American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-11-14
THE STORY OF SrERICKER.

Is the farmers holiday,
THE STORY OF SrERICKER.
WE had really enjoyed our Verdi, even t.
his tIombones; the soprano had sung hel
best, her soaring notes seeming to ring mu
sically against the very ceiling of the house
like good coin upon a counter; the basso had
produced rich tones from strange depths, as
bounteous host might bring forth lusciou.
and potent wines from subterranean regions
the tenor had shot amongst us, now and then
Il shrill above the line, that had lodged il
our cars, rending them as though ii had been
a barbed arrow. Altogether the representa-
ton had been most unexceptionable and ad
mirable; when suddenly there occurred an
excitement in the theater which could not lie
ascribcd to Verdi or his Interpreters. Some
thing of a gasp was audible, something of Il
cry, the sound of something falling of people
rising from their seats and questioning and
- eonversing i'm hurried sentences without re-
gard TO the transactions of the stage.
An opera-glass had fallen from one of the
upper private boxes on to the head Of a gen.
tleman sitting in the stalls
Now, had seen the glass fall; had seen a
round, white, braceleted arm and gloved
hand stretched out to arrest, as it seemed TO
me, its descent But, of course, it was all
done in moment; SO rapidly, indeed, that
there scarcely time for the thing to i'm
ppess itself upon my mind, and the instant
after it had happened I began to doubt
whether had really seen what l had seen.
1t was so much more as though l had i'm
agined the thing than actually witnessed it,
II However, that the accident had occurred
there can be no question. The gentleman
upon whose Uranium the glass had descended
had been carried into the lobby. He was
said to be stunned, if not killed. by the blow.
A belief prevailed that his skull had been
fractured In any case ugly wound had
been inflicted upon his head, which, by the
wy, was bald, except for Il crescent-shaped
fringe at the back, and a few scanty locks ar
ranged over the crown. The blood had
p6 ratlC hlhhlinp pu lis
white cravat and embroidered shirt-front.
The tragic matters happening upon the
"a stage were quite quenched by this serious ac-
eidef1t in the stalls. The fate of our bald
cOmrade was of much more concern to us.
FASTENED to make inquiries as to how he
Jared
He was not dead; so much was presently
clear. In fact he was gradually recovering
consciousness. He had just risen from his
seat, learned, when the opera glass struck
him, and he had fallen back as though he had
been shot But l distrusted this account
afterward, when / ascertained that he had
been seen to stOop forward and pick up the
opera glass, which, indeed, he still held
tightly in his hand. He was breathing heav-
lily, rocking little to and fro, and moaning at
intervals. He was middle aged man, pursv
Of figure with luXuriant whiskers that might
owe something of their rich brown hue to
art, linked together, as it WERE by a branch
line of mustache running across his upper
lip, and with shaver chin such as, in defer
ence to the peculiar and unpicturesque fancy
of the COMMANDMENT Chief has been for
some time the vogue with the British army.
Still I was of opinion though / hardly know
on what grounds exactly, that the unfortunate
man not a member of the military SER
vice of my country. Then he started, lifted
his head and turned an eye toward me. I'm
mediately, but to my very great surprise, l
recognized him.
1t was Stericker. 1 have said, advisedly,
that he turned an eye toward me. His other
eve was fast closed, seemed indeed to have
I.,c int IA lie head
Then he moved tremulous hand in my di-
rection- He knew me, it seemed He tried
to speak; but it was some time before he
could utter any Ineligible sound. Atlast we
discovered his meaning. He had lost some
thing which lie desired us, meaning myself
and the bystanders, to search for
Search was instituted accordingly After a
while, very near to the stall he had occupied,
there was picked up-a glass eye, 1t was a
new fact to me, though Of course it was not
a convenient opportunity for bordering upon
it, that Stericker wore or possessed glass
eye had never perceived any deficiency in
his organ of sight, nor even suspected it.
The glass eye had always seemed to me a
genuine article; by which / mean one that he
could really see with.
He gratified at the recovery of his glass
eye. lie was well enough now to dust it with
his handkerchief and-but this he did not
complish without considerable difficulty-to
replace it in the socket it usually filled. Ger
tainly the aspect Of that portion of his visagc
was benefited by the more tenanted and fur
nished character it now again assumed. He
then took from his pocket miniature mirror
not much larger than a crown pece, and eazcd
at the reflection il furnished of his artificial
organ He desired to see that it was properly
adjusted, and what artists call :" in drawing"
with regard to his other features There WIS
something curious, l thought, about the
severity with which his real eye scrutiniZed
his sham one; while yet, as it seemed, the
sham one was Of more Importance to him,
more cherished by him than the real one.
RIIt something else miSSiuO A shirt
stud For this also diligent search was made;
and again with success. 1t was found on the
floor of the lobby-a curious-lookng stud;
pearl, thought, in the first instance; but it
was not pearl exactly; no, nor white corne-
liam, which was my second suppostion. 1t
WAS Of an oblong shape, milky white and semi
transparent, in a handsome setting of brill
iants- Sfericker expressed great satisfaction,
II in a rather incOherent way, that the stud had
been found. He clearly priced it, if not for
its intrinsic wOrth-which, without doubt, was
considerable, however-then as judged, for
some associations, possibly of tender Kind,
connected with it.
He was now so far recovered that he was
left solely to my care. The opera over
and the thsater emptying fast He sat
for Il few minutes longer, and then rose almost
briskly, and said:
" I'm glad you were here, old fellow. / don't
know what should have done without you.
A strip or two Of plaster over the wound and
| shall be able to get on again pretty well,
dare say Any chemist can manage that for
me And perhaps a glass Of hot brandy and
water would pull me together much rs
anything"
was glad to find him equal to the proposed
proceeding | had not venturcd to hope for
So rapid a-recovery.
Not but what it was a nasty shock to a
fellow" he said.
I quite agreed that it must have been a very
nasty shock-a most unfortunate accident.
At this he laughed rather wildly.
. W hatever you call it, don't call il that"
he said.
You mean that it was not accidenty'
1t appeared that he did not mean that
a. But saw the glass fall" said l.
Z" You mean that you saw her throw il
down.
Saw WhoT' demanded, unconsciously
adopting the interrogativcs Of Hamlet.
''Arabella,r
thought him wandering in his mind
knew nothing Of Arabella. ! could not re-
member that / had ever encountered out of
works of fiction, any woman of that name
And then came to ask myself what after all
did / really know of Stericker HIMSELF In
truth, it was very little.
at was Arabella's doing, of course he
continued. 50 know that very well. know
the opera glass, for the matter of that. !
ought to- / gave il her
Where had first met Stericker / am by no
means clear. am almost certain that | was
never formally introduced to him. But had
seen him at various places upon nurmberless
occasions, until | seemed to have acquired
quite habit Of seeing him. So at last-the
thing was becoming quite absurd-there was