, 1879-07-06
~ HE STAGE.
THE DRAMA.
CHICAGO.
nouR RIPE ~

IL L OAN0"AS
CHICAGO.
eouE MORE "B1FF."
..,,o,v;ng satire upon the realistic tenden-
1ne rsanch authors, bY Abraham Drefeus,
ess o'.hra.rd ~ novelist, appears in recent num-
the es's. c1ob< and is translated for The TR1B-
bef foA - ,,e,;cre that Len Grover Is responsible
usE. s,rin,tion Of the word '' till " in its
for 'ps x"an,ection. It became here part OF
pFesel,s ,stric., vocabulary. 1t has Travelled or
tnc .u~ .-o,n city to city, until finally. 1t
roheo - m in Paris. Can It be possible that
has st"u 49,. :. Old Fel'' in his minds eye when
he wrote this: .,,, sa,a +ha vorno
dramatist ~, r,1 shon1d n1av It what
ID f. amount toa I've played many like H."
"oui ,.Tia,,s all / ask; it isn't much!"
uThirts representations Lou are "ooest'
F-aTes"
i; .Not morca"
.Ikpow my business and tell you the piece
you't dor ,..,
What does It want!' ..
whss q hss does it xantl pve told you. It wants
Mn8b NV" ..
shift"
we. ~ scepfc effect, 4 bit Of sensation. Ihe
+h;n- 1hich makes every one say' Leps go "
.-,.b md such q theatre; there's tne tnn's'
.ssre,s the sensation; VIC must see IT, an'
-. T. indeed wants biff! biff!" and the speaker
.o,;sd his eyes and gazed at the ceiling.
4. Tbrs Mr.. Trubert, the director Of q Paris the
,onversed with Mr. Alexis Chaudfroid, the
.ntbor of piece which was then being rehcafs-
- =, the Pryantee, and on which the manage
msot hid founded the greatest hopes. These
hones had diminished from day to oay'
indeed, they had ever existed. lruoert
h.d taken up the piece because he had notnlng
-. N n1ay. Chauufroid WAS not deficient IN
..,s,t.. His piece WAS tolerably interesting, ana
.hs sctors united in saying that 1t was well "f1t-
a. I1nfortunately, Cnaudfroid had no 1eputar
ton. .
4yon said TINT the little Ferdinand Duchesne
~,c even less known than Chaudtrolo, anu sui4
.The Hrepe de BongiVal' drew 3oo OF au 1ancs
.v,ry ntzht more than the Delassemcnts Inca
.,e But sThe Sirene de Bong1Fai' was p1aSeo
hv Rosita. and there was In the second act tne
t.mons river of real water, in which hosita
.Tam across as II she were IN the oe'ne' sa'o
tbx iesalss e as< 4@seei: ,aaeae! That 10, .Di,"
II thsy could only get something ike It IN
{. Aihertipe II Trubert would have been satls-
~ Hnr the piece didn't. have 1t, and Shand-
fooid didn't seem disposed to make sensanon
n,t ri what he considered bis Literary triumph.
So the young author rejected ~ d lIe sues .s.es
..,'.s sff.cfs And this had been between them
..,*.oo If continual discussion.
.s1f aibertins could only be mounted" NUT
tered Trubert-
amounted on horseback and gallop to the
1oyers' rendezvous!-"
.What!" gasped Chandfro!d.
"Certainly, pge done the same thlng' "
ayes. NV father was a Norman farmer, and
1T night used to saddle horsc and go some
miles to Sec" -.
'tBut you're not young girl. Remember that
dlbxrtu: leaves the chateau when everybody Is
os,een to 20 to the end OF the park. Think OF
hcr en,eriug the stable and saddling her mare
Absurd"
arrived on horseback in the midst Of the ruins,
1t up hy the pale moon, you'd have an enor-
nous sbiff.'"
-You'rc wrong. It would do for your scene
IN the third act when 4fbertine makes the 2VoWA
Of her mistake to the Count Dc Loriac."
"Ncll, don't like ft~''
uAs II is now, it's cold"
aWhat! colda That scene between the
father and daughter when he wishes to Kill her,
xud she throws herself ut bis feet"
uYes, fud that very colu."
~What On earth do you Wanta"
stl'vc told you." ...-.
.You might put in few trained dogs" sar-
eastically remarked the young author.
THAT wouldn't be SO bad" mused the d.
rector. att would throw little hunor into
liz piece, and heaven knows it needs tt-''
*You didn't say that when you received the
play. You found the scene very dramatic"
III" reading. It is at the representation We see
tn
"And 50 you've changed your opipiona"
4Slightly."
sand you think it needs 'b1f'a" said the
author smiling.
sceltainly; You may laugh; but maintain
swell. then, find it. if you can," said the
author, rising disgusted, "and in the meantime
suspend the rehearsals.''
"As you please. Good morning, sfr.''
Upon this the two speakers separated
Chandfroid furious1y quilted the theatre swear
i9g that he would never put his foot inside the
place asain. As for Trubert, after having
walked around his office, crushed some meme
randa, apdcursed authors, the public, and things
generally, be found himself il, the street. It
vas the month Of May. He nailed cab.
"To the Zooiogical Gardcns!'
Why there? Because it is place where few go
j. May, and consequently weli-fitted for medt-
ration. Ttubert experienced violent desire to
mediate lie thought: Mice weather2 Yes.
6unshtnt2 Yes; and for the first time in six
months That will make things lively at the
theatres. But there's Robergeot with his
'Streue de Bougiyal.' don't know where the
moneY's coming from. Damn Robergeot! Then
that other piece; but the Little Duchesne,
chandfroid With his literary piece" In follow
ing up the train Of his reflections, Trubert
thought Of his everyday expenscs,-what be
had to raise to meet tile demands Of authors
and actors. Hc thought OF the caprices Of his
landlord, the prices OF printing, the hundred
end one demands which imposed upon him the
necessity OF a success, and then Trnbert re-
turned to this one idea Of "biff, :" which should
make or break him.
The cab passed the Morgue.
"Ah!" said the director, 1tthere's tbiff,' but
has been worked. There Was drowned wom-
"a IN THE Countess of Someryille,' sThe
sphinx ruined poisoning, and as for hanging,
there Il no <bid' 10 it~''
Arriving at the Geological Gardens, Trubert
sent away his coach, and set himself to meas
pr1ng the almost deserted walks. He stopped
before tne cage Of lions "That, too, is used
nn.n H., ihe sight Of the bears, the monkeys.
snases and other apimals inspired him
.s,s.., nLsn similar reflections. Everything was
played out He must leave HE
animals to the nenaperina 1.haro rvaa m