Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-11

when some wandering star of the dramatic nr-
mament, moro wt3dly speculative than his
brethfen, eeBAyed HIS fortunes at Lowshore, and
that he was ssOat to sppesT for six nights only
ina round Of fhvorite characters Rarely as the
doors Of the temple open, the denizens Of Low
unanimity 10 he shrine. II would have seemed,
Indeed, as IL the drama were dead letter in the
seaport, the audience which came = be sub
daed b. pity and terror being generally re-
s1icted TO some two or three dozen seafaring
men, smelling strongly Of fish, sprinkliAg OF
boys, and dash Of brightness and color in the
shape Of young women In service, or fshermen's
But what the drama, whether legitimate or
illegtimate, failed to do, the lions succeeded in
doing. They drew very fair houses-not the
elderly peer wEese estate. SordereS Low sho 1.
but who was rarely known TO inhabit his great
stone castle, preferring little box at Rich
mond, stuffed with rare old silver and costly
curiOs; and the vicar; but the shopkeepers and
their young men and mAidens; the few visitors
and their lodging house keepers; all the sea
faring men and their families; the maids of all
work and fsher-boys; the policemen of duty,
and sprinkling of farmers from inland farms.
It was late in October, the dreariest tme Of the
| year, and Herr Prusnowski had come 20 Low
shore In a speculative humor, just 70 Ill up a
blank week In his winter programme.
The house was nearly fun the first night, \
trifie less well attended the second night, and
rent. Still it was very fair house for Low
shore. There was cheerful sprinkling In the
pit, very good gallery. The boxes alone had
ana Of
trades-people and lodging letters-had ex-
hausted itself. Herr Prusinowski had brought
q dramatic company Of three With him 70 sup
tertainment with couple Of farces or come
dettas. This company consisted Of q light
comedian. q low comedian and comedy lady.
Tha ltSfhf akAi srir II n
Zouche, who had blossomed from . walking
gentleman into popular provincial Charles
Matthews-white hat, patent-leather boots,
The performances began with "Dclicate
Ground" and were to conclude with "The
Secret" farce of an ancient and respectable
The lion tanner, who was a spoilt child of for
tune, had supreme contempt for bad houses.
and with fragrant injustice was wont TO wreak
upon the innocent few who did come TO see him
that wrath inspired by the guilty many who
stopped away. That IS 20 say, he punished the
scsnfy but admiring audience by scamping his
DUE The dramatic company were accustomed
to empty benches and barren dress circle.
The weather was against Herr Prusnowski
ON this particular evening; The north wisds
intent upon sweeping Lowshore from the face
of the earth, driving favored sleet before
them, which well-pigh blinded the adventurous
pedestrian. The Herr expressed himself very
forcibly about the weather, as he took leave OF
his family before setting out for the theater
The comedietta was just over as he went in at
the stage-d00r, and he had to dress in a hurry
struggling into his close-fitting raiment, and
girding himself with scarlet and gold, while
feeble little orchestra of four-clsrionet, flute
and two hddles-played some old-fashioned
country dance tunes, what time the audience
RECALLED themselves with prawns and porter
The three lions looked tremendously big on the
ground of faded scenery. Robinson was ont of
sorts. He was sensitive upon the subject of
weather, and had an especial aversion to high
winds; perhaps some hereditary yearning for
Libyan sands or Asas burning sky-person ally
he could know nothing of either, having been
born in WhitechapeLmay have affected him
at such times, at any rate the fact cold biils
ferrous weather disturbed his leonine mind.
The feeble little orchestra made great strug
gle to produce seul-inspiring chord. and came
out suPerbiy, the second violin a trifie in the
rear. Herr Prusinowski bounded on to the stage
from rocky set piece, and began his work ra-
Their langudly, handling Robinson with GER
He had got through half his performance, and
was leading the three lions round the stage on
their hind feet, to the stirring masic OF the
march i'm '.Blue Beard"-stirring even from
those poor feeble pIayers-when Le heard the
opening and shutting OF a door at the back of
the boxes. He looked up quickly. A gentle
man IN eveping dress was seating himself DELHI
erately in the center place, a pale-complexiened
man, with straight reddish hair. The hon-tam-
er's heart turned cold. Ii was the man he had
seen at Manchester and Spindlecum, the man
sociated with the idea Of peril TO himself. Dur
ing the last three years he had been Always
more or less on the lookout for this man, ana
had never seen him-had begun to congratulate
himself upon the probability that he would fin
ish his public career without ever performing
before him again; and here he war, in this re-
mote seaport tow N. watching him with the me
eager eyes and hungry face, swatching ~ men
watched the gladiators IN oldcn time, greedy for
- If he could have brought the entertainment
to an abrupt conclusion that instant, mo would
have done so. He would have willingly RETURN
ed the people their money, and sacrificed the
man. he was half inclined to plead sudden
illness, bring down the curtain with an apology.
but to do that would be to confess himself afraid
.sD-n him. :" he muttered to himself, che
shant see that I'm afraid OF him. Faster :" he
called out to the orchestra, 'faster and louder"
and as the music quickened, he urged the AMI
mails with his whip.
Robinson, alias Moloch, resented the imperti-
nence with suppressed roar, AMI from that mo
ment Radolph Prusinowski lost his presence o :
mind and lost his temper. He was determined
to bate not one of his tricks, TO demonstrate to
that cold blOOded wretch in the boxes that he
was not afraid of him. He made the animals
DO more work than usual, looking defiantly at
that watchful face in the boxes all the while.
The little theater shook with applause, the pit
rose to him, as the good old actors we're wont to
say; the gallery rang with braves.
All in moment, at the last. in the GROWING
feat which was to conclude the performance.
the braves changed 10 an awful SnOut OF horror
No one could say how it happened, the brute's
movements were too rapid for human eyes to
follow. Herr Prusinowski was lying the stage
mawled and torn, the lion crOuchng upon him.
The keeper and couple Of brawny scene
Shutters rushed upon the stage; they dragged
him from under the Infatuated beast insensible
and covered with blood, and carried him to the
dressing room, where the two rival surgeons o.
LowshOre came rushing in to him five minutes
afterward. Surgery could dOnothing; his ribs
were crushed to powder, and there was a per
fOration OF the lung and hemorrhage. He
breathed stentOrOusly for about half an hour.
and then died, without one ray Of returning
consciousness. ;
n ssStrange," the red haired gentleman used to
say afterward, when he told the story As plea
SAINT kind of thing after dinner, and in some
manner rejecting distinction upon himself;
sstbe poor devil was the second of his trade
saw killed. and I had come across him three
times at long intervals in the course of my trav-
els in the north. take q considerable interest
I'm that sort of thing; there's more excitement
about it than in the drama. Prusinowski was
very respectable fellow; had saved money, be-
lieve; and left his wife and children comfortably
provided for" -f17a VI
POSITION OF Recommendations on streets
running nearly north and south are far prefer
able to those located on those going east and
west in a sanitary estimate. In the first, here
a the north Of fhp co,.ator no cur Oh no.