The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-09-13
AN ANGEL UNAWARES.

Mother, must do it9" The sweet
voice that spoke these words was very
pathetic, and the lovely child face was
clouded with an expression of fear
Her listener sighed sorrowfully.
my darling you know why l ask
you to be brave"
The little girl cast an expressive
glance at closed door adjoining the
stability furnished room in which this
conversation took place. and said with
evident effort
Eyes, know why, and I will try
to be good and not to mind so much
for fathers sake"
Perhaps few of the playgoers who
frequented the pretty little "Sothern"
theatre missed the handsome jeune
premier, who for q few weeks had
been lucky enough to be engaged
there in popular comedy, but prob
ably they would have been little af-
fected by the news that owing to an
accident, he was now unable to act by
the irony of fate, just when, after
years of patient work in the provinces,
he seemed likely to obtain the share of
recognition and success his undoubt-
ed talent deserved.
Jack Hesseltine had always had an
irrepressible love for the stage. He
was o gentleman by birth and educa-
ton, and when his spendthrift father
died, leaving him alone in the world
with very slender means, it was natu-
raj enough that he should follow his
own bent. 1t must be owned that he
was imprudent, for he married very
young, and married q girl that had
lost her heart to him at a country the
atre, and who was disowned by her
family in consequence. She had
neither talent nor inclination for her
husbands vocation, which was for
tunate, as he had no desire for his wife
to act, but she was charming woman,
able to make their poor home a hap
ply one, and he never gave her cause
to regret the union for which she had
sacrificed so much.
Their only child Sybil was now
6 years old, and of beauty so rare and
delicate as to cause the sternest land
ladies to melt and the most obdurate
creditors to soften when they saw her.
She was literally the idol of both pa
CLEANS Of success came, their first
thought was that they would be able
to give their one treasure good edu-
cation and a permanent home. For
few months things had looked very
bright, and then, just at the end of the
season, Jack had a fall and dislocated
his knee. 1t proved to be a long,
troublesome business, and it was, of
course, impossible for him to get an en-
gagement. AS bad luck would have
it, the ''Sothern" was changing hands,
and the manager, to whom he owed
much kindness, had gone to America.
1t had been hot summer, but the
Hesseltines had been obliged to give
up their pretty little house in St.
Johns Wood, and to go into inexpen-
sive lodgings. They would have been
better off in the country, but Jack
was so sanguine, of speedy recovery,
and so fearful of having to return to
the old drudgery if he once left Lon
don, that he insisted upon remaining
there. Nothing seemed to hurt Sybil,
who for all her fairness was very
healthy. She made friends every
where, and attracted good deal of
kindly attention.
One day, as Mrs. Hesseltine sat sew
ing and thinking sadly of unpaid bills
and o cloudy future, she was inter
rupted by the entrance of an 'untidy
servant, who announced with mani
fest awe: Miss Desanges and Mr..
Melton" Everybody knows beautiful
Viola Desanges, with her stormy life
history and her brilliant artistic gifts.
Amy Hesseltine had often admired
her upon the stage, and rose to receive
her magnilicently arrayed visitor, a
little conscious of her own poor dress
and of the shabby room.
Miss Desanges saw in q momentthat
she had to deal with lady, and said
with her own special winning sweet
ness of manner: II hope you will for
give what seems like an intrusion
whenI explain its cause. But before
do this, may introduce to you Mr..
Melton, the author of Passion Flow
ers,' the forthcoming new play at the
'ParthenonT 1t was to have been
brought out in three weeks, but a very
serious obstacle has occurred, likely
TO delay its production A most inn
portant part was to have been taken
by small niece of mine, who is well
known for her cleverness, but unfor-
tunately she has caught scarlet fever.
II was really in despair until quite by
chance saw your lovely little Sybil,