Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-12-20
WHAT CAME OF A CHRISTMAS
PANT0MIME.
BY MRS. FRANK Mccarthy.

OF gigantic pansy. Every inch of the
stage was used to the greatest advant-
age, and the painted bauble in which
they had posed the Queen of the fairies
seemed to be almost within reach of the
Doctors hand Mrs. Shelby had coaxed
her son to take box that night The
old lady was fond of the beautiful
either in art or nature, and had called
Max's attention quite early in the even
ing to this wonderfully beautiful nymph,
who was painting only few yards from
his elbow. The Doctor had turned Just
in time to catch roguish beam from
her magnificent eyes before she bounded
off again. From that time he followed
the one face and form, finding it more
pleasurable to pursue this unit of grace
and beauty than to become dazzled and
bewildered by tens and twenties His
mothers eyes were always a reflection
OF his own, and she was the first to cry
out during the transformation scene
Max's eyes We're already riveted upon
the mammoth pansy. 1t was as solid
as her father, the scene-painter, could
have it made, compatible with the de-
mands of art, yet it ratified against the
crimson-cushioned box in which the
Doctor and his mother were sitting, and
threatened to come to grief, with its
fair occupant, who was shaking in a
congestive chill.
The soft ROBUSTNESS of her big
brown eyes was changed into dilated
stare, the dark delicate rings of her
curly hair lay wet upon her icy fore
head, the pout of her red ripe lips had
contorted into a CHASTITY culver, and
under the rouge upon her rounded
cheeks lay the livid pallor of death.
"Good heavens, Max" said Mrs.
Shelby, "the poor pretty child is dy-
ingl Run quick, and see what is the
matter"
Max always declared it was his
mother that first sent him behind the
scenes of theater. The girl had been
whisked off the stage in the twinkling
of an eye, and another nymph had
popped into the heart Of the pansy.
The Doctor however, had pursued his
poor little phantom behind the scenes,
and had found her stretched out upon q
4 g., 1o ,.nI,.n{ r. Il.
Prince thrown over her, her white teeth
clinched and thin thread of crimson
staining the handful of tulle and span
giles she had clutched to her mouth.
The Doctor always carried his medicine
case with him, to be ready for one of
his mothers heart attacks, and, taking
the nymyh's head upon his arm, he
forced white powder between her
teeth; then turned to a man who was
running in and out, helping first to
shift the scenes, and coming back again
to wiring his hands afresh over the
PROSTATE fairy.
"Who does she belong p" said the
Doctor. "She must be taken home at
once"
"She belongs to me, sir" said the
man, and rushed away again to the
scenes, and we live only few blocks
away" he gasped, as he ran back
again. I'm her father, Tom Batters-
by, God help me! This is a pretty
piece of business. Oh, Betty! Betty
Betty! In few years she'd have made
my fortune and her own. 1 had the
managers word for it! Oh, what a
dish, God help u.s."
"a cab must be got, said the Doc
tor.
"Ten cabs-twenty- in five seconds
as soon as this scene is over; every
mothers son of them, supes and all,
are busy now
"My own cab is waiting" said the
Doctor. Come with me at once" and
lifting her gently in his strong arms, he
carried her through the dingy, draughty
passages, followed by motley crowd
of harlequins, clowns, gnomes and fair
les. now released from their duties for
the night, and ready to do anything fol
their poor pretty comrade in the late
most successful performance of the sea
son. Heres chance, mother" said
the Doctor. when at last he got back tc
the hotel, and found his mother wait.
ING ND for him, Ito pluck brand from
the burning. Not worn-out, half-con
sumed. charred old ember, but fresh
Young bit of sapling, not yet scorched
Great Heaven!" he said, pushing bach
his chair. and striding about the room
Il wish YOU had seen the home of that
moor innocent girl Not that it was Sc
poyerty-stricken; but if there ever was
n case of burning the candle of human
;tv nj both ends, it rests with Tom Bat
tersbv and all his belongings 1t wa,
nearly midnight, and yet the lamps
were flaring away in his tawdry lodg
inos. A frowzy, good-natured looking
woman was sitting by blazing fire il
the rusty CRATE. reading ragged novel
around and about were all the odds ant
ends of the theatrical toilets, for no less
than three of the young Battersbys tool
part in the play. The poor childreni
mother. it seems, died with the las
baby, and her sister, the tiorid devote'
of sensational literature, left the stag
70 come to the rescue of Tom and hi
orphans. I've no doubt she's goo'
creature. Something was slmmerlne
ON the fender for their late supper, ant
a row of night garments were AIRING
close bv. One can fancy them, If Bet
~ had been all right, gathering aroun'
the rickety table, devouring the SAVIOR!
stew. rehearsing noisily the triumpn'
of the evening, kicking their hnsel ln''
the different corners of the ROOM an'
falling off to sleep with the digestions o
so many ostriches. Itisnot their presen