The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-12-27
WHAT CAME OF 4 CHRISTMAS
pANT0MlME.
~ MRS. FRANZ mccarthy.

The beautiful child lay in the heart
Of gigantic pansy. Every inch of the
stage was used to tho greatest a,l,ant.
agc. and the painted hauhle in which
they had posed the Queen Of the fairies
seemed to he almost within reach Of the
Doctors hand. Mrs Shelby had coaxel
her son to take 4 box that night. The
old lady was fond Of the beautiful
either in art or nature. and had called
MaN'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
oifagain. From that time he followed
the one face and form, finding il more
pleasurablc to pursue this unit Of grace
and beauty than to become daz2led aud
beWildcred hv tens and tMenties. His
mothers eyes were always u reflection
oi lis own, and she was the first to cry
out during tho transformation scene.
MaN's eyes were already riyeted upon
the mammoth panss. Ii was rs solid
rs her father, the scene.painter. could
have II made. compatible with the de-
man,,s Of art, vt /, rattle against the
crimson-cushionea box in which the
Doctor and his mother we're sitting and
threatened To come to grief. with its
fair occupant, who was shaking in n
conges,iye chill.
The soft rogaishness of her big
brown eyes was changed into dilatea
stare. the dark delicate rings of her
curly hair lay wet upon her icy fore
head. the pont Of her red ripe lips had
contortel into CHASTITY culver, and
under the rouge upon her rounded
cheeks lay the !ivid rallor of death.
Good heavens, Max" sail Mrs.
Shelby. the poor pretty child is dy-
ing, Run quick, and $40 what is the
matter,
Max ALWAYS declared il was his
mother that first sent him behind the
scenes IL d theater. The girl had been
whiskea of the stage in the twinkling
Of an eve, and another nymph had
popped into Ia. heart Of the pauss.
The Doctor. however, had pursued his
poor little phantom behind the scenes,
and had found her stretched ont upon Il
tingv sofa, the velvet mantle If a sham
Prince thrown over her, her white teeth
clinched and a thin thread Of crimson
staining the handful Of ,ulle and span.
giles she had clutched tn her mouth,
The Doctor always carried his medicin,
case with him. to be ready for one oi
his mothers heart attacks. and, taking
the nymsh's head upon his arm, he
forced white powde, between hei
teeth: then turned to man who was
running in and out, helping first t,
shift the scenes. and coming back agai,
10 wiring his hands afresh over tn,
PROSTATE fairy.
who does She belong toy said tn,
Doctor. "She must he taken home Il,
once"
she belongs 10 me, sir, said the
man, and rushed away again To tn,
scenes. and We live only few blocks
away he gasped, rs he ran back
again. I'm her father. Tom Ratters
hs, tod help me- This is a pre:t,
piece of business oh, Betty. Betty
Betty, In few wears she'd have mad,
NY fortune and her own. l had tin.
managers word for it, Oh, what 4
dish. Col help us"
y cab must he got" said tue Doc
tor.
Ten calls ~iwenty~-i in five seconds
rs soon u tbs scene i over: ever,
mothers son of them, sapcs and all
are busy now"
NV own cab is waiting" said tn,
Do tor. Come with me at once" an,
lifting her gently in his strong arms, h,
carried her through the aingv, asaugh,,
passages, followed by motley crow,
If harleaain~, clowns. snomes and fair
is. nov released from their duties fo
the night, and really to do anything f.
their poor pretty eomraae In the lat
most successful performance of the sea
son. Here's a chance. mother" sui
the Doctor, when al last lac 90. lack t
the hotel. and found his mother wall
ing up for him. TO pluck brand frof
the burning. Not WORKOUT, half-cor
sum.d. charred old ember. but "A fires
Young bit Of sapling, not Yet seorched
Great Heaven" he said, pushing lac
his chair, anl striding about the room
4 wish you had seen tile home of tha
poor innocent girl Not that it was :
poserty-stricken: but if there ever va
case of burning the candle of human
ity nj both ends, il rests with Tom Ba
ter>ly and all his belongings. 1t va
nearly midnight, and yet the lamp
were flaring away in his tawiry lodt
inss. A frowzy. gooa-natured lookin
Woman was sitting by a blazing fire
the rusty CRATE. reading IA ragged move
around and about were all the odds an
ends Of the theatrical toilets, for no les
than three of the yonng Battersbys too
part in the play. The poor children
mother, ii seems. died with the la
baby, and her sister, the horid devote