Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-03-07

middle-aged gentleman mad.
Nv.
lie wanted to &c, done early now, so that he
might go home aud form one Of jury of taste
to decide knotty point. Ii was not without
some feeling OF disappointment that Mrs.
Dibblns and Sprout had ascertained the pre-.
else character that father was to I'LL In the
"Corsican Brothers" The artist himself had
been reticent on the subject. But, knowing
that they would sooner or later behold
him in the act Of performing, he felt the
necessity OF making clean breast of II. The
fact is, as everyone who has seen the "Cor-
sican Brothers" will know the doctor, though
a highly important parsonage, comes on only
In one scene, and utters but single sentence.
This happens after the duel, when, kneeling
down by the side OF the wounded man, he pulls
out his watch, looks at 1t, and raising his eyes
to Heaven, observes:
" He has but five minutes to live.n
This was not much, but as Jonadab said,
these minor paris, as projected by the author,
are frequently transformed by the genius OF
the performerinto the part of the piece. What
Jonadab had long discussed was the proper
place on which emphasis should fall In the
enunciation OF this declaration. II was no use
further deferring decision on this important
matter. The rehearsals had taken place, the
piece was TO open on the following night, and
IL had been agreed that this Sunday morning
should be devoted to hearing Jonadab submit
the various readings possible, and taking a
decision thereupon.
Sprouts was at home at eleven O'Clock and
helped his mother TO prepare the room for the
private rehearsal. 1t was Sprouts notion that
it was eminently desirable to reproduce the
real theater as nearly as possible. So, setting
together all the chairs In the house, supple
mented by boxes and the bucket turned upside
down, he banked his brothers and sisters In
the remoter end Of the room. This, he an
nounced, was the gallery the Vraisenlblance
hafnO nromnfpd V
fume of oranges. This arose from jorum OF
peel water, a drink which has not yet been
largely advertised, but which was highly pop
ulari in the Dibbins household, and, indeed,
generally throughout the neighborhood 1t
was produced by the process OF boiling orange
peel in water, adding little treacle or brown
sugar, and there you were. The street provi-
ded never-ending supply OF orange peel; the
only difficulty was to obtain sugar. On day
like this 1t was forthcoming b)untifully, and
though the general notion of what was going
to happen was but vaguely shaped in the mind
of the young Dibbinses, they were quite GER
tain OF the peel-water, and, moreover, enjoyed
this excitement of being set forth in rows as IL
they were personages Of importance.
Sprouts had brought In with him bottle OF
ginger beer, which he proposed to open pres
emily when the curtain was rung up, knowing
that its pop would sound pleasant and familiar
in his fathers ears. Sprouts himself was the
pit Mrs. Dbbins and the baby, seated little
10 INC Tlgut, were Tie boxes. AS III was emil
nently desirable that profound peace should
reign during the rehearsal, the badly was pro-
vided with the kitchen poker, the smoo' h knob
OF which IL made violent attempts to swallow.
1t was an indomitable child, not to be repulsed
by early defeat, and 1t is well-known axiom
OF the household management that "if you gev
baby the poker it would be quiet for the hour
together
When all was ready Jonadab entered. 1t
was full dress rehearsal, and by the skillful
application OF burnt cork Jonadab assumed a
most professional appearance, which was added
to by the skirt Of Mrs. Dbbins' black dress,
loosely thrown across his throat and over his
shoulder, after the manner so familiar to doc
tors in everyday life. AS have mentioned,
the difficulty with Jonadab was as to choice OF
the precise word on which the emphasis should
fall AS there were not many, he meant to
try them all. Entering now and coming to a
halt right in front OF the stage, Jonadab, pur-
porting to take watch out OF his pocket,
which he held in his right hand, fixed his eyes
gloomiy upon the occupants OF the gallery,
and said I'm solemn tones:
'He has but five minutes to live"
This was admirably done, though perfect
success was marred by an untoward accident
1t was Teddy, the youngest boy but three,
upon whom Jonadab's eye gloomily fell
Teddy. not primarily at ease in view of the
transmogrfcationo of his father, and fascinated
by his regard, took the remark personally, and
since it appeared he had only five minutes to
live, he decided that he would occupy them in
bowling lie was Immediately joined by his
younger sisters, then by brother little
higher up, till finally the whole gallery was
bowling, the chorus being complete when the
baby, after brief struggle with its natural
preference, temporarily abandoned its attempt
to swallow the poker, and lent its tuneful voice
to the uproar.
