The national leader., 1889-04-06
"ALITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM,

The small but thriving and enter
prising town of Seedville, in the State
of Ohio. was plentlfully posted with
bills bearing the above title, lavishly
printed in all the hues of the rainbow.
How the manager of the Seedville
Academy of Music ever succeeded in
securing so great a star of the dramatic
armament as Charles Cheriton was a
matter of much speculation and wonder
to all but Seedville citizens; but then
Seedville always was smart for small
place and managed to keep abreast of
the great cities of the country in every
thing, from natural gas to natural
actors. And if the lively manager was
enabled to furnish high-class entertain
ment for the play-goers of Seedville.
the said play-goers were not mean
enough to pass by the opportunity with
unappreciative Indifference. They read
the show-bills, bought their tickets and
on every evening thronged the seats of
the really pretty theatre.
The piece was what is technically
known as high-class comedy, but it
was comedy in which was displayed
good deal of the tragedy Of mental
suffering, of misunderstanding, of
cross purposes and bitterness of heart;
though, from the fact that all the pain
and sorrow was finally turned into glad
ness and joy through the instrument
tality of little child, men termed it
comedy.
The drama gave the principal actor,
Charles Cheriton, a fine opportunity for
displaying his power of acting, and
many time had this man moved great
audiences almost to tears i'll his repre-
sentations of the deep passions of hu-
man nature.
On the particular evening which con-
Germs our story, Cheriton was at his
best. With the rare modulations of
his deep, far-reaching voice, with his
expressive features and gesticulations
he swayed the feelings of the throng
before him as the autumn winds bend
the topmost boughs of the forest
trees.
Toward the end of the second act the
large audience noticed that the actor
did not do his part justice, and not dur
ing the rest of the evening did he rise
to his usual standard of eXcellency. No
one knew the cause, for, in the intense
interest felt in the play, no one had
perceived little wee baby figure steal
quietly down the extreme left aisle of
the balcony. No one but Cheriton. He
was in the midst of his delivery of
some most pathetic lines and his eyes
were raised upward. so that they rested
precisely on the balcony aisle to the left
of the stage. He saw the tiny but
graceful form of child-a little girl
not five years old, clad in a quaint, but
rich and dainty, dress of black velvet
with ruffied sleeves and white lace edg-
ing at the wrists and neck; he noticed
the broad-brimmed hat trimmed with a
narrow but exquisite wreath of simple
DAISIES, and above all he be-
held, beneath the hat, the cluster of
sunny, golden hair and the clear blue
eyes of the childish, angel face.
The baby, with baby grace and
abandon, stole softly down to the bal.
cony rail, upon which she rested her
little arms, and with her chin nesting
in her dimpled hands like one of
cherrubs) silently watched
the play. Cheriton felt absolutely GER
tain that the baby was the child Of
well, a woman he once knew. He was
positive of it, and would have backed
his opinion with every thing he
possessed.
He was no longer in the Seedville