American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-04-19

, versed who had seen a man killed by
bullet told me that the dead on Il battle
5 field were nearly all found face downward
which fact had given rise to the expires
sion, 'biting the dust" He disputed tn
: statement, and adhered to the one only lii
tie bit of conventionality in his perform
ance.
So he persisted in his Gown business,
as we technically called it. The momen
had fired he took one step toward me
raised his arms, and fell flat on his bacl
with IA heavy thud 1t is true that by TIL
disposition of the characters on the stag
, this gave capital opportunity for thu
heroine to throw herself across his body
and the arrangement was picturesque
enough, but to my mind it spoiled hi
otherwise truthful Interpretation of hi
part. He was not conventional actor
but this bit of acting was so in the ex
IRENE.
For over week the piece was IN re
hearsal, during which time I could no
fail to notice the close intimacy which
sprung up, or, more properly speaking
was renewed between Julia HalwOrth and
Rutherstone. In a thousand little ways
incidental TO the actors art / saw thai
something besides the merely inevitable
familiarity consequent upon playing to
gether had arisen between them, and
| likewise saw that this had started into life
all the latent fury with which 1 had cred
tied Cougar, in spite of his bland manners
smooth smile and soft voice. There was
desperate struggle going on within him
at times it cost him his utmost strength to
control himself. .Jealousy-deep, revenge
full jealousy-had taken possession ofhim,
| Il jealousy which must have sprung from
a sincerer love for the girl than had sup
posed him capable of, but it was only on
this item of his disposition that I had
wrOnged him in all else he bore out, to
my keen eyes, my original idea of his ma
ture. In his capacity of stage manager
he was, of course, present at the rehear-
sails, and in addition to this, he played
| the part of one of my seconds in the duel,
thus being continually brought into con-
| tact with every one concerned in the
scene.
1t was on these occasions that / noted
especially what was uppermost in his
mind. Once CHANGED upon him talking
with Miss .Halworth as l passed down the
| wing to go on. She had evidently just
given him her ultimatum.
This, then, is your answer" l heard
him mutter between his teeth, and almost
| losing, in his Unsurpassed rage, the soft,
urbane tone of his usual voice. For this
have been Kept in miserable suspense
| for two weeks. I little thought when
came to terms with Rutherstone that l was
| wrecking my chances of domestic happi-
ness for the sake of professional renOwn
Confound himr' he continued, in still
lower voice, as he turned away; 'he shall
not wear her, though he has won her, she
shall never be his wife; l shall put an end
to this engagement first, by some means"
Julia had followed him to the wing and
said hesitatingly, II must be candid;
told you did not think l could ever like
you, and now that Bernal is here, know
it, our old feeling has"
81 ,.N1
Cougar. This is no time for such a dis
| cussion. You shall repent your conduct,
be sure. You are called, Miss Halworth !"
and she had to go down to her entrance,
and await her cue.
Did he threaten herr' I thought
''What would his savage nature lead him
to do? Anything said to myself, as l
observed the diabolical expression which
had overspread his face.
Our last rehearsal has been gone through
to the satisfaction of everybody. l had
made a final appeal to Rutherstone re-
speeding his fall, but with the greatest
good temper he told me to mind my own
business, and be sure not to fire the pistol
over his head, as I had still always Il ten
dency and inclination to do.
The evening came; the house was
crowded. The first three acts had done;
everybody was delighted, and the act-drop
rose on the beautifully managed scene in
which the duel was to take place. There
can be no doubt that if this could be car
ried out in the realistic manner with
which everything else had been done, sue
cess was certain. Carried out in realis-
tic manner? God help me! Who could
follow? Who? Well, there was one per-
son, shall ever believe, who could have
done sol but l must not anticipate.
At length the action had reached the
fatal moment! As we crept closer tOgeth-
er the three unsuccessful shots on either
side had been delivered amidst breathless
expectation on the part of the audience;
the pistol had been knocked from May
burns hand, the suppressed terror and
emotion so palpable in a large assembly
when its interest is thoroughly aroused
and absorbed was at its height.
A great deal of business was made OF
the reloading for the next encounter, my
seconds drawing aside, as also did May
burns, for the same purpose. Then the
weapons were handed to US with great
ceremony, and we were once more face to
face; as the dialogue expressed it, Eat
such close quarters as could scarcely fail
to bring about a fatal issue"
1t was, of course, again my turn to fire
first. l took the pistol from Cougars
hand. Would that mine at that moment
had been paralyZed forever!
Amidst the breathless expectations OF
/ the audience | raised my arm. BY a
glance RutherstOne renewed his caution
against my habit of firing too high, and
when the word was given, determining
that he should have no complaint against
me, l, leveling the muzzle straight at his
breast, pulled the trigger! The report, SO
much louder than usual, and the sharp re-
coil of the pistol, in themselves during
that brief second of time alarmed me,
and as l saw Rutherstone, instead of step
ping toward me and falling back, as I
have described he did at rehearsal, spring
high into the air, and then fall forward on
his face at my feet, knew instinctively
what had happened. Not so, however,
Julia Halworth, who, waiting for her cue
at the wing rushed in, and, like clever
and ready actress, adapted her movements
to the changed position of her lovers
body; not SO, either, the audience, who
Numbered its approval at the startling eff
feet of the scene, as the act-drop de-
seconded.
Little indeed did the spectators conceive
the reality of what they had witnessed;
little, indeed, did they conceive that they
had beheld veritable duel to the death,
and least of all could they imagine what
1; frightful tragedy was passing on the
other side of that curtain before the multi
tude, now released from the tension in
which it had been held by the perform
ance, was beginning to laugh and talk
after its habitual fashion at the play For
some minutes the actual condition of
things was not even realized behind the
scenes. With the exception of myself and