Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-10-26

rs II not so, sir, no actor has ever
played the role of Mephistophelcs bet
ter than my comrade here"
"Humphrn said the stranger, flash
ing his green eyes and cracking his
sharp teeth. "Mr. Heinrich is young
man of talent, whom | esteem very
highly; but he is wanting in many
things necessary to play the role of the
DEVIL
And suddenly drawing himself up:
"Have you ever seen the devil, Mr..
Hcinrich?n
He put this question in such n strange
and mocking tone that all the company
felt a shudder run down their backs.
"That however, would be necessary
for the truthfulness of your play. The
other evening | was at the theater of
the Corinthian Gate, and | was not sat
isfed with your laugh, it was, at the
utmost, n sly laugh. My dear Mr..
Heinrich, this is the way you ought to
laugh"
And thereupon, as if TO give him the
example, he burst into laugh so
sharp, SO strident, so sardonic, that the
orchestra and the dancers stopped at
that very instant, and the glass in the
windows trembled. The stranger con-
tinued this pitiless and convulsivc
laugh for several minutes, and Helm
rich and his companions, IN spite of
their terror, could not help initiating
it.
When Heinrich had recovered him
self the vaults of the tavern were re-
peating. like feeble echo, the last
notes of that broken and terrible laugh
and the stranger was no longer there.
Some duJo after this strange incl
dent, which he had almost forgotten,
or which he remembered only as u
joke of an ironical burgher, Heinrich
was playing his part of the demon in
the new piece. On the first row of
seats in the orchestra was seated the
stranger of the tavern, and at every
word pronounced he shook his head,
winkcd his eyes, smacked his tongue
against his palate and showed signs of
the liveliest impaticncc.
"Bad, badn he murmurcd to him
self.
His neighbors, astonishcd and shock
ed at his manners, applauded. and
thought to themselves that the gentle
man was very hard to please.
At the end of the first act the stran-
Ger rose rs if he had taken a sudden
resolution, strobe over the big drum,
the cymbals and trombone, and disap-
peared through the little door that
leads from the orchestra to the stage.
Heinrich, waiting until the curtain rose,
was walking up and down in the wings,
and when he came TO the end of his
short promenade what was his terror
to see aS he turned, standing in the
middle Of the narrow corridor, Il mys-
tcrious parsonage clothed exactly as he
was, and who looked at him with eyes
whose grecnish Transparency had u
strange profundity in the darkness;
the white, sharp, widc-sct teeth gave
something ferociouS TO the sardonic
smile.
Heinrich could not fail to recognize
the stranger whom he had seen at the
Two-headed Eagle, or rather the devil
in person, for it was he.
"Ah, ah, my young friendl you wish
to play the devil? You were very mid
ding in the first act, and you would
decidedly give u poor idea of me TO the
good citizens of Vienna. You will al
low me to replace youths evening; and,
as you might interfere with me, |
will send you TO the cellar below the
stage
Heinrich recognized the Prince of
Darkness, and felt himself lost. Put
ting his hand mechanically to the little
cross that Katy had given him, he tried
to call for help, and 20 murmur his
formula of eXorcism; but terror chokcd
him; he could only utter feeble rattle.
The devil seized Heinrich with his
hooked hands by the shoulders and
pushed him by main force through the
floor; then he entered upon the scene,
when his cue came, like aperfcct actor.
His incisive, biting, venomous and
truly diabolical acting at first surprised
the spectators. What especially pro-
duced Il great effect was that sharp
litter like the grating of saw, that
laugh of the damned disappearing the
joys of paradise. Never had an actor
attained such power of sarcasm, such Il
depth of villainy; the audience
laughed, but they tremblcd All
the audience was painting with
emotion, phosphoric sparks glintcd
from the fingers of the terrible actor;
trains of sparkling flame ran from
his feet; the light of the lustres
grew pale, the footlights shot out
reddish and greenish flashes; sort
of sulphurous smell reigned in the
theater; the spectators were, asit were,
delirious, and thunders of frantic APP
plause greeted each phrase of the mar
velOus Mcphistopheles, who often sub
stitutcd verses of his own invention for
the verses of the poet, and the substi-
tuition was always happy and accepted
with transports.
Katy, who was in the theater, was in
Il state of extraordinary alarm; she did
not recognize her dear Heinrich; she
presaged some misfortune with that
spirit of divination which love gives.
The performance ended amidst in
describable enthusiasm. When the
curtain fell the public called for Meph-
istopheles with loud cries. He was
sought for in vain; but at last scene
shifter came and told the manager that
Heinrich had been found in the cellar,
where he had probably fallen through n
trap.
The hapless actor was taken up. His
clothing was burned in places, and on
his shoulders were deep scratches.
They spoke to him, but he did not
answer.
Heinrich Falkenstein was dead