room, where the tworival surgeons
OF Lowshore came rushing In to him five min
utes sfterWard. Surgery could do nothingi his
ribs we're orushed 20 powder. and there was q
nsrforation OF the lung and hemorrhsge. BE
bresthed stentorio,1sly for about hall an hour.
and then died, without one ray OF returning
consciousness,
"strsnge,R the red-haired gentleman used to
say afterward, when he told the story as 9
pleasant kind Of thing after dinner, and in
some manner rejecting distinction upon him
self, "The poor devil was the second OF bis
trade l saw killed, and had come across him
three times at Ions, intervals 10 the course Of
nv travels in the ruorth. ! take q considerable
interest in that sort OF thlng; tnefes more eS'
prnsinowski was q very respectable fellow; had
saved money, I believe, and left bis wife and
children comfortably provided tor."-bstgrd.
via Annual.