The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-10-26

s'Your pardon, STRIP he said, courteous
lv, moving as he spoke into the vacant seat
beside me- at would seem that you are
here alone, as / m. Ii have not pre-
sumptuously misinterpreted your glance,
you invited me thitber from over yonder."
His voice was refined and his pronuncia-
ton pure, and the courtly bow which ac-
companiel his words suited well with his
slightly old-fashioned phraseology. Again
that distressing nervous tremor. felt my
self shivering with excitement and could
with difficulty control myself enough to
murmIr an acquiescence He seated him
self without hesitation, and took little
time to draw the folds of the heavy cloak
closer around him, regardless OF the heat,
which was considerable
/ watched him and his curious action
with tongue-tied interest l was confused
awe struck, embarrassed in the clos,
proximity OF this man. STILL was glad TO
have him beside me, as one is pie sed at an
unexpected NEE, ing with friend among
crowd Of strangers.
''You are interested in the performancep
asked, when he looked at me again.
Indeed, yes" he replied, with friendly
content. Then after a pause he added,
"N no is the playwright"
was silent with sheer surprise Surely
had not heard right.
II beg your pardon l said as casually as
could.
''Who is the author of the play.' he re.
peated mildly.
1.-The author, Why, Shakespeare"
shakespeare! Who is Shakspeare?'
For an instant thought had lost my
reason. Then l looked at the stranger,
and tried to detect the shadow of smile
lurking behind the melancholy OF the eyes
and round the serious lips. He met my
scrutiny with grave, expectant composure.
Are you an Englishman, sir!' said at
last, ''and have not heard of our greatest
poet! Even foreigners, | thought, admit
him to be the greatest dramatist OF the
modern world"
sMy companions face flushed apparently
with pleasure. Then, with the first trace
alphabetically: 81 see you care for him.
but wished to discover how far we were in
sympathy in this matter"
felt iustifiably annoyed and was silent.
81 crave your pardon, sir" ne said
gently. sit was no wanton freak. My
. question had its purpose" He looked at
me penitently and l was surprised at the
ease with which forgave him.
"Who was the player that represents
Macbeth" was his next startling question.
| hesitated, suspicious of another hoax,
but he added with undoubted sincerity.
ain truth, this time | seek Information in
ali seriousness" Then with touch of
melancholy in his voice he continued, Il
am a stranger here; | have but strayed
hither by accident"
HE is Henry Irving, our greatest actor"
/ answered, trying to conceal my surprise.
,.And the Lady Macbeth is Miss Ellen
Terry. They have acted together constant
ly, and by their devotion to the art and to
Shakespeare have done much to help us
understand him.
'.And does he then so greatly need inter
pretation?" asked the stranger with
queer smile.
s'Do you always understand him yourself,
sir!n replied, feeling that if the rejoinder
was uacourteous he had willfully provoked
it.
Still the queer smile.
''In faith, l was won't always to think
SOP was the quick reply, given with more
amusement than the occasion seemed to
Justify. "Yet | confess" he added, more
seriously, 'there have been things tonight
that have surprised me. The witches, Tor
example do they appear such as you nave
always esteemed witches"
"Personally find it difficult to believe
in witches,'' replied, tolerantly beginning
vaguely to doubt whether my intellectual
looking friend might not after all be but
fool with a divine countenance
$50 did Shakespeare replied my COM
panion promptly, "but his hearers in great
part had no such difficulty The name of
witch bore to them terrible and hideous
significance But your witches are solemn
Ind almost religious. They are not fiends,
but spirits.o
Your witches! The phrase was curious.
Could the man, after all, be foreigner! 1t
might account perhaps for his pedantic En-
glish.
ssTrue,o l answered, returning to lis
train of thought with something of an
| effort: ssbut what seemed weird about the
witches in Shakspear's time strikes US now
as grotesque, and for us the comic element
| TENDS to destroy their supernatural and
poetic force.''
"In Shakspeare's day." returned my COM
panion musingly, $50 much more was left
| to the imagination. 1t needed no greater
effort to fancy that player arrayed in
| ed witch than to fancy that he represent
| ed Macbeth. We gained in poetic freedom
something of what we lost by the lack OF
| properties Some imaginings are too intan-
| gible to bear the realization with which YOU
| moderns seek to endow them, and these
witches are case in point, | find it hard to
| conceive them better presented, but they
are failure notwithstanding. Their dra-
matte effect is enfeebled by overrealiza
| tion."
In Shakespeare day You moderns! This
man seemed to have a strange power OF
| casting his thoughts backward. His point
| of view. his speech even, had flavor OF
/ 300 years ago. For an instant wondered
/ whether he might be some enthusiastic
| Shakespeare scholar with mind unhinged
by too much learning. But his thoughtful
eyes and quiet manner obliged me to repel
the conjecture at once as an unworthy sus-
| picion.
aBut what do you think of the mounting
of the play, so far!" | asked. more
j to make him speak again than because
/ doubted what the answer could be.
ut is perfect be sad, with . depth Of