The Penn's Grove record., 1885-08-29

q 10 ldDk Aip ACbD0As a NA5OAs I
L must tell you'll refused him the
other day, and he intends revenging
himself tonight. For PHYS sake drop
the curtainl'
"'My child, 1t is impossiblel We
should have a riot i'll the housed | will
go and speak to Blackburn, and come
back to you at once
81 sat and rocked myself in anguish.
George came and stood by me, but |
could not speak. He evidently thought
| was seriously i'll, and said he should
fetch the doctor when the play was
over.
81 can't imagine what you can
mean,' said Mr.. Gosling, returning.
Blackburn is as cool and collected as
any mar | have v seen-wonderful-
ly so under the circumstances. l told
him his acting was a little too strong
for you, and that you were a little over
excited. He says he is determined you
shall not complain of his last act. So,
my dear, dry your tears, and 60 and
change your dress. You know l would
do anything in the world to please you;
but what you ask is completely imp0s-
sible; besides, there IS really no reason
"'Heaven help me then,' said [, for
no one else Wilt l will forgive you
both; and may you forgive yourselves
for what | feel sure will happenl Shake
hands, Mr.. Gosling, and thank you for
all your goodness to me; and George,
come and fetch me when the stage is
ready for the last act
II left them looking after me grayely
and sorrowfully. l have since heard
that they feared my brain had given
way,
81 dressed in'silence, evidently to the
surprise of my companions, who were
full of talk about the wonderful sue
cess of the play. Il remember their con-
graduating me on the effect | had pro-
duced on Mr.. Seaman, the London
manager.
81 saw him applauding you, my
DEAR said one; you are safe for an en-
gagement. Don't forget old friends
when you get to the top of the tree
"Just then Geofge's knock struck
upon my ear like a knell. rose I'M
steadily, and said
81 want to say goodbye to you
ALL
Good bye, chlldI' said the Emilia
! OF the evening. why, we shall all be
here when you come DOWN.
"'No; say goodbye now.' | kissed
them all, and left them standing frlgh-
tened and silent together. Give me
your arm, George; | cannot walk
"'My darling he cried, with his
eyes full of teaIs, lit seems SO cruel to
make you 60 on; but what can we doP
Please Heaven, | shall soon nurse you
back to healthl' He helped me tender
ly to the couch on the stage and cover
ed me with the quilt.
"sNow kiss me, and CO. said l..
'''My dearest, not now,' he replied;
'see-we are not aloneP
For the last time-surely you will
not refuse for the last timel'
lie evidently thought ] was van
dering, and bent his head and did as L
desired. l heard a smothered laugh,
and, looking up, saw Mr.. Blackburn
standing just behind him.
Poor George hurried away and the
curtain rose.
81 cannot now attempt to describe
how the act was played. | was told l
spoke my few lines all right; but, if |
did, it must have been quite mechani-
cally My whole brain was occupied
with one absorbing thought-when will
it come? How many minutes moreY
although l was almost unconscious
| had sufficient reason left to be sur
prised that he did not e%ndeavor to suf-
focate me with the pillow; but | was
quite powerless to move or speak. In
a minute | heard Emilia's voice at the
-. 81 r Ir.avy that fhn {orrihln mn.
ment wa come. | felt his feverlsh
breath on my face. l opened my eyes.
Good Heaven, what a sight met my
Mortified gael L tried to scream; but
my tongue clave to my mouth, and L
was unable to utter a sound.
"He was bending over me, with the
unmistakable glare of insanity in his
ewes. In that awful moment all that
had been mysterious in his manner
was explained. He had been mad all,
along and | never suspected it, although
/ had been oppressed with strange mis-
givings about him, His burning fin.
gers clutched my bare throat, and |
saw the dagger glare in the uplifted
handl
"'Shut your eyesI' he Kissed. You
are dead, you are deadp
''Involuntarily my nerveless IDS
! dropped, and the next moment | felt
the icy steel-enter my side. | sprang
up on the couch, gave a %desparing
Shrek. which rang round the house,
and fell back insensible, with the sound
of deafening applause knocking my
ears.
1T appeared that the audience
thought this was a new reading of the
part and were quite carried away with
it.
when l next recovered conscious
ness, | was in bed in my longlngs, and
! George and one of my dressing-room
companions at the theatre were sitting
watching me anxiously. felt strange
" weak, and was not allowed to talk
or move. Some weeks after, when l
was comparatively strong, George told
me the finish of that miserable night.
"'Nobody knew anything about IT.
said he, until the end of the play; he
had pulled the quilt right over you.
When YOU did not take up your u
for the last line, we thought you had
forgotten it, and Emilia passed 1t over.
Directly the curtain fell, poor Black
I QUIZ UtGdl W GbiCahh 0ho A"fNH 1919
rushed up to where you were lying.
Imagine u horror, when he pulled
down the cover, to find what had hap
penedl l thought the men would have
torn him to pieces. l saw however that
he was quite mad; and Costing and two
or three others took him away and
watched him all night. They tele-
graphed to a brother of his, and he came
down the next morning,
II then heard Of the miraculous es-
cape | had had. The doctors said, had
the dagger deviated half an inch from
the course it had taken, 1t must inevi-
tably have killed me; a. 1t was, they
had many anxious nights and days OF
watching, during which lay quite I'M
conscious.
"a year after that | married George
and | have been very happy ever since.
My only trouble-but that is a heavy
one-is tie thought of the poor miser-
able man, who still drags out a hope
less existence within the walls of a lu-