Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-06-27

L
an hour, and went down. as he said. to
witness the rehearsal of the new play.
+ Our American Cousin Mrs. Hale
andlmyseif thought of going - 57etT
! --4.r.-... THAT NIGHT,
! but he strongly advised us not, saving,
[ remembered, that it was good Friday,
and that few people would be present,
and the play would drag oil that ac-
count. After this we decided to post
! pone our intention, and 90 the night
after .y..s -..,.-. Z ....a..a -
Dinner passed off pleasantly, and
we retired to our rooms for our post
prandial nap, and did not reassemble
together until the evening, when about
a half an hour before supper we all met
1 in the parlor There were Senator
Hale and his wife, [ and Bessie, and an
/ English lady who was staying at the
hotel. A few moments after we were
/ seated John Wilkes came in and greet
ed us all with the utmost cordially and
the same old graceful bow that he, and
only he, could make He seemed to
be in good spirits, and laughed at the
machinery of the play. After little
desultO1y conversation, he and Bessie
drew off together, and carried on an
earnest conversation in low tones. |
recollect thinking what pretty picture
the two made. The room was brilliantly
! lighted in front, but leaving the lower
! portion of it III the shadow. The two
seemed to be utterly unconscious that
any one in the world existed save them
selves. Bessie Hale reclined on huge
| velvet armchair, her black silk con
trasting and well set off by the red vel
vet background. Her eyes were lu-
mmous, and shOne like stars, as she
listened with her soul in her face to
Booth, who sat beside and above her
He seemed to be inspired, and the mu-
steal murmur of his voice could be
/ heard, but not his words. He was evil
IDENTIFY impassiOned to the highest de-
gree, and Bessie sat like the charmed
Princess in the Arabian Nights-spell-
bound. | do not think that any woman
on earth could listen to Booth unmoved
when he chose. to exert himself His
beautiful language, tender tones, per-
sonal beauty, rich voice, and magnetic
presence, all combined, made him rO-
mantle maiden's ideal actually persona
fled. God knows what was passing in
his heart as he sat there with the only
woman he ever loved, and only He who
knoweth all things could read the
stormy workings of the heart thai was
torn with the battle of cOntending pas
, siOns. No wonder the dark ewes gleam-
ed with an unnatural lustre and soften
ed with an unutterable longing as he
gazed his last on the fair woman beside
him. And she looked up at him as
only a wholly loving woman looks upon
her hearts king.
g At last the whole party rose to go
to supper, and the two were brought
back to themselves again. They fol-
lowed us slowly, and Just as left the
parlor heard Booth say, "Ah Bessie!
Bessie ! can l trust you utterly?" and
her reply came clear, but with a world
of melancholy in the tones
Even as Ruth said, SO say Even
unto death p
1--WE took our seats at the table-a
small round one Booth and Bessie sat
together, then the English lady, I next
to her, and the Senator and his wife
completed the group. The supper pass
ed off pleasantly enough; | noticed
nothing whatever excited in Booths
manner; he was unusually entertain
ing, and his laugh rang out as loud and
clear as man whose mind and con-
science were at perfect ease. 1t was
the last meal he was to take on earth,
and yet he was careless and at rest.
"At last Booth arose from the table,
and drawing out his watch said: It is
after o'clock; l. must go and then
dropping into Il quotation. as was his
wont. he added: But
When shall we three meet again 2
Bessie who had cultivated a strong
love of Shakespeare under Booths tut
ton, took the part Of one of the weird
sisters, and answered promptly
When the hurly-burys DONE
When the battles lost and wOn.'
"And then Booth threw himself into
q melo-dramatic attitude, and replied
Hark! Tn called, my little spirit, see!
Sits in foggy cloud, and stays for me-.
"He then made us all one of his
grand bows, and walked to the door,
and just as he passed out, some recol-
lection or memory seemed to strike
him, and he returned abruptly to the
table, and said to Bessie, using a famil-
lar quotation of Hamlet:
Nymph, III thy prisons
! BE all my sins remembered
"He took her hand, and gazed with
one long, lingering look in her face. /
noticed his eyes grow soft with a beau
tiful mystic radiance, and his sensitive
mouth quivered and showed the Dearly
teeth beneath the mustache, and then
he shook his head with determined
movement, dropped her hand, turned
and disappeared through the open door
way. and as we gazed, none of us
thought our eyes were looking the last
in this world upon the maynard genius
who had won SO upon all We who loved
him.
" | cannot tell you how we passed
that fearful evening much, no doubt,
as the rest; we laughed. talked, and
tested, as was our wont, and no shadow
of the impending awful event fell upon
us. The hours sped swiftly by, until 10
o'clock struck, and then our little circle
broke up. As / kissed Bessie good
night, | couldn't help saying to her,
My dear you look exquisitely lovely
tO-night-sweeter and prettier than |
ever saw you She only smiled and
left the parlor.
/ g went to my own room, and being
tired, undressed and went to bed 1t
seemed as if [ had been asleep but a
minute when was aroused by an indie
| Enable noise that served to wake, but
was not loud enough to startle one.
/ Doors We're slamming all over the house,
and murmur of voices was heard. |
thought at first that some one was sick,