The Red Cloud chief., 1877-05-10

Gould I serve him In any way?
aDked.
It appeared that { could. II I could
help him 70 any light employment,
something thxt did not require any
great physical exertion or mental ex.
element, he would b thankful. But
he wanted me to understand that he Wa
not strictly speaking. spoor man that
some years before the discovery Of his
fatal complaint he had taken out q life
insurance policy for 5000. and that he
had raised and scrsped enough together
to pay it up; and that he would not
leave bis wife and four children desti-
tute. "You see" he added. IF I could
find some sort Of light work to do. and
kinder sled along. you know-until-"
He stopped. awkwardly.
/ have heard several noted actors
thrill their audience with q single phrase.
I think I never was a. honestly moved
by any spoken word a. that until" or
the pause that followed it. He was
evidently quite unconscious Of its ef-
feet, for As I took a seat beside him on
the sofa. and looked more closely in his
waxen face, l could zee that he was
evidently embarrassed, and would have
explained himself further, II I had not
stopped him.
Possibly it was the dramatic idea, or
POSSIBLY chance. but 4 few days after
ware, meeting certain kind hearted the
atrical manager. l asked him il he had
any light employment for . man who
was an invalid. Can he walk ?" YES"
Stand up for fifteen minutesy" "Yes"
Then Ill take him. He'll do for the
last scene in the Destruction of Senna-
cherib'-itis a tremendous thing, you
know; we'll have 1000 people on the
stage" / wa q trifle alarmed at the
title, and ventured to suggest-without
betraying my poor friends secret-that
he could not actively engage in the DE
struction of Sennacherib." and that even
the spectacle of it might be too much
for him. Needn't see it at ALL" said
my managerial friend; put him in front;
nothing to do but march in and march
out, and dodge curtain"
He was engaged. l admit l was at
times haunted by grave doubts as to
whether l should not have informed
the manager Of his physical condition,
and the possibility that he might some
evening perpetrate a real tragedy on
the mimic stage. but on the first per-
Torrance of "The Destruction OF Sem
nacherib," which l cOnscientiOusly at
tended, I was somewhat relieved. l
had often been amused with the placid
way in which the chorus in the opera
invariably received the most astOund-
ing information, and witnessed the most
appalling tragedies by poison or the
block without anything more than a
vocal protest OF command always deliv-
cred to the audience, and never to the
actors, but l think my poor friends
utter impassiveness to the wild carnage
and the terrible exhibitions of incendi.
arism that were going on around him
transcribed even that. Dressed in a
costume that seemed to be the very soul
Of anachrOnism. he stood a little outside
the proscenium, holding q spear, the
other hand pressed apparently upon the
secret within his breast, calmly survey
ing. with his waxen face, the gay audi.
torium. l could not help thinking that
there was a certain pride visible even
in his placid features, as of one who
was conscious that at any moment he
might change this simulated catastro-
phe into real terror. l could not help
saying this to the doctor, who was with
me. YES" he said, with professional
exactitude, "when it happens he'll throw
his arms up above his head, utter an
ejaculation, and fall forward on his face
its a singular thing, they always fall
forward on their face-and they'll pick
up the man as dead as julius Caesar"
After that l used to 60, night after
night. with a certain hideous fascina-
ton; but while it will be remembered
the Destruction of S%ennacherib" had a
tremendous run, it will also be remem-
bered that not a single life was really
lost during its representation.
It was only a few weeks after this
modest first appearance on the boards
of the man with an Aneurism that,
to be at a dinner party of
practical business men, I sought to
interest them with the details of the
above story, delivered with such skill
and pathos as I could command, I regret
to say, that as a pathetic story, it for a
moment seemed to be Q dead failure.
At last a prominent banker sitting next |
to me turned to me with the awful
WKA