Take them children out" said Jonadab,
throwing off his cloak 81 have no peace with
them night or day. Out with you, every one
of you'll" And they went forth shrieling,
grateful for their own escape, but fearful that
they should never more see Sprouts or their
mother or the baby.
After this the rehearsal went on quietly and
prohtably. 1t was objected to the first reading
that 1t singled out the dying man with unne-
cessary distinctness, and seemed to imply that
others OF the bystanders might have seven, or
eight, or more minutes to live, whereas he had
only five. A kindred objection was raised when
Jonadab proposed to read it, "He has but
fee minutes TO live" To lay the emphasis on
either "has, ""but," or "to''was but to waste a
point. Mrs. Dibbns rather liked the reading
''IIe has but five minutes to live" But Sprouts
(from whom all these criticisms have come,
though, OF course, not stated In precisely the
words set down here,) ruled that out of the
question.
1t was finally arranged that Jonadab was to
begin in low, solemn voice, to slightly hest
tate when he came to "iive minutes" as il he
were precisely calculating the time, and to lay
what emphasis might be left on the word
'liye" This settled, the burnt cork was
washed of, the children were readmittcd and
Sprouts finally, though not without difficulty,
convinced Teddy that "father was only play
ing" and had no designs on his young life.
v.
You may be sure that Mrs. Dibbins and
Sprouts were carly at the thcatcr the next
dream to Sprouts. lie knew that It was not
until the last act his father come on, but be-
fore the first act was over he had forgotten
him in the excitement OF the play. He heard
sometimes q hum OF voices near him. He was
conscious OF faint smell of oranges. He fan
cied his mother spoke to him now and then.
But it was all as in a dream. With elbows
leaning on the edge of the gallery, and his
head supported between his hands, Sprouts
looked down on the real men and women NOV
ing about on the stage below, his mouth wide
open for the better taking In OF all that passed
Sprouts heart had ceased to beat when he
watched the gay wcll-dressed man who had
been so nasty and had killed the other man.
now himself fall back whilst the red blood
gushed from the wound on his left breast and
stained his white shirt. But his heart leaped
up with great throb when he saw familiar
figure enter and walk slowly across he stage
His father was splendidly dressed; fine black
hat, a real black cloak, and such stately tread,
with just little drawing OF the left leg, as II
III Wcrc paiulyLcu' sprouts ldnclcu nc ndu
seen the same gesture somewhere before in
the play, but he could not at the moment
identify the recollection.
lie knew it was play now, for here was his
father on the stage, and all this great crowd
TO look at him. Were they excitedi Could
they believe that gentleman In the black cloak
and the fine hat was his fatherl Mrs. Dibbins
was dissolved in tears. She began to cry the
moment Jonadab appeared. But Sprouts was
too much accustomed to this phenomenon to
notice It, lie saw the great crowd behind
him ranged tier after tier, and every man and
woman with eyes fixed leadfastly on the stage
upon the stately figure in the black cloak,
Sprouts was certain.
Jonadab suffered himself to be led up to the
place where the wounded man lay. lie knelt
on one knee took his wrist between his
fingers, and producing watch-a real watch
provided by The property man-he looked
straight up at the gallery fixing his eyes upon
Sprouts precisely as on the previous day he
had paralyzed the unfortunate Teddy. But
now II seemed 1t was his own turn TO be para
lyzed. A fearful silence fell upon the stage
and pervaded the house. There knclt Jonadab
with the dying mans wrist between his fingers.