The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-10-20
ROSE EYTINGE ANGRY.
'sAlmad'' Almost Giving the Lie 90
'CamIIIe''-Laughter at a Death
Scene,
Virginia City (Nev.) Chronicle.

Il
| to see the brilliant actress in her farewell
performance, and they were well repaid
All went on smoothly until the ball
room scene of the fourth act, where tn,
| heart-broken Camille and her "pro
| tector" once more meet Armand (Mr
| Ashton); where the latter reproache.
the wretched girl with what he deems
her cruel perfdy toward himself, anC
ends by calling all the guests around anC
showering a sackful of tin trade dollar:
| over the fainting form of Camille. The
curtain went down on this impressive
scene and the sensitive portion of the
| audience were signing and wiping theil
eyes, when little act before the curtain
took place. Mr.. Ashton, the stage man
ager (who had been playing the part o.
Armand) stepped out from the right hand
of the curtain, and in tones that were
crisp, even unto frigidity, remarked:
Ladies and gentlemen: As matter oi
simple justice to myself, and to the other
members of the company, wish to say
few words. Miss Eytinge has declared
that it is necessary for her to be in
Reno to night i'll order to catch the
overland train in the morning. A car.
riage is now in waiting to convey her
to Reno when the play is finished.
For this reason she has found it
necessary, she says, to cut out several
portions of the play. l only make this
statement in order that the audience
may know why the play is so much
"cnt," in order that Miss Eytinge may
keep engagements elsewhere.
Mr.. Ashton retired as he Lad entered
on the right. Scarcely had he disap-
peared at that side of the curtain when
Miss Eytinge entered fom the opposite
side. There was wonderful metanor-
phosis, so far as her costume was con-
cerned. When the audience had seen
her but two minutes before, fainting on
the stage while Armand was declaring
his dividend, as it were, she was regally
robed in cherry satin and purple velvet;
now she was clad in merely snowywhite
frilled petticoats, with a hOmely old
wooden shawl around her shoulders. The
audience sat in breathless astonishment,
while the tragedy-queen, locking like
Lady Macbeth in the sieep-walking
scene, but moving at much ivelier
gait-glided before the footlights, pale
with anger, and said:
Ladies and Gentlemen: l am sur
prised that Mr. Ashton should have so
greatly misunderstood my true reasons
for having the play cut down. l do not
intend to leave Reno until tomorrow
night. But the support which / am given
here is entirely inadequate to the proper
of the play, so that the cutting
out OF some portions is entirely unavoid-
able.
And then, with queenly bow and
graceful and comprehensive wave of her
alabastar arm, she swept off behind the
curtain. 1t was Mr.. Ashton's turn now,
and he was promptly on hand. Just as
the last friil of Miss Eyuinge's
snowy outside petticoat vanished
behind the red curtain left side
of course), Ashton appeared once more,
like a dark avenger, at the right. His
handsome face was paler even than Miss
Eytinge's, and it was evident that he,
too, was angry-in fact this was about
the most serious quarrel that had broken
1ut between Camille and her beloved
Armand. Two or three long strides
brought him to the middle of the stage,
With hand uplifted, and in deep and |
,ragic tones thus he broke forth:
" Ladies and gentlemen, say to you
.hat--that-bu no, will not say it--tOr
pointing to the side at which Miss |
5ytnge made her exit she is female. |
But l wish to say this .
Here the gallery became tumultuous |
n demonstrations of dissatisfaction. |
They were bound to take the womans |
ide, right or wrong, and volley of the |
choicest Comstock slang rained down |
rom right and left. "Oh, pull down |
,our vest !" " augh stash the racket !"
: give us rest!" and many other invo-
.ations of similar character drowned |
he speakers voice.
" All L ask is a fair hearing" said Mr..
Ashton in a voice loud enough to be
leard above the din, and soon the |
racket" was "stashed." He said,
,riefy, that the reasons first assigned to
i'm for cutting" the play were really
hose given him by Miss Eytinge, as he
Ould prove by every other member of /
he company, if the audience desired.
No such desire being expressed, Mr.. Ash
on retired once more, and the auditors
we're left for a few minutes to indulge in
-uesses as to how the discOrdant lovers
would get along in the last actor that
vas the death scene of Camille, and she
vas to be reconciled to Armand and die
n his arms.
At last the curtain rose, disclosing the
,oorly-furnished chamber of Camille,
Who was reclining on her couch. 1t is
he most touching scene of the play, for
hough lowering on the threshold of the
rave, she knows that Armand has
earned the truth-that her only reason
or leaving him was because his father
made her believe that Armand's honor
md welfare would be imperiled; she
,nows that even now her lover is flying
lome from some foreign land, and 81 be-
,ins to speak of life and hope again
All nature hopes for spring, and why
lot I?'' In the thrilling earnestness of
one and GESTURE the audience soon be
anne so absorbed in the play that all
hought of the squabble before the cur
ain was forgotten, until the part when
Armand arrives and folds Camille to his
,osom.
Camille-Oh, Armand you have come,
,ut it is too late!
z E-Armand-Oh, Camille! you must not
peak of death, but life! Live, oh ! live
or me-
This is usually one of the most affect
ng scenes in the play, and as a general
hing the laugh doesn't come in here.
But on this particular occasion there was
so Oindescribably funny aboutit
hat the audience burst out in a unani-
nous gufaw. The short, consumptive
oughs of Camille, which usually bring
he handkerchief to the tear-dimmed eye
# the sympathetic auditor, we! e unheard
n the wild tornado of laughter, and the
andkerchiefs-where used at all-were
ahmed into the mouths of their owners
Hiss Eytinge and Mr.. Ashton proceeded
when the uproar had subsided) as
hough nothing unusual had happened.
Food for the Nerves.
The mind, as it is called, and the body
re one, and can only act by the same