Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-06-28
S @, THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1888.

| row Of seats in the orchestra was seated the
stranger of the tavern, and at every word
pronounced he shook his head, Winked his
eyes, smacked his tongue against his palate,
and showed signs of the liveliest impatieeance'
sBad, bad !" he murmured to himself
His neighbOrs, astOnished and shocked at
his manners, applauded, and thought to
themselves that the gentleman was very
hard to please.
At the end of the first act, the stranger
arose as if he had taken sudden resolution,
strobe over the big drum, the cymbals and
the trombone, and disappeared through the
little door that leads from the orchestra to
the stage. Heinrich, waiting until the cur
tain rose, was walking up and down in the
wings, and when he came to the end of his
short promenade, what was his terror to see
as he turned, standing in the middle OF the
narrow corridor, a mysterious parsonage
clothed exactly as he was, and who looked
at him with eyes whose greenish transpa-
rency had a strange profundity in the dark
ness the white, sharp, wide-set teeth gave
something ferocious to the sardonic smile.
Heinrich could not fail to recognize the
stranger whom he had seen at the Two
Headed Eagle, or rather the devil in per-
son, for it was he.
"Ah, ah, my young friend you wish to
play the devil! You were very middling in
the first act, and you would decidedly give
poor idea of me to the good citizens of Vi
emma. You will allow me to replace you
this evening and, as you might interfere
with me, | will send you to the cellar below
the stage"
Heinrich recognized the Prince Of Dark
ness, and felt himselflost. Putting his hand
mechanically to the little cross that Katy
had given him, he tried to call for help, and
to murmur his formula of eXorcism ; but
terror choked him he could only utter q
feeble rattle. The devil seized Heinrich
with his hooked hands by the shouldersand
pushed him by main force through the floor !;
then he entered upon the scene, when his
cue came, like perfect actor.
His incisive, biting, venomous and truly
diabolical acting at first surprised the spec
tators. What especially produced a great
effect was that sharp litter like the grating
pheming the joys of paradise. Never had
an actor attained such power of sarcasm,
such a depth of villainy !; the audience
laughed, but they trembled. All the au-
dience was painting with emotion phos-
phoric sparks glinted from the fingers of the
terrible actor trains of sparkling flame ran
from his feet the light Of the lustres
grew pale, the footlights shot out reddish
and greenish flashes; a sort of sulphurOus
smell reigned in the theatre; the spectators
were, as it were, delirious, and thunders of
frantic applause greeted each phrase of the
marvellous Mephistopheles, who often sub
stituted verses of his own invention for the
verses of the poet, and the substitution was
always happy and accepted with transports.
Katy, who was in the theatre, was in a
state of extraordinary alarm she did not
recognize her dear Heinrich she presaged
some misfortune with that spirit of divina-
tion which love gives.
The performance ended amidst indescrib-
able enthusiasm. When the curtain fell,
the public called for Mephistopheles with
loud cries. He was sought for in vain but
at last scene shifter came and told the
manager that Heinrich had been found in
the cellar, where he had probably fallen
through trap.
The hapless actor was taken up. His
clothing was burned in places, and on his
shoulders were deep scratches. They spoke
to him, but he did not answer.
Heinrich Falkenstein was dead.