Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-14
RIGNOLD'S KISS.
How he Daltvsred it 10 the Prin.
cess = EnViOus Eyes In the u
dience-The Country Girl who
COuIdn't See Is.

dIence-The Country Girl who
COuIdn't see It.
The Sacramento Union says .
And then there came the pages
with folded arms and green silk
tights, and men in mailed armor,
and last of all that "lovely bully"
as Pistol calls him, Rignold himself,
with his lofty stride, his Stryver-
like shouldering of every one off
the stage, his carrying of chest and
waistband six inches before his
chin, his opening and glinting Of
eye, his rapid and chewed elocution,
his continual affection Of naughty,
backward casting Of the head
Rignold, the lady-hller, the heart
disturber, the affection smssher, the
hope wrecker who haunts the
dreams of school girls given to eat
ing chalk and slate pencils, and
over whom troops of matinee at
tendants sigh for a week and then
put his photograph away among the
gallery of other loves = Booth,
Coghlan, 0'Neill, Vivian and the
rest of them-half unconsciously
making room as they do SO for
Montague in another fortnight.
The play ran on through court
and camp and battle and trium-
phant entry in London, and as the
blonde hero rode in upon the stage
bestride of his white horse "Cris-
pin," | felt our little country girl
start, and imagined how the arrow
had struck her over her watch
pocket. And then the closing
scene where he lays siege to the
Princess Katherine Of France, the
character taken by pretty Eleanor
Carey. With forebOding looked
forward to the Rigneld kiss, fearful
of its effect upon the throbbing i'm
agination at my side.
! | had heard young lady say the
| day before that her idea of happi-
ness was "to be wooed with the Rig,
mold kiss" aud another boasts Of
having put his hand to her lips
Just before he left on the boat wher
he played his last engagement here,
and l feared lest our honest st-hearteC
little friend should get more Rig
mold than was good for her. | had
heard of the kiss as "heayenly," anC
l was afraid the sight of Paradise
might turn the brain Of any but an
old theater-goer.
Well, the wooing went brayell
on, despite the French that wa
broken in pieces over it, and tn,
princess played little tricks witt
her head and the corners of he
mouth, and King Henry, in a mos
becoming suit of crimson and drab
slowly swung her around by th,
! hands, drew her head upor hi
shoulder, upturned her chin, anC
kissed her for one, two, three, four
, five, / could not tell you how man,
seconds, and a low sigh stole on
: from the dress circle, and a gentl
: and long-drawn 'a-a-ah" from be
hind the hushed fans, while tn
gallery shouted "Timew and prett
' Eleanor Oarey's soon-to-be husband
! had he seen it, must have been ca
reering around the lobby making
g efforts to put a head on the pictur
: of George Rignold.
8 l stole a glance at our cOuntr
: girl there, expecting to find her en-
/ tranced; but no, not at all. Lik
r the stoutly sensible girl that she il
8 there she sat smoothing her glove
g over and over in her embarrassment
f and then she cried indignantly
Y "Isn't that horriblep while the We
!, man behind us, the mother of fou
]. children, safe from the contaminI
Q tions Of the theater, in the
e nursery at home, gazed enchante
9 through her lorgnette with sill
!? murmur and half articulute &C
d upon her lips.
d | saw Rlgnold the other da
n shorn of his stage trappiugs, and
o good, honest.looking man he WI
% "a large man with small mu
n tache, and no especial gorgeousneI
If of eye; but took respect for hin
4 sneinn him ON the staon. because |