The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-07

q
beautiful enough even to old opera
goers, for there is no theatre in the
world that shows off an audience as
does the Academy of Music, and it must
have been simply dazzling to an impress
sionable young man to whom it was all
new. The last notes of the overture
died away and the great curtain rolled
up, showing the room in Yioletta's house.
1t is not necessary to follow the story
of the opera: enough to say that Rush
Hurlstone could scarcely believe his eyes
and ears The music entranced him,
and the prima donna turned his brain.
Before the opera was over he was madly
in love. He had been more or less sus-
ceptible to the charms of the gentler eek
ever since he left off petticoats, but this
was something new. He had never felt
this sensation before. He wanted to kill
the tenor-a mild eyed Signor Messalini
and tear the divine Violetta from his
arms. Altogether, he was beside him
self. 1t was an extreme case of love at
first sight. Do you believe such fire is
certain to die out as quickly as it is
kindled? Read the following pages, and
you will know better.
If the departing audience had not be-
gun to walk over his feet and to express
itself rather vigorously at the stupid
manner in which he sat in his seat after
the curtain was rung down, Rush Hurl-
stone would probably have remained in
the Academy of Music till morning.
After having nearly upset tall, near
sighted young man, and having held a
stout elderly lady on his instep for half
a minute, Rush collected his scattered
wits, and soon found himself under the
calm evening sky that hung over Irving
place. The one thought uppermost in
his mind was the prima donna he had
just seen, and whom he must see again
before he could return to his lodgings
in West Eleventh street. But how was
he to see person SO hedged about? The
stage door! She must come through
that passage to take her carriage, and
as she passed him he could catch one
more glance of her bewitching face.
A few words of inquiry brought him
W Tic bpOO. ~ COIACu NCto uIGiNu up Nv
the sidewalk-her coach! He knew it
instinctively, and there was large street
lamp burning right at its door! He would
make believe that he was getting light
for his cigar, and would be standing in
front of the coach as she put her dainty
foot upon the step. Leaning against the
IRON fence at the entrance to the stage
door were two dark browed men con-
versing in Italian. A couple of fashion
ably dressed young fellows stood on the
opposite side. Half 4 dozen passers by
stopped when they saw the coach.
"Knowlton will be coming out in a min
ute" said one of them; ''let us wait"
"Knowlton," he called her, without any
Miss or MademOiselle. Rush's fingers
closed over his walking stick; he had half
mind to rap the speaker across the face
for his insolence. There was cracking
of the stage door, and by the wind blown
light female figure was seen emerging.
The heart of the country boy stood still.
But the figure stopped, and, after ex-
changing a few words in Italian with the
two dark browed men, took the arm of
one of them and set off in the direction
of Third avenue.
1t was only one of the chorus girls 60
ing home with her husband, who kept a
little cigar store around the corner. More
chorus girls, with little bags in their
hands, came through the door and dis
appeared in the same direction, some
NTH T.l,o ID,yf l,o,,.
alone. After standing out in the chilly
night air for three-quarters of an hour
Rush was rewarded by seeing the stage
door flung wide open. The fashionably
dressed young men Strengthened their
neckties; the others leaned eagerly for
ward; the remaining dark browed Italian
cuffed a street Arab who stood in the
way; there was sudden perfume of
roses; q handsome young man in evening
dress, with light overcoat hanging
gracefully over his arm and two enor-
nous bouquets in his hand, stepped out
into Fourteenth. street, Immediately fol-
lowed by something completely envel-
oped in white fur and lace, which hur-
ried to the carriage, followed by an
elderly lady in black, attended by
French maid carrying q black bag in her
hand. The stage doorkeeper ran after
them, hat in hand.
"What shall be done with the flowers,
the baskets and the standss" he inquired
of the elderly lady.
Send them around to the house in
cart; we can't take them with u.s."
Bang! slam! What was that loud re-
port? Nothing, only the quick shutting
of the carriage door. The coachman
snapped his whip, the horses sprang for
ward, and in a second the carriage had
disappeared around the corner of Irving
place, and Rush had not caught as much
as glimpse of the beautiful face His
first impulse was to run after it ut full
speed, but he remembered that lie was
in New York and not in Farmsted, and
that he might be arrested as lunatic at
the very outset of his career.
'By Jove, Harry" said one of the we'll
dressed young men to tho other, 'she
didn't see us at ALL"
Il didn't suppose she would, Bob"
said the other; but I thought we might
have seen her."
"That isn't the worst of it; our flowers
are going round to the house in cart
with the rest of them. What fools we
arel Well, come along, old boy; let's go
to Del's and be happy" And Bob took