Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-10
PARLOR THEATRICALS.

hen the decorative 0kt epldenlc rageo
with such violence few years ago, my wife
and two daughters were among its earliest
victims. A sort of an eruption Of fancy
| PLAQUES, panels tiles and painted crockcry
irst broke out in the corners OF the rooms.
spreading to the walls and mantelpieces,
and quickly followed by spinning wheels,
! fans, brass andirons and coal scuttles, every
! symptom, in short, appearing in swift sue
cession. Then the carpets were pulled up,
4 and the doors taken down from theiI
hinges, to BE- replaced by portieres that fiut-
/ tered in the chilly drafts which swept across
! the polished floors.
/ Right off the back parlor was little room
I set aside for my exclusive use, sacred from
all Improvements and innovations, and usu
ally called the library. One chilly spring
! evening, as looked out from this retreat on
the frosty, shining floor beyond, l thought
what exceeding comfort lay in thick velvet
carpet spread before register; good, IN
healthy furnace register, which warns one
all over. Out in the parior my two daughters
were jointly entertaining young Mr.. Alfred
Archer, and doing it very well, thought.
! l watched them for a while, as they sksted
over the waxed floor, until the gentleman
rose to depart. Now Alfred is the pink Of
!
have turned his coat tails upon his hostesses,
as he smilingly backed and bowed himself in
what be supposed was the direction Of the
! door. l saw in a moment that he was off his
reckoning, and that directly in his path stood
a large easel, holding handsomely framed
engraving of Rosa Bonheurs famous master
/ piece. Now, have always said that pict-
ures were meant to hang securely against
ha of tod hacy
three legs upon a slippery floor, and the
crash which announced the demolition Of the
Horse FAIR pretty well confirmed my
opinion.
1t was some months before he came to the
house again Indeed when his stylish hat
and cane once more adorned our hall miro,
decorative art was decidedly on the decline,
and the private theatrical craze was fast
taking possession OF the family.
do you expect to turn out Siddons or a
Ristori among your / inquired one evening
In my most sarcastic manner, as picked up
one of those little yellow covered volumes OF
the "Minor Drama" over which they we're
now continually porting 1T is not for US
TO say what the extent Of our abilities may
be-" replied my wife, with great modesty,
though her impersonaton of the bereaved
and disconsolate mother in the play of "a
Modern Ruth" was admirably pathetic, while
Julia, my eldest daughter entirely won the
sympathies of the audience, or the maternal
portion OF them, at least, when, as Ethel Ar
lington, she prefers tie mansion of a widowed
mother TO a cottage with Harold Coiqutt
! A husbands and mothers love, to say moth
ing of the mothers estate, were OF course the
final reward of such self sacrifice, but when,
in the second act, she announced to her lover:
! Harold, my heart is yours forever. Vet
urge me not for love must yield to duty"
l joined heartily with the audience in ap-
plauding her noble determination.
But Lulu, who took the part of a naughty
beauty was not SO fortunate She was rather
100 diminutive for dignity, and her slight
lisp, which We had always thought rather
pretty than otherwise, was quite painfully
perceptible when size strained her voice. She
thus dismissed her l1nportunate but unde-
sirable lover (he was Alfred Archer, by the
/ way:
II tell you, Thir Charleth, thcorn your
wealth and your titleth. finland me, thir, /
thay."
Now, at this last outbreak, Sir Charles,
who did not know his part very we'll and was
rather bashful, should have been passionately
clasping her hand, but was, instead, standing
at TIE other end of the stage and telling his
love from behind a chair. This slight dis
crepancy between the speech and the situation
naturally raised litter at Lulus expense,
especially among those who knew how mat
tiers stood between her and young Archer.
This performance satisfied family ambition
for the time, and histrionics with us bid fair
to die natural death, when Ned War.ng
came up from New York to pay US visit.
Ned, who was some sort of third cousin to
my wife, was a capital fellow and great
favorite, but like the rest of them, he was
stage struck, ana the theatrical fury broke
out anew. had to explain to sew
erAi visitors that none Of the family
were 'foff," and that when any of
them were seen walking around the house,
muttering to themselves, they were only
learning their ''parts." One evening old Mr..
| Tavistock was down in the library talking
over vestry matters. He was after sub
scription to the new organ, and l was trying
TO think how in some way | could politely
get rid Of him. when a voice. bursting eppar
emily out of the very wall, caused him tc
jump from his chair and drop his paper in
the greatest alarm:
give me revenge, and you may have the
ring"
''Oh, that this band of gold were changed
to steel to clinch his traitorous neck, then
might die content"
"Wait a moment" said l, grasping the old
gentleman by the lapel Of his coat; there
is no danger, nor is this a private lunatic
asylum, as YOU might suppose. Ny wife and
daughters ere merely rehearsing their parts
in the drama of The Magic Ring" How
ever, he did not wait for my subscription.
Il,,, T hoy To I
into the dramatic swim, SO to SPEAK, the
cause of it being nothing less than the dis
covery of manuscript play, written by me
many years ego during period Of literary
ambition. Twenty yearsof dust had gathered
ON the yellow leaves in the top drawer of an
old secretary where my wife discovered
them, but she and the girls had read the play
through carefully, and declared at once that
it must be acted, Such capital work should
not be lost through any false modesty on the
part Of the author OF course dear papa was
quite right about young ladies displaying
themselves in public: both girls agreed to
that, kissing me at the same time to empha-
size the admission, but this was altogether
different case, and, in short, the author in
ME was so fattered and the parent so pro-
pitiated that preparations were begun the
very next day for the performance OF The
Goyerpess.h
A naughty and high bred mother, with the
aid of her two naughty and handsome daugh-
tiers, amiabiy conspire to entrap an heiress
for her also handsome but level headed son.
But conspirators seldom reckon with the IN
expected, which in this instant turns out to
be Miss Hetty Greenfield, governess in the
house to the two youngest children. This
,sc cub l.