Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-11
ght aahita 1ay gagIe satnrdau Hurng, ay tt, 1893.

quaintsnces who had come 10 fetch him ou
to supper, and, listening to no excuses
they dragged him sway to neighbortne
hostelry, where, in the excitement, Pindel
was forgotten, and it was not until the
next morning, when. with an aching head
he dragged himself down to the theater
that he remembered, with pang OF re-
morse, the cruel joke he had perpetrated
Late as usual, Mr.. Lester" exclaimed
the prompter, as Jack made his appear
Rnce.
Beginners, please, shouted the prom2t
er, and the rehearsal proceeded quietly
only delayed now and again by the want
Of such properties as were essential to the
scenes, and which, after considerable de
lay, were brought by Pinder's assistant
''Whereis that Internal property manr
continually shouted the manager, but with
out result, and the first act was over when
Testers attention was called to group Of
the company who were pointing overhead
to the gridiron above the stage.
"Wbat's that hanging up there7" asked
one.
"a pantomime property, suppose" re-
piled another, looking up.
] wonderfully made,'' said third.
"Clever fellow, Pinder; the best modeler
in England"
Lester, like the rest, looked up, and
there. dangling at the end of rope, be-
tween the borders was q something that,
in the uncertain light. looked strangely
like human body, and the sight Of which
sent strange thrill to Jack Testers
heart and caused it to sink within him.
"What are you all star gazing here fore'
| asked the manager.
rrl- g, ! -
! him
Capital model of a man." said the first
old man. sit gave me the shakes when
| first saw it.'
"You must have seen it months ago,
then" answered the low COMEDIAN.
Remarkably like hanging man,"
said the walking gentleman, as he planted
glass in his eye, and looked up.
mot unlike Finder himself" added an.
other
"By heavenI" shouted the manager, who
had been steadily looking aloft, SIT Is
PInderi Quick, there, some of you, come
with me and help tocut him down" And
away he rushed, followed by several of the
gentlemen.
AS the rest of the company gathered to-
gether and stood BY the prompt entrance
~
~ white, and chung to one Of the wings for
support. The silence was almost insup-
portable, and when, in a few minutes, the
word was passed down thatit was Pinder
his heart seemed TO stand still He stag
gered to the stage doof, home to his lodg-
ings, locked the door and sank into
chair, overcome with an agony of remorse.
In Imagination he could hear the horror
stricken whispers as the inert mass was
lowered to the stage; see the wffite face,
with the CLASSY eyes turned toward him
with an eternal reproach In them. This,
then, was tho result of his practical jokin e
he was murderer.
How the time passed he never knew, but
he was aroused by 9 knocking at the door.
He rose mechanically, opened it, and ad-
mitted his landlady, who brought him some
tea, and informed him that it was time he
went to the theater
Now came the necessity for reflection
and decision. Might he not be accused of
the death of Pinder7 fit were proved his
career was ruined forever No one had
seen HIM change the letters; no one could
prove his agency in this business Would
it not be better to bury his CHASTITY secret
in his own breast and put on a bold front!
Yes, he would; and bracing himself up for
the ordeal, he boldly walked down to the
theater.
As Jack Lester entered the stage door he
had not the courage to ask the hall-keeper
if there was more news concerning the
tragic occurrence of the morning, but
skunk rather than walked across the dimly
lighted stage to his dressingroom, which
was situated at the end of passage on the
opposite side. AS he passed under the spot
where the body had hung in the morning
he shuddered, and felt an almost irresistible
desire to turn back, but the knowledge that
his absence might raise suspicion gave him
courage, and he walked on, with strange
feeling that an indeinable presence was
either behind him or beside him. The dim,
ghostlike atmosphere of the unlighted the
alter added to the illusion, and, with
dreadful sinking of the heart and terrible
sense of impending misfortune, he walked
down the dark passage, turned the handle
of his dressing-room door, entered, and
there, beneath the half-turned, gas jet that
but dimly lighted the corner where he
usually dressed, he saw the erect form Of
Pinder, pointing, with CHASTITY. hooking
grin upon his pale face, to the rope that
hung round his neck.
He would have turned and fed, but hor-
ror held him spellbound; he would have
cried out, but his tongue refused utter
ance as the figure advanced toward him,
holding out the letter. and in deep, sepul-
chral voice exclaimed: "You ought to be
ashamed of yourself for playing trick
like this
mot dead" gasped Jack Lester, cling
ing to the handle of the door.
mot bit of it." answered the ghost,
turning up the gas. 81 met my wife at the
station before she started. You played
your game without telling the rest of the
company. / took them into my confidence,
and here they are TO see who holds the
trumps,"
At that moment the door was pushed
open from without, and roar of laughter
saluted Jack Lester that rang in his ears
for months after.
"But the bodyi"
"Made it myself and hung it myself.
When you made fun of my poetry every
body except me was in the joke, and every
body is in this one except you. Take my
advice, give up practical joking, sir, and if
ever you are tempted to break out again
Just you remember that actors are Just as
easily taken in as poets, and take warning
by 'the property masters ghost 'n-Ea-
GliSh Gdqazins
Treatment of Hen Manure.
L