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

Ne
ployed snashsd IL large mirror and only
lust missed bringing down the chandelier.
The parlos were wrecked, and even my IL
brary was taken for greenroom But my.
authors pride sustained me, and the next
proposition did not find me altogether unpre-
pared. Certainly said /, cheerfully, "a
supperless audience is not likely to be an en-
thusiastic one, and coffee and cake for fifty
people will not add greatly to the expense
Fifty peoplel Why there are invitations
out for three times that number"
''Show NE the list.
l counted them and there were exactly l5S
in aIl. The cards were printed in blue and
gold. and inclosed in monogram envelopes
furnished by Tiffany. who Is not noted for
giving such things away.
siOnly coffee and cake" lid my wife, in
an in iured tone, '.when they are invited to
such beautiful play"
Then the play alone ought to be worth
the price of admission" was my reply, which
was followed by a very animated argument
On both sides: but the order for the supper
was given to Froscati, and l might as well
say here, at once, that the whole entertain
ment cost me $275. Decidedly, l was
IN the swim, and in pretty deep. As the
time approached, l began to be haunted
with the most dismal apprehensions of fail
ure: or that the floor would give way under
the weight of so many people, and the house
be set on fire by the colored lights, which l
was assured were necessary TO give proper
effect to the tabIeaux at the end of each act
| have read of authors wEo could not be IN
duced to enter the theatre on the first night
performance of their works. and confess TO
MANY inward agitations, as | sat before the
draped folding doors on the eventful evening:
even the large and flatteringly expectant audi
ence dismayed me. Far better to have fewer
witnesses to our failure, | felt like replying
to old Mrs. Tavistock, who complimented me
on the size Of the gathering, just as the sig
nal sounded for the curtains to be withdrawn.
As for the play, modesty forbids me to say
anything further than that the play was a
complete success. My niece, Miss Waters.
especially distinguished herself, rendering
her part in q manner that, for an amateur,
was really remarkable She had grown up
into a tall, splendid looking girl Indeed
when the folding doors We're thrown open,
and | had singled her out among the crowd,
l would never have recognized the little Mel
lie Waters who used to steal buns from the
table and put them under her pillow, to eat
at night, she said. As she seemed 10 know
nobody, made myself as agreeable to her as
l could, although | felt certain just then that
/ caught Ned Waters laughing behind one Of
the portieres. was in sufficiently good hu
NOR over the success of the play to over
look this impertinence, though | thought
Maria and the girls need not have been
quite so stiff with her, after all their profes
sons, even surprising she had cast them
somewhat in the shade, and her mother had
married the fish dealer So to make
amends for their neglect, l paid her good
many little attentions inquired kindly con-
corning her mother, and although little
shy about answering questions, she was al
together so modest and sensible that when
shortly after supper, she took her departure
l imprinted upon her rosy cheek hearty,
paternal kiss. This time Ned laughed again,
but l didn't care for that. Everybody was
full of praise for author and actors, as Well
as for Froscati's ice cream and chicken salad,
so that went to bed that night in state If
great satisfaction, and paid the bills the next
week without any poignant regrets.
And now the worthy reader might suppose
there was nothing more to be said Indeed
this might have been the case had not hap
pened one evening about a month afterward.
while walking down Broadway, to observe
Ned Warning standing in front of the box
Office window of the Colosseum theatre. l
knew that before long the boy would have a
very important question to ask me concern
ing my eldest daughter, and / was really
very fond of Ned, and had an evening to
spare. / slipped quietly in behind him,
bought ticket and turned down the next
orchestra chair to his in the row directly in
front Of the stage
''Heavens!" he exclaimed, turning a little
pale, thought. What brings you heresn
"Remorss, perhaps; possibly recreaticn,"
said |, laughing, as the curtain was rung up.
The play was well enough, though of course
greatly inferior to The Governess," but
the remarkable point about it was one of the
players.
why, bless my SOUL" said l, as the heroine
entered, If there is not Nellie Waters. You
never told me she was professional actress"
Nonsense" said Ned coloring slightly be-
hind the ears, nevertheless Merely slight
resemblance, a coincidence, nothing more"
Just then she SO plainly recognized Ned that
l could not help regretting aloud that any
member of our family should have taken to
the boards even granting that her father
was fish merchant. When the curtain fell
turned to Ned for an explanation.
THAT is not Your niece at all :" he said,
ssbut a professional actress, though she is a
real good girl too. The truth is, we hunted
I'D Miss Waters in New York, as you know
and. after one or two rehearsals we found
that she would rot do at all Professor
BarnStorm couldn't make anything out of
her, and she was lazy and wouldn't study
her part Then she wanted to have all the
best things cut out of the others parts and
put into her own; and because we wouldn't
do this, she got huffed aud fatty refused to
play on any terms. The invitations were all
out, it was too late TO get a substitute, and
we were at our wits end to know what to do.
There was only Sarah Berkeley Imogene
MillihelIr, YOU know, on the bilisl q pro-
fcssionai, to be sure. but We knew how much
your heart was SET on having your play
acted
This is really too much" said i, ''but go
on"
There was nothing else to do but to go to
Sally and tell her how matters stood and
being good natured soul, she came to our
rescue | am sorry that your gratitude
should have led you to-anyHay, think l
saw you
BLESS my hearth said /, turning very red
in the face Now think Of it, | believe l
did kiss her, but do you think that after
wickedly inveigling a respectable, middle
aged gentleman into such an indiscretion
with a pretty actress you have any chance
of marrying his daughter"
he had though, for the wedding took place
within twelvemoath- A. Joy In HONE
purnaL
A Peculiar Aptipathr.
As I was ascending the bridge steps TO taxa