Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-11-12
The Debutante.
AN ACTORS STORY.


of the Theatre Royal, Northopolis, gives
vent to a grOan of despair as he speaks,
and plunges his hands deep down into
the pockets of his rusty brown overcoat
"a garment which he clings to with all
the tenderness of old acquaintance. and
which he presently refuses to exchange
for another of more fashionable cut and
less threadbare tendencies.
"It's terribly unfortunate, sir. l an
swered, sympathetically. Cant Miss
Rawlings be persuaded to do her best
under the circumstances ?"
"You had better 60 and ask her." the
manager responds, with bitter laugh.
"You know her amiable temper. 1t is
highly probable that she will consent to
appear before the B. P" British Pub
lic) "with a swollen face; and, even if
she did, fancy the absurdity of roman
tic heroine with an unconcealable attack
of erysipelas No, no, my boy; we
must give up the production for the pres
ent, and substitute repeat tomorrow
night. There is nothing for it but to
60 at once and see about some posters"
"But some of the big reporters and
more than one London manager are COM
ing down expressly to see the new piece"
l demonstrate, freely; land, should it
prove success, you might take the
whole company up to town."
my boy, what's the use of talking ?"
snaps the lessee. "You know very well
the whole thing depends on Rawlings,
and won't have it made hash of if it
is never to be played at all. Confound
the woman l wish she had been at the
bottom of the Red Sea before | was
tempted to have anything to do with
her ! She has done nothing but make
herself consistently disagreeable all the
season and, not content with that, she
ends by knocking up the business alto
gether."
Muttering and growing to himself,
he stalks away to speak to one of the
carpenters.
Poor old Chumleigh, cannot help
plying him. For weeks past have no.
ticed that the lines on his handsome,
middle aged face have been growing
deeper and deeper, and that his thick,
dark hair has been acquiring percepti-
bly, larger sprinkling of silver threads
Theatrical management is hardly a bed
of roses anywhere, fancy; but at the
Theatre Royal, Northopolis, it bears a
much greater resemblance to couch
composed of thorLs.
Uneasy lies the head that takes upon
itself the responsibilities and pecuniary
arrangements of this apparently desira
BILE property-for the Theatre Royal,
Northopolis, is one of the largest and
prettiest in the provinces, and, if you
can contrive to hit the right nail on the
head and happen to suit exactly the
taste of the very extensive population,
your fortune may be literally made there.
In this. however. lies the difficulty. Nor.
thopolis holds peculiar views in matters
relating to Thespis, and is uot to be con.
ciliated into believing in whatsoever il
is its sovereign will and pleasure not tc
believe.
In respect to accommodating himself
to the popular prejudices, Mr.. Chum
leigh has been singularly unfortunate
and the natural consequence is that th'
effiux from the treasury during the las
few months has considerably overbalanc
ed the influx. To any one at all &C
quainted with theatrical concerns it viii
be obvious that such a condition of af
fairs can lead to only one ultimate re
sult-namely, an inevitable ''smash up.
At last, however, it seemed that For
tune was about to smile on the almos
: despairing lessee. A new and reall,
powerful historical drama, written on
popular local subject, by popular loca
author, had been offered for his accept
: ance, and in due course placed in re
hearsal. The local papers had been &c
static in their representations; the FAM
of the new work had even travelled t
the "Great City" itself-where its au
thor was already favorably known-an
: excited the interest of the most exalte
theatrical potentates." J" An overfowin
and critical house was naturally expect
ed to witness the first representation.
t But alas for the instability of huma
hopes and the fckleness of deceitfu
Fortune The very day before the grea
e production. Miss Rawlings. the leadin
lady, who had been threatened for som
: time with symptoms of the dis6gurin
!. malady before alluded to, appeared q
n rehearsal with face infamed, swolle
I and distorted. and declared herself inca
: pable Of appearing in the part allotte
to her.
: Terrible was the dismay created
b this catastrophe. For brief half hol
e Despair and Chaos reigned in the dism'
and dimly-hghted region behind IL
o fcotlights, and frantic shrieks resounde
= through the cavernous and misty gulf
Il L