The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-12-11
UNDER THE SNOW.
THE sTRoLLER's TWO CHRISTMAS
EWES.
BY ALFRED TRUNBLE.

"Like the snowl Curse it, hate it, 1t
is the shroud, the winding sheet, of every
hope l ever cherished. Every fake that
falls is clod on the grave of my dead life
and of my dead life's love. Stand me an
other drink, old boy. know it is abusing
good-nature, but I'll give you something to
scrlbble on that will more than pay you Tor
all the camphene you'll eyer buy for me-"
never was brilliant actor. do not
know even that l ever would have been a
notably good one, even if that had not hap,
pened which did TO put an end to my am
bition for good and all. But was an earnest
and painstaking man in my profession
when, in the season of 1858, formed one
Of the company at the Richmond Theatre
and first met her. ..r.
She had belonged to one Of many travel
ing companies, which, then as now, raided
the Southern States each season, trusting to
luck for success once they were launched
upon the road.
In the case of this one the luck had been
bad, and the company had been disbanded
in Raleigh by the simple process of the man
ager's absconding with what ghostly funds
there were, leaving the people to shit for
themselves.
Out Of this wreck she had somehow man
aged to extricate herself and make her way
to Richmond, where she applied for and OBJ
tanned an engagement with us.
Like my own, her position in the com
pany was an humble one; but her rare
beauty Of face and figure quickly marked
her out even in the unimportant roles that
were assigned To her. Her grace. her love-
liness, the magnetic tenderness of her voice,
the nlluring sparkle of her blue eyes, be-
came town talk. Within a very few weeks,
had she so willed it, she could have grasped
the wealth of half the James River Valley
in her dainty hand.
But this popular adulation charmed no
responsive glow from her. Letters, boquets,
sealed and perfumed packages, whose con.
tents could easily be inferred, poured in on
her with no more effect than rain-drops
have on the marble goddess in some Italian
garden.
She never read any of the notes, which
she invariably turned over to the backdoor
keeper to return to the writers or destroy.
With the more tangible evidences Of devo-
ton it was the same. From the case of su-
perbj jewels to the exotic boquet,a all the dainty
eoncets and tokens of conquest women best
love, returned by the way they came.
This state of affairs continued for many
weeks, for defeat seemed only to spur her
admirers to fresh efforts. AT first had noted
it with simple curiosity, which gradually
grew to interest, until when began to see
through all her assumption of ind ference
how this persistent devotion distressed her.
My feeling became deeper and warmer
one-sympathy. She got little enough oi
that commodity from the rest of the COM
pany, heaven knows Their original jeal'
ousy of the sensation she created had turned
to angry contempt when they saw how she
dispised the popularity of whose possession
they enved her SO savagely, They could
not comprehend favor above purchase,
suppose.
The women, when they spoke to her a
all, stabbed her with verbal dsggers. The
men sneered at what they called her affecta
tion Of exclusiveness and modesty. So bel
position came TO be very miserable one
indeed.
II was out of this our friendship sprang
She noted my feeling for her, and was CRATE
full, in an undemonstrative way peculiarly
her own, for it, So we became fast friends
and then-but to make long story short
at the end of the season We were married.
We came to New York, where, after
brief engagement at the Broadway Theatre
in the Spring Of 1850, fell i'll.
MY wife was compelled to relinquish he
engagement TO attend TO me, and lunl
months of illeness bore the usual fruit
Deeply in debt and without money, the Fal
found me helpless eonvalescent, with thu
creditors who had spared Inc during my
sickness now elamoring for a settlement.
In this strait applied to cousin and ole
college chum, from whom, in common witt
the rest of my family, l had been long es
tranged, for assistance. My wife was th'
bearer Of my appeal. The response was al
immediate and generous one.
Ny cousin followed his gin with visit
and the intimacy of our old university day
was soon renewed.
He was a gay, bright fellow, flushed will
success, a radiant, social butterfly, who's
very presence was like draught of sparkling
wine. saw that my wife admired him
and at the bottom Of my foolish heart con
graduated myself on having provided he