Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-01-14


my business card: "Mr. Adolphus True
bill, Theatrical Agent, nby the boots, di.
recting the messenger 10 wait till he
could see the young lady and give my
letter into her own hands.
was just sitting down to dinner when
he returned. He had been obliged to
wait till the young lady came down to
;he theatcr for the evenings performance
but he brought an answer now to say that
Miss COllingham would be glad to see
me at any time before ten p. IN. behind
the scenes, and would leave orders for my
admission.
finished my dinner quietly and went
down to the Lyceum about nine p. m.
The doorkeeper was very different in his
manner-my name being pretty well
known in the theatrical world-and
the call-boy was summoned TO take me
straight to Miss Collingham, whom /
found dressed as Turkish maiden, seat
ed in spare dressing-room.
She received me with that frank cor
diality which is peculiar to theatrical
ladies-a straightforward, "no nonsense
sort of greeting. | was equally frank.
have come to offer you an engage.
ment," said, without beating about the
bush
" | had hoped so, but where's"
" At the Sans Pareil.n
" In London ?" she cried, with flashing
eyes. How bright and beautiful she was
Was this merely pride and exultation al
the prospect of finding herself elevated at
least to her true sphere, or was there more
behind?
-" Oh! then we can be mar" she
stopped suddenly, and blushed crimson.
" Pardon me-" | said, significantly. 9"
would not, as perfect stranger, intrude
myself upon your secret, but let me ask
you, dc you think can see Mr.. Calverton
to-night?"
ooh, y-yes," she answered, hesitat-
ingly and shyly, as If there were a hidden
meaning in my words
" | wish to speak to him. continued,
"on much the same business"
"A London engagement for Reginald ?
OH Mr.. Truebill,n and this time her
eyes filled with tears, "yOu have come
here like a good angel, 1 think, to put an
end to all our troubles; how can I thank
you sutiicientlyp
She took my hand IN both hers and
pressed it so gratefully that l was ready,
even I, old Adolphus Truebill, was ready
to enroll myself amongst those who were
ner devoted slaves.
" You will never regret it, | am sure ~
she went on, evidently prouder of his good
fortune than her own; "he is so good and
so clever! he is an author, you know; he
has written many successful pieces; he
writes as we'll as he acts" she went on,
looking up at me, as if this were the
crowning act of cleverness; a playwright
to her took rank at once with Shakespeare,
Sheridan and Moliere.
"This is his piece we are doing to-
night the first scene is just now on and
he has contrived a wonderful sensation
you shall see the set; it is the rigging of a
ship, and he jumps from the yard-arm
into the sea-"
"Ah! but that's not new," inter.
posed. " I've heard of that beforem
All Of a sudden felt as if / were ap-
preaching the verge of some extraordinary
revelation!
"Haye you, though, really? Where?"
she asked.
Ay, indeed where % That was the ques-
tion. | could not for the life of me re-
member. But it was familiar, most IA
mlliar, with the unmistakable clearness of
recent acquaintance.
"Tell me more of it." I said, dim
light beginning to break through my hazy
recollection.
"The piece is called The Pirate of the
Pjr9us; or, The Leap from the Mast, ="
she said. "Mr. Caiverton, as Jack Tar.
son, is shipped on board as a British
sailor; he knows nothing of the char
acter of theivessel They board and capt.
ure Turkish merchantman and a girl
is made prisOner-I play the girl am
kpnt = nlnCp Dricnnar IN thn tr,fc !,
in and subject to gross insult, which Jack
larson overhears, and breaks into the
cabin TO my rescue. AT this interruption
there's a lot of business, and the Cap
tain drags me to an inner hiding place
and secures me. Then there is strug.
gle; the Captain gets the worst of it. Tar
son escapes from the cabin just as assist
ance arrives. He makes for the rigging
and commences to climb with a vague
hope ofescaping certain death at the hands
Of the crew."
" Up the rigging, to be sure" All this
was terribly familiar | seemed to have
but just heard it. Go on, 90 on, Miss
Collingham, pray" | said ,anxiously.
He is pursued, fired at from the deck
a ball strikes him in the leg, still he climbs
higher, higher, then gets out upon the
mainyard. There are real practicable
masts and yards on the stage, you will see
them, and there -"
More light was breaking in upon me
All this latter business had heard de
scribed, actually described, before; bu
when?
AT this moment the call-bOy's words
Miss Collingham called" interrupted
US, so, in some agitation, went with hel
down to the wing
There was carpenters scene on in
front, and behind it was set the grea
tableau of the evening. l confess | was
struck with its novelty and ingenuity; i
occupied the whole Of the stage, anC
represented the upper part of three
masted ship coming toward the audience
with square sails set. The eye of the
spectator met the flowing, bellying- -ou
canvas of the great foresail, surmounted
by the straight stick of the fOremast, anC
this obscuTed the lower part of the stage
Half way up, and little behind, came tht
great mainyard and mast, above that the
crosstrees, and, flying out bravely from
the top, the black flag of the pirate, witt
deaths head and cross-bOnes, whilst thu
whole was backed up and finished by thu
mizzen mast, other square sails, and ap
propriate ropes and rigging.
A capital idea, an entirely new arrange
ment, and properly carried out on large
stage clearly likely to prove a grea
scenic success; Shopland should hear ol
it. took in the whole of this at a glance
a ship at sea-that was what they wer,
talking about the night before on tn,
stagel Yes, but the piece was not being
acted Who-who then was talking abou
ii? Who? Why some one and youn,
Dunkley while was asleep in the privat
box. If was asleep, though, how did
hear them? or had dreamt it all? Wha
could it mean? l was puzzled, put out
worried beyond expression with sort O
sickening apprehension of coming evil
There was a mystery here, and the un
ravelment lay hidden away somewhere il
the recesses Of my brain, but at presen
utterly eluding all my efforts in pursuit.
Now, Just you keep quiet, can { ye
Yen go and blow the whole gaf ii "
keeps on talkin' out like thatl"
Whose voice could that be, Just tn,
other side of the wing, where / wa
standing? Gruff, drunken, discordant
but very familiar, and whose was that,