Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-10-24
THE STORY OF STERICKER.
(Fr0m Al the Year r

From Al tGs Year R0Nnd.l
Of course Il dOsen't really matter in the least,
but have a distant recollection that the opera
OF the evening was the oft-rspeated TrOvatOre
OF Verdi. had been wondering yet once again
at the peculiar circumstances attending that
crime Of infantiCide Of which the gypsy woman,
AZucens, had been guilty. Having resolved up
on burning the baby of her deadliest foe, IL was
certainly, TO say the least of it. stupid mistake
70 make that roasting or her own child instead.
had arrived st the trite decision that really she
had not deserved 10 be a mother, in regard to
her proved incapactty for taking care OF her Oft
spring. The invisible teHOr-I rather think il
was Tamberlik, for l an referring, or about 70
refer, 20 something that happened some years
since-haC delivered Us famous song from his
prison IN the tower, and forthwith, being much
applauded, had appeared upon the stage, BIZ
special permission, as It were or upon some sud-
den reieIting OF his fierce jaller, the Count Di
Iuui, 70 bow gratefully, 20 receive further CON
gTatUiatiCns, and then 10 return to CAPTIVITY. in
order that tie story might proceed in the usual
way. AL THIS we had gone through very COM
tOTtably indeed. We had really enjoyed our
Herdi, even TO his trUmbOnes; the soprano had
sung her best, her soaring notes seeming 20 ring
unsteady against the very ceiling OF the house,
like coed coin upon a counter; the baSso had
produced rich tones from strange depths. as a
Dountsous Lost -H-snt otihg IoTIn luscious ana
potent wines from subteTraneau regions; the
tenor bad shot among Us, now and then, 8 shriI
above the line, that hsd lodged IN our ears,
rendiug them, as though il had been a b3rbsd
arrow. Altogether the representation had been
most UneScepuOnable and az mirabIe when sud-
denly there occurred an excitement in the thea
WHICH COlA4 iltl Dc AeCElDeu 10 NSr1l or his
interpreters. Something ola gasp was audible
something OF CRY; the sound OF something fall
ing OF people rising from their seats, and q Ias-
tOniDg and cOnversiDg in hurried sentences,
without regard to the Transactions of the st age.
An opera glass had fallen from one OF the uD-
per private boxes on 10 the head of a gentleman
sitting in the stalls.
Now l had seen the glass fsli; had seen a
round, white. braCected sTT4 and glOved hand
stretched out to arrest, a. il seemed to me, its
descent. But, OF course, II was al done in
moment; so rapidly, indeed, that there was
scarcely time for the thing TO impress itself upon
my mind, and the instant after il had happened
i began 20 doubt whether l had really seen
What had seen. II was 50 much more a. though
had imagined the thing than actually wit
However that the accident had occurred there
could be no question. The gentleman urOn
whose Uranium the z ass hsd descended h I'D been
carried into the lobby. He was said TO bs stun
ned, IL not killed by the blow. A belief prevail
Ell that his skull bad been fractured. In anv
case, an ugly wound hat been inflicted upon his
head, which, by tie way, was bald. except for a
crescent-slsped fringe 81 the back, aud few
scanty locks arranged over the crown. The
blood had flowed freely, dsb5!ing and dis
figuring his white c-ayat and emJrIid cred shirt
fIoDt. 10 was really, altogether, a very shock
ing thing. There was 10 attending 70 the opera
after II. The tragic matters happening upon the
stage were quite Quenched by this serious acct
dent in the stalls Who could now care aSOut
the Count Dt Luna's beheading his lOn--lost
brother, or AZGcena's bitter scream OF 'tSei VEN
diCats, . msdre2" The fate Of our bald com
rade was OF Tucb more concern % us. l hast5ned
70 MAKE inquiries IS 10 how he Jared.
He was not dead. So much was presently
clear. In fact, be was gradually recovering c ~
sciOusneSs. Some one was lOOsenng his collar
ard tie; some enc Else was dabbIuc his wound
with wet cloth He had Just risen from his
seat, learned, when the OPera-g ass struck him
and he had fallen back 81 though he had been
shot. But distTust5d this account afterwari,
WHEN l asceTt2ined that he had been seen 10
stoOp forward and pick W the opera-glass
which, indeed, he stili held .ightly in HE hand.
He was breathing heavily, rocking little to and
fro, and moaning at intervals He was a middle
aged man, pUrsy OF CURE, with luTuriant Whisl-
ers that might owe something OF theirrch brown
hue to art, linked together as Ii were bv a
branch line Of mCstacEe running across his up
per Lip, and with a shaven chin such as In
deieIehce TO ne peculiar aud unplctureslus
fancy CT the cOnma0der-iu-chlef, has been for
some time the vogue with the British army
sui was q opinion, though / hardly know on
what grOGn1s exactly, that tre unfortunate m an
was ret . member OF the military service OF nv
country. Then be started lifted his head AMI
turned an eye toward me. Immediately, bat 20
nv great surprise, recognized him.
IL was SteTicker. have said. al vissdjy that
he turned an eve toward me. His other eve was
tast closed, seemed, indeed, to have sunk back
into bis head.
Then he moved atremuious hand in nv diree-
ton. he knew me, II seemed. tie tried TO speak:
but u was s0lns tine before he could utter any
Ineligible sound. At last we discovered his
meaning. He had lost something which he d.
sired n, meaning myself and by-standers u
Search was Instituted accordingly. Aftsr a
while, very near TO the stan he had occupied
there was picked uP-a glass eye! IL Wasaneg
TACT TO me, though OF course IL was not a CON
yeDient opportunity for bordering upon it, that
Sterieker wore or possessed glass-eye / had
never perceived aEy deficiency In his ORGAN of
sight, nor even suspected IT. The glass-eye had
always seemed to me genuine articie,-by
which mean one that be could really see good
with.
He was grstifed at the recovery or his glass
eve. He WAS well enough now TO dust IL with
biz handkerchief, snd-but this he did not ac-
conplish without considerable difficulty-to re-
place 10 IN the socket IL usually flled. Certainly
the aspect OF that portion OF bis vissge was
benefited by the more tenanted and furnished
character II DOW again assumed. He then took
rom his pocket miniature mirror, not much
larger than crown piece, and gszed at the
artificial organ. He desired to see that il was
properly adjusted, and what artists can in
craving, with regard TO his other features
anere Was something curious, thought, about
TIE severity with which his real eve scrutinizs All
bis sham one while yet, as il seemed the sham
eye was Of more Importance to him more
cherished by him, than the real one
But something else was missing. A shirt-s.n5
For this also diligent search was made and
again win success. II was found on the noor of
the loeoy-s curious looking stnd; a pearl. I
thought, in the FIRST instance; but il was moi
pearl exactly; no, nor white cornelian which gss
my second suppositOn. IL was of an oblooy
shape, milky white, and semi trans parent, in a
handsome setting OF brilliants. Stsrtcker ex-
pressed great satisfaction, IL In q rather in %
heTent way, that the stud had been found. He
clearly priced tiff not for its intrinsic worth
which, without doubt, was considerable, how
eyer-then, as JAGGED, for some associations
poSsloiy OF tender kind, connected with 10.
ne vas 20 Tar recovered that he was left solely
20 ny care. The opera was over, 4 forget
~, e1e, mere was or not a ballet In those days
guy 4 mink not In any case the theatsr was
emPtying fast. He sat for q few minutes Ian ar
ara tnen rose almost briskIy, and said
know 20 T y5a Te's here old fellow. don't
STRIP OF two OF plaster over The wound ana