Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-02-28
BEHIND THE SCENES.
ACT. I.


One, two, threep'
1t was the ballet-master's voice, and
the hallet-master was drilling come
half-dozen young ladies, in short skirts
and long stockings, in the intricacies OF
a grand pas.
A number of people occupied the
stage, some of them with books in their
hands, some of them crossing and re-
crossing to places in accordance with
stage directions.
1t was somewhat unusual to have all
this going on during the run of sue
cessful pantomime, but the evening
was a sort of gala night. A young and
lovely debutGnte, the daughter of an
old French actor who had recently died,
was to make her first appearance; and,
in addition to the usual bill, two acts of
the Lady of Lyons were to precede
the pantomime. Old Peter French had
left little to Marie except his name, her
mothers beauty, and, perhaps, some
thing of his own histrionic genius. The
two former bequests would not afford
her living; she had determined to find
what the latter would do for her.
She sat this morning in the wings,
apart from the others. Her only COM
pany was the clown, and she had been
talking with him earnestly.
81 wont, wontr she said. "This
must be stopped, Edward, for your own
sake as well as mine. / don't love you
I can't love you-and never could
learn to make you happy. You are
cruel to talk to me about this thing at
such time. Don't l need all the nerve
I've got to get through with tonight S
trialP l should think you would know
better"
81 drifted into it," said the clown,
humbly. :" never meant to speak to
you about it again. But remembe Der,
Marie, that have loved you so long!
never thought that anyone could take
the place of my little lost Jeanne until
your father came to me for help in Civ
ing you instruction for the stage. |
found you so good, so beautiful, so diff
ferent from other girls! 1t wasn't very
strange that your tutor should fall in
love with you, was it, MarieP"'
- think it was" she said 81 don't
see what there was to fall in love with.
Besides you are so much older than l..
Why, l used to sit in your lap before l
was old enough to bring costumes to
the theater."
Yes. know" he said; " there are
fourteen years between us. | have
been fool to think of winning you at
all. After tonight still broader gulf
will separate us, for you will succeed
Maria. | know it. The proudest place
in the profession will be within your
reach"
She was silent for moment. Then
she said, quietly: "Well, wont you be
glad of it?''
Indeed, indeed shallr' he replied
earnestly. 81 would give half the
years of my life to see it. / would have
been content to take you as my wife,
even though you were but little girl
still bringing costumes to the dressing
rooms, since that is not TO be, / shall
be proud of the day when dukes and
earls shall bend at your feet You need
not smile, Marie; such things have been
before now"
"You good Edward" she said tax
ing his hand in both her own, 81
shall never forget what | owe to YOU
nevertheless. Should such day ever
come it will make one more reason
why | should not be yours. Success
would make me ambitious. Iwould
not be contented as the wife of a poor
clown unless loved you more than /
think do now. If | fail l should dis
appoint you. You would not care for
me them"
He would have answered that asser-
ton quickly but the interview was in
terrupted at that moment by call-boy.
Maria had no sooner left the side of
the clown in answer 10 the summons
than her place was taken by one of the
ballet-dancers-a slight, dark-eyed girl
dressed, like her sisters practicing
upon the stage, in short petticoats and
long woolen stockings of fiery red.
"Sor' she said, stepping before him
and curling her pretty lip contemptu-
ously, "you are in love with our grand
lady, are youPn
Edward darted frightened look at
her.
Have you been listeningP" he
asked.
bah! Why should take the troublep
Her silly gaRble isn't often worth listen
ing to, Pm Sure. Only, when folks Sc
lect such queer times and places for
their love-making they ought to re-
member that canvas walls aren't so
solid AS they appear. Do you know
why Marie Frondat wont marry you,
Edward SteeleP'
"She does not love me-" said the
clown, simply.
Z" Stuff She doesn't know what love
is-but that is not it. She wont have
you because you are a clown, that's all.
She has got fine ideas in her head, and
you have yourself to blame for it partly.
She forgets that you have filled, and
can still fill, higher roles than the ones
you have been playing lately. She for
gets that it was the loss of your voice
which brought you from yourlegitimate
line down TO the position which YOU oc-
cupy now. She forgets that she has
never been anything better than a
dresser all her life. There's no merit
in her name and her beauty; but she
doesn't think of that. It's pride, Ed
ward Steele-pride, and nothing else"
" She has genius" said Steele. "Her
dreams may be fulfilled"
a" Never! Listen TO me; | hate that
woman. with all my heart and soul. A
man whom l have loved better than
my own life has been seduced by her
accursed beauty-for she is beautiful
and her false smiles. He left me under
circumstances hardest of all for a wom-
an to bear-did me a wrong hardest of
all wrongs for a woman to forgive.
After she had won him from me she
turned him adrift | would not receive
him back; she would have nothing TO
do with him. But that is neither here
nor there, 1t was she who took my
love away from me, and l hate her.
There is nothing / would not do 10
compass her RUM and l will cause her