River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-05-09
hours notice by a girl who has never

hours notice by girl who has never
seen line of the part yet"
"What are we to do?'
81 don't know" groaned johnson.
I'll come round presently. / believe
this play viii drive me mad"
An hour later Tom was goi ng down.
stairs growing and grooming to him
self, when Rose came out of her bou-
doir.
Going out, Tom? Why, you haven't
had your breakfast"
81 can't eat morsel." said Tom.
I'm done up, Rose. / wish I'd been at
Jericho before / became a dramatic
author"
Monday night came. and Tom, in
state of high fever brought on by over
work and anxiety and late hours,
walked up and down outside the the
alter, trying to summon up courage to
go in. He had cut out the last act; he
had given Miss Blank one hurried re-
hearsal; he had quarreled with the
leading william, who had told him be-
fore the whole company that the play
was rot; he had gone hcsce in a vile
temper, and made Rose cry ner eyes
out. and now, in state bordering on
delirious fever. he was awaiting the
verdict on a play which had cost him
months of anxious thought and on
which the management had expended
thousands of pounds.
IF it's a failure, I'll never write
again" grOaned Tom.
just then a man came hurriedly out
of the stage door.
Curtain up yet?" asked Tom, nerv-
ously.
mo. sir; there's something gone
wrong with the scene in the first act,
and the mechanical change won't work
through it. I'm just going to see if
can find Mr.. -. They say it'll be
half an hour before it will be put
right"
Tom rushed into the theater. As he
went upon the stage he could hear the
audience stamping and shouting. 1t
was then five minutes past the time the
curtain should have gone up.
Every body was bustling about, and
there was evidently something wrong.
''It's all right" said the stage man
ager, coming up to Tom and trying to
ease his mind. Its not so bad as we
thought Wen ring up directly. We
can get it right, dare say. while the
first scene is playing. If not, | must
come on and explain there's been an
accident"
Tom groaned and rushed out into the
street again. "Oh, my poor play" he
cried; Its condemned before it's be-
gun"
An hour and a half later Tom, pale,
clutching his hands together
in nervous excitement. crept into the
back of the pit. The third act was just
beginning. There was very powerful
scene in this act. Tom had built upon
making a great impression on the au-
dience.
The villain suddenly appears at
window, and while another villain is
writing a letter shoots him, and the
unfinished letter is left on the table
and found by the hero, who rushes in
and reads the plot against his happi-
ness.
The villain has to cautiously open
the window. He does so after strug-
CLING with it for five minutes, and maxi
ing noise which could be heard all
over the house, but of which the other
villain takes no notice.
He has not heard me-" says the
villain.
HE must be jolly deaf them" said
boy in the gallery, and the house tit
tiers.
The perspiration burst from every
pore of Toms skin. His situation is
going wrong.
But the house is hushed Immediate
lY. There is no fairer audience in the
world than that which assemblies in a
London theater on the first night.
But it is only human audience, and
so when, as the villain crept in at the
window and was just advancing on his
victim, the looking-glass, real, fastened
on the scene, came down with a crash,
and the victim. following his author,
exclaimed: mo sound disturbs the
silence of the night, there was a roar.
The situation was going fast. 1t
went utterly when the villain, discon-
certed, as well he might be, in creep
ing up behind the victims chair,
caught his foot against a platform in
tended TO draw the table off for
change of scene, and fell sprawling,
his pistol going off between his uncon-
scious victims feet.
With the roars of irresistible laugh
ter which followed this final catastro-
phe ringing i'm his ears. Tom johnson
rushed from the theater to the Thames
embankment.
1T is ruin. 1t is Disgrace he cried.
II can never survive il. Curse the
hour when | gave myself up to this
life of constant harass, annoyance aud
disappointment! How can / read the
awful things that will be said of ne in
the papers tomorrow! How can l
meet my friends and listen to their
condolences! How can | ever enter a
theater agdinl No, | will not live to
die in lunatic asylum. | will end it
all in the peaceful river"
Tom leapt upon the parapet and
was about to make the fatal plunge,
when he heard a sweet, silvery voice
behind him.
1t was the China fairy's.
With frantic cry, Tom turned to
her. "Can you grant me another
wish?n he exclaimed.
Certainly"
Then make me clerk in the city
again. and at once"
tom"
1t was Roses voice.
Tom woke up with start.
breakfasts ready, dear, and it's
nine o'clock. Aren't you going TO get
up?"
Tom shouted for JOY. He was a clerk
again. and it was Sunday morning, the
happy day of peace and rest at home
with his dear. contented little wife.
Oh what a happy Sunday it was.
How snug and comfortable the sitting
room looked. And after breakfast,