Richland beacon., 1877-06-16

do; how dispose of the body; how ex-
plain the circumstance of his taking of;
how evade ubiquitous reporter and the
coroner's inquest; how suspicion might
arise that / had in some way, through
negligence. or for some dark purpose, un-
known to the jury, precipated the catas-
trophe. all flashed before me. Even the
note-with its darkly suggestive offer
of "good material for me-looked dia-
bolically significant. What might not an
intelligent lawyer make of it.
Itore it up instantly, and with feverish
courtesy begged him to be seated.
"You don't care to feel it ~ he asked
a little anxiously.
ono"
"Nor see it?''
ono"
He sighed, a triAe sadly, az if had re-
jected the only favor he could bestow. l
saw at once that he had been under fire.
quent exhibition TO the doctors, and
that he was, perhaps, a triAe vain of this
attention. This perception was corrobor-
ated moment later by his producing
copy of medical magazine, with the re-
mark that on the sixth page would
find a full statement of his case.
Could l serve him in any way. asked.
1t appeared that 1 could. If l could
help him to any light employment, some
thing that did net require any great
physical exertion or mental excitement,
he would be thankful. But he wanted
me to understand that be was not, strictly
Speaking, q poor man; that some years
before the discovery of his fatal COM
plant he had taken out life insurance
policy for 5000 and that he had raked
and scraped enough together to pay it
up, and that he would not leave his wife
and four children destitute. "You see,"
he added, "if l 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 audiences with single phrase. /
think I never was as honestly moved by
any spoken word as that "until" or the
pause that followed it. He was evidently
quite unconscious of its effect, for as !
took a seat beside him on the sofa, and
looked more closely in his waxen face, l
could see that he was evidently embar-
raised, and would have explained himself
further, if I had not stopped him.
Possibly it was the dramatic idea, or
possibly chance, but a few days afterward,
meeting a certain kind hearted theatrical
manager, asked him if he had any light
employment fer man who was an inva-
lid. "Can he waikiki Yes" "Stand
up for fifteen minutes! !" Eyes" Then
I'll take him. He'll do for the last
scene in the Destruction ofSennacherib'
Its tremendous thing, you know =;
we'll have two thousand people on the
stage" I was q trife 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. 1 admit I was al
} times haunted BY grave doubts Is to
whether l should not have informed the
manager of his physical condition, and
the possibility that he might some even
, ing perpetrate q real tragedy on thu
mimic stage, but on the first performance
Of "The Destruction Of Sennacherib,'
, which 1 conscientiously attended, I va
! somewhat relieved. had often beer
amused With the placic way in which tn
: chorus in the opera invariably received
0 the most astounding information, ant
e witnessed the most appalling tragedie
!. BY poison or the block without anything
d more than vocal protest or command al
r wsys delivered to the audience, ant
# never to the actors. but / think m.
# Door friends utter impressiveness t
the wild carnage and the terrible e1
|. hibitions of incendiarism that wer
going on around him transcended eve
e that, Dressed in q costume tha
seemed to be the very soul OF ami
70 chronism, he stood little outside tn
"a I......n;nm holding q smear. the othe