The Penn's Grove record., 1883-06-09

ofthe Theatre Royal. The other was
distinguished by a rich brown wig, an
almost too excellent set of teeth, and
a plated pair of eyeglasses. AT night,
carefully made up and with the first
pick of the wardrobe, he did not look
more than about forty-seven as Romeo.
1t had been said that he had played
Lear five years ago in his own hair. He
was an eminently useful member Of the
profession. This was Mr.. Sidney Tara
CONS leading
The two came in ON tip-toe, looked
about them, listened, smiled, nodded to
each other, and finally sat down in an
attitude of rapt attention on the respec-
tive edges of two unsteady horse-hair
chairs. There was a moments pause.
Then a nervous, earnest voice broke
the silence:
"Leave me, you coward !" it cried.
"Leave me. Isn't it enough to have
darkened the light of my whole life,
that here across my death-bed you must
come and cast your hideous shadow
Ho you vince because L, who have
forgotten you-yes, seventy times seven
and, hoping that a change might
come on you, have held my peace
through the long, long years of your
heartless, your brutal Indifference
urn on you when the eleventh hour
has struck, and tell you | call God to
witness that, spite of myself, the very
name I bear, the very blood that flows
within my veins are utterly hateful to
me because of the mysterious curse
which has made them common to us
both. Does this sound so terrible to
YOU? Look back to the day when,
with smooth words, proffering your aid
as a brother, you robbed me like athief.
Look back, 1 say. to that day, and tell
me with the last words that | shall ever
hear from your lips, tell me, if you can
tell me If you dare, that for the
wrong you did me then, you have not
borne me a malignant and undying
| hatred ever since. You answer-noth.
Inc; but-whiten as l speak whiten
-" The voice of the speaker was
choked; he fell back, feeling for some
thing with his thin hands, as n in
darkness. There was a child's agonized
/ cry. and then the last words came.
"But it is over" the sinking man
whispered, in broken accents, "for-
gotten-and l say to you-with-my
diving breath-'I forgive you-brother.
My child it's over God help me-"
There was a prolonged burst of APP
ylause from the four hands in the little
sitting-room.
"Capital that's what it wanted.
You've kept all the fat for the finish,
my boy; and, by Jove, I'll tell you what
III do. III make it five down, and a
fifteenth share of the net, if it runs a
fortnight. There p
1t was a magnificent offer, and the
iubilant manager, as, with a II hope l
don't intrude," he peeps playfully
| round the door into the chamber of
death, knew it.
Magnificent, however, as it was, it
met no response. A swooning girl
knelt by a figure that lay prone, in an
| awful stiffness, on T" small iron bed,
while something uneasy and ashen cow
| cred and crouched in a corner.
Mr., Sidney Taraagon's practiced eye
took in the tableau at a glance and
noted its defective stage management.
This hssn't been r~ehearsed, he
thought rather soberly to himself.
And he was right.
"Act LII" had not been ~rehearsed.
But it had had a little more backbone
put into it, and now-the curtain was
down, and the play was over.