The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-05-03
VOLUME Y.


/ toro ltup instantly, and with fever
lsh courtesy begged HIM to bo seated
lou don't care % feel lt?' hcAahed,
a little auN,ously.
"Nu"
"Nor sccit?'
No"
He sighed. tuhe sadly, as II | had
rejected the only favor hc could bcstuW
saw 80 once that ho had been uudrr
frequent exhibition 70 the doctors, and
that hv WAS, perhaps, tnhe vain OF this
attention, Tins perception was c1rruho-
rated luumcn, latter 10y his producing
copy vi medical magazine. with the
remark that ou the sixth page | would
find a full statement ui hls ease.
Coyld l serve him in any way,
asked.
II appeared that l could Ii l could
help .im 90 amy light employment, some
thing that did not require any great
physical cNcgt.ou or mental excitement
he would be thankful But he wanted
me o. understand that he was not, strict
" speaking, % poor man; that some wears
before the discovery ut his fatal COM
pialat Go had taken ont life insurance
policy Tor =, 600. and that he had r.lkel
and scrupvl enough together 70 pay It
up, ana that lac would not leave ms wife
and four children destitute. You see. "
he added. "lf l could lind some sort Of
light WORK 20 DO, and kinder sled along
you kuow-until '-
He stopped, awkwarilv.
I have heard several uotel actors
thrill their audiences with single
phrase / think l never Was as honestly
moved hy any spoken wuri as that
"UUul or the pause that followed IL.
He WIS evidently quite unconscious OF
It's elect, for rs | took a seat beside HIM
on the saia, and looked more closely In
his VaNeu face, / could see that he WAS
evidently embarrassed, and would have
explained himself further, il had not
stopped him.
.'us>ibly II WAS the dramatic idea. or
possibly chance, but few days after
wapi. meeting certain kind hearted
theatrical manager, | asked him II he
had any light employment for a man
who was au invalid Can he walk %
Yes. Stand mp for fifteen min
utcs - "NrS. "Iheu I'll take HIM.
He'll do for the last scene IN the De
~tructlun of SeuuacherIb its tire
meulous thing. You know, well have
2,000 people ON the stage. was "a
tribe alarmed no the title and ytuturrd TO
suggest without he,raviuy my poor
friends secret, that he could not active
IL engage in the " Destruction ot Seuuu-
cherlh, and that even the spectacle of
il might hg too much for him. " Needn't
see II al all, % sail my managerial friend,
"uut hum ia front, nothing 10 do but
march in aud march ont, and dodge cur
tain.
He vus engaged. l admit | was at
times haunted by grave doubts as 10
whether l should not have informed the
manager ot hls physical condition, and
the possibility that he might some eve
ulng pcrpetrate real tragedy ON the
mimic stage, but on the first perform
ance of The Destruction of Senua-
cherib. " which IcouscieutIuuslvat attended
was somewhat relieved | had often
been amused with the placid way in
which the chorus in the opera invariably
received the most astounding inturma-
tion. and Witnessed the most appalling
ANYTHING more than g vocal protest or
command always delivered - the audi
euce. and never to the actors, but think
nv poor friend utter lmpassIycu"ss %
tine Wild carnage aud the terrible eyljhI-
lions " IucendlArlsm that were gong on
around him trausccnici even that
Dressed in o costume that seemed o. be
the very soul Of anachrouism, he stool
q httle outside the prEsf,nsluu. holding
spear, the other hand pressed appI-
reutlv upon the secret within his breast,
calmly surveying, with his waxeu face.
the gay auditorium. l could not help
thinking that there was a certain pride
visible even in his placid features, as uf
one who was conscious that at any mo-
uent he might change this simulated
catastrophe into real terror. | could not
help saving this 20 the doctor, who was
with me Yes, he said. with pr1ics-
sioual exactituie. when il happens
he'll throw his arms mp above his head,
utter an ejaculation, and fall forward on
MS facets singular thing, they al-
ways fall forward on their incc-and
they'll PICK up the man rs dead as Ju-
lius Caesar
After that. used to 20 night after
night, with a certain h'deuus fascination.
but, while It Will be remembered the
" Destruction of Scnnacherib" had a
tremendous run, it viii also be rcmem-
berei that not "a single life WIS really
lost during its representation.
II was only few weeks after this
modest first appearance on the boards Of
The Man with an Aueurism that,
happening 10 be at n dinner party Of
practical business men, ! sought to inter
est them with the details of the above
story, delivered with such skill and
pa hos as / could command. / regret 10
say that, rs q pathetic story, II for mo-
ment seemed b be a dead fuilure. At
last prominent banker sitting next 30
me turned to me with the awful ques-
ton: Why don't your friend try to re-
alize on his life insurance = ] begged
his pardon; / didn't quite understand
Oh. discount, sell out. Look here
(after a pause). Let him assign his
policy to me-it's not much Of a risk. on
your statement Well-I'il give him his
five thousand clear.
And he did. Under the advice Of this
cool headed think / NAV add warm
hearted-bankcr, "The Man with an
Aneruism invested his money in the
name Of and for the benefit Of his wife
in certain securities that paid him a small
but regular stipend But he still con-
timed upon the boards Of the thcater.
By reason r. some business engage
ments that called me away from the city
| did not see my friend the physician
for three months afterward. When !
did asked tidings Of The Man with the
Aneurism. The doctors kind face grew
sad "Im afraid-that is, / don't ex-
actly know whether I've good news or
bad. Did YOU ever see his wife?'
I'never had.
i well, she was younger than he, and
rather attractive. One of those doll
faced women. You remember, he set
tied that life insurance policy on her and
the children; she might have waited.
She didn't. The other day she eloped
with some fellow, ] don't remember his
name, with the children aud the five
I thousand dollars"
And the shock killed him, / said,
with poetic promptitude
" No-that is-not yet; saw him yes
terday," said the doctor, with conscien-
tiOus professional precision, looking over
his list Of calls.
'Wel, where is the poor fellow now?' =.
He's still at the theater. James, if
these powders are called for, you'll find
them here in this envelope. Tell Mrs.
/ Blank Til bp thprn at eayan-apd she