Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-01-27

think he would have noticed 1t il / had
dropped down on him. l don't know
IL you'd think II mean OF me or not but
got down and took stock of the audi
enco to see what interested the man so
much. saw il all in a jiffy. There
was couple in a box-a young man
and n lady-and clearly as fond OF each
| other rs they dared to show. Ii was
this couple Snowy had been watch
ing, and when got behind the scenes
again, there he was still, and. Jupiter,
blamed II he wasn't crying like child.
"Of course, l said nothing, but
watched him. and noticed when his
turn came he seemed backward. and i
thought he had mind to shirk. But
he went on and performed his part as
usual. He was nearly through when
heard hubbub in the house and went
out in the corridor. The door of one
OF the boxes was open, and boy was
hurrying into it with glass of water.
Kneeling on the floor was the young
man had noticed, and at his feet the
young woman was lying, apparently
stone dead. We had hard time bring
ing her to, and l didn't know what
happened outside. But l learned after
ward that Snowy funked bad all of a
sudden and cut his part dead short.
"This set me a-thinking. But the
next night had food enough for re-
Fiction. ltwas clear, moonlight night,
and took stroll. Now, I'm not O
sentimental mortal, but | do admire
nature, and once l was out of the town
got up among some trees on a little
mound, and there l stretched myself,
with the bright sky over me. There
was not sound but the croaking OF
the frogs and the chirp of the katy
dds l don't know how long l lay
there, but all of a sudden sat up and
looked down at the road. There were
voices there, and they belonged to O
man and woman who were standing by
a gate, and hugging each other fol
dear life. L was amazed at first and
thought it was an ordinary rustic love
making. But from their gestures
saw that something above the common
was going on. The woman seemed to
be pleading and the man fighting hei
Off At last what did they do but take
to crying, both of them.
IL kept on watching them, and after
awhile they kissed each other tenderly
and the man went away. 1t was then
that first became aware of curious
feeling that had been coming over me
"a feeling that was not alone. We
have all such feeling sometimes, you
know, and then, as at all such times,
found 1 was right. There was 0
man standing among some bushes
just above me, and looking at the
other going down the road. was in
the shadow and he did not notice me,
but the moonlight was full upon his
face, and l knew at once the young
man had seen in the box. And such
a face rs he did have, to be sure! Talk
of disfiguring a face with blow, or by
an accident, or with vitriol! They're
all bad enough. But if you want to see
a terror look at the face disfigured by
jealousy, and there you'll have It, That
was what allied the face / was looking
at IL was black with passion. The
eyes were staring, the lips were pressed
| together, the teeth were clenched.
Hate, savage and acknowledgements
Gus if need be--was in tina: look. l al
most shuddered as l witnessed it, and
felt a deal more comfortable when
|
dry leaves and gradually receding.
''Then l started home. On the Dor
| der of the town who should | meet
slouching along but Snowy stopped
to speak to him, and as he turned up
his face with start the moonlight fell
upon it, and there were his eyes as red
as you please, and the big tears shining
in them. l didn't pretend to notice it,
but all of sudden, as looked at him,
got a curious shock. The figure. the
walk-I couldn't be mistaken in them
| belonged to the man who had parted
with the girl.
you may well believe was inter-
ested. | was manager of the company
and didn't want to have any scandals
about my ears. So l thought it my
| duty to inquire into the odd things /
had seen. But l didn't learn much.
The girl who tainted in the box was the
daughter of rich but cranky old fell
low, who had driven his only son away
some tipc before out of whim, and
bora young fellow in the Naval Acad-
england n gallant lad, too, although
he had a temper like Satan.
"Well, the week went by and l saw
nothing more of Snowy except when
met him on the stage. Our last night
in the town came, and it seemed that
we were going TO close with packed
house. remember now every seat was
full and had just got done count ng
the receipts, and was going back behind
the scenes to see If everything was all
right, when who should | stumble on in
tho corridor but tho young fellow from
the Naval Academy. He didn't look
much better than when had seen him
that night out in the bushes. He was
pale as death, and there was wicked
glitter in his eyes as he walked up and
down, now and then peeping in throue h
the door at the audience and the d r
formers. / remember noticing, too.
that he lounged good deal about a lit
tie closet where gas meter was, and
the door Of which was ajar 1t did not
strike me at the time, but 1 often
thought of 1t afterwards.
"Well. the performance went on, and
soon 'Snowy's' turn came. He went
out in his tights and finery, mounted
up to the trapeze and was as clever as
usual in his feats. / had slipped to the
front of the house again, and was look
ing in ut him when my eyes suddenly
fell on box. II was the sameI had
seen there before-the young woman
who had tainted there with the naval
chap. l looked around for him, but he
was nowhere to be seen.
Just then Snowy got up to the
perch on the gallery, from which he
took the flying swing to little trapeze
above the stage. 1t was perilous
feat, and there wasn't breath to be
heard in the house, as he prepared fol
IT. Every eye was watching him. /
saw him in all his glittering spanglcs
polsing himself, grasping the bar be-
tween his fists and then launching out.
He sprang. There was whizz in
the air, and then, like a flash, the house
was IN darkness. Every light had gone