The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-12-27
the STAGE Warts. |"

fession. the lyric art have no. great
fancy for yonr gin. but will drink the
toast III the liqnor of Your country"
He was on his legs ut this time. and
bowed forward left aud right before he
drank, so as to include all the company
under his eondsseen,lmg compliance in
pledging the art to which he belonged
in a product nj England
"Hear. hear. hear" cried several
voices cheerfnlly. The Frcn.hman
emptied his glass and sat down with
look OF profound satisfaction.
They We're all men present u dozen
and they all lappcared in the very hest
humor and spirits. They were seated
in the dining-room OF James Walfosd.
n professional singer. and the occasion
of the meeting was to commemorate
Walfonrs sign ,turc To IN agreement
with the lessee Of the Cremona thmter.
A few days ago the document had hcen
duly completed: Walford was to lave
f2o week, the largest salary he hal
yet reached, and was to Great. the lead.
ing tenor part i'll new comic op, III.
To be sure. the Cremona was no,
tirst.class theater, hut Walfonl was
glad to get leading part anywhere.
AMI 30 week WAS great at
vance upon tl0. which Ee had b ea
formerly earning in n subordinate part.
Walford himself was hardly rs glad
as his friends. for he VAS the leSt
natured. best tempered, kin,.st heart
tenor that ever lived, and all his friends
wished him we'll. There were other
reasons also which made those who
liked him. glad Of his success, 4 few
months ago he had lost Young VIE. To
whom he was devotedly attached, and
he was left widower with aa oalv
child, boy of l wears old. Now that
his wife was gone, this boy wss tteve
apple of his eye. He took the child
with him wheresoeyer hc might. and
when he came home, VII, tacr i. WAS
early or late, his first ~, WAS to visit
the hoy. Those Who knew him best
said il was well he had the child To
center his affections on. .ar a,hcrw Sc
they feared his reason might give way,
He was not ono III thaSr who wear
their hearts upon Their sleeves. He
was made of stubborn >tus,. Eut then
all knew that when he ma ri,d hS late
wife he had given Ter the love of his
whole nature, and that the very quiet.
hess of his manner. uron her death,
meant II stubborn nature terribly con.
trallel. To one or two If his most
intimate friends he had sail coaiia.n>
italy that il anything happened to his
boy he should rot care to live.
tine of the rleasantcst things in
connection with the present social
meeting VAS that NJ, Grattin had come.
ana shown himself most cordial ard
agreeable. Everyone regarded tbs as
exceedingly good oa his part, for i, Mas
known to NIL that the cho - uf IA / NOR
for the Crcmona Thea,,r lay between
him and Walfora. Thus le had come,
as il We're, Ia >ignalize the tciumph al
his rival over hia SELF,
NJ. Grattn was man ni medium
height. Hack haired sallow. with 4 Ak
brown eyes, n slightly luil nc no and
good figure. IL. WAS II >trikinglv.
handsome man. His manner, w q re.
6ned and g.ntlemanlik,, and the on'y
objection Enelishmen found Ia him VAS
that he seemed In hc anxious to i ow
elaborate kindness III small things nj
the expense of >ihcesity in greater.
Thus il happened that. although the
men present in ALBANY lodge. ca.on.
bury, that light greeted hss arrival cn-
thusia>ticallv, ami told him he was Il
good fellow Tor coming. next morning,
when they thought mere quietly over
the matter. they agreed ii was ,n's
what WAS to he ~, ec:cd froia So polit.
and courteous n man.
IL was hut natural AT. under the
circumstances of the death al Wa fards
wife. his curly headed little ho. Fields
should he made much If hy the Roae-
mian friends OF his father. For lime
no one came Ia the oasc without
bringing him som, l., lie toy az sweet
stuffs; ani il the no; had MOI very
COED disposition an,l ii gay snd ary
manner. which made him take the gifts
with the laughter of del gh, raj her than
the gravity of greed. he would have
run fair ehan,, ai being h"pc.cs>lv
spoiled.
Allan, lodge was a L.uch more mol.
est house than one IN ght supp o>c om
the name, For, taking e inns, = he
hud engagements with the times hc had
not, Walfufd could ut hi,hr. to ,uun,
on earning much n.orr than 900 year.
During his miies tin. she had had "a
general servant Tor the house, while
she herself lookrd after the hoy. But,
upon the death nj hs w.fr Waltor,l
having no Nom.n rr'at W Who rould
take her place. li>ml led the general
servant aud hunted mp h \ ,la mnrs :,
Martha Grace.
She MAS now AT least "a Nrar> al a2.,
anal of course nothing Ike n active ! s
sh. had once hal ih.i l.. new h.,
could l.ls on L"r I" "a 4" e. +" hls
hoy, aud that Was ih" great "uusl ,fs,
tion i'm Lis heart then. Nhpn she cnlu,