The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-08-03
PAIR OF BLACK EYES
fhey Dazzle N Honest Musician Of
lev York.
He Fights In Vain Aaainstthe Charm
put the Girl Hypnot:zes Him
B Of Sentiment From
Behind the Scenes.

mists say TO the contrary, says o New
York letter. What can be said against
the moral stability Of the noble young mu-
steal genius that was talking with the
other day? He leads the orchestra at
one OF the city theaters, and is q composer
OF no slight ability. Besides this, he is "A
married man, and l happen to know that
his first desire in life Is TO be worthy of
the Rood-looking woman that bears his
name. and never to be unfaithful TO her
In the smallest manne possible. Know
this, his confession made to me the other
evening was thoroughly interesting.
II am a happy husband" said he.
Nd wife Is all / ask, and the five years
that l have passed by her side have been
the best years of my life. II In my wish
TO be true to her forever, and I believed
until recently TINT II could never be
otherwise. But the eye Of Satan il upon
me.r
This exclamation had thesfiavor of in
sanity i'm it, but I demanded an explana
ton, in the hope that IL would free the ex-
cited musician from any suspicion.
"He has taken the shape Of q woman,
Satan has," continued the orchestra
leader. Il never looked twice at a woman
In my life. am not found of women.
They are generally distasteful to me. My
wife is the only N that ever pleased me.
But at the opening of the present season
a certain young woman appeared in the
chorus at u theatre. l did not notice
her until one night l felt a pair of eyes
fixed upon me, and, turning suddenly, my
gaze met hers. II was a perfect instance
OF hypnotism. There was something
about those eyes that frightened and an
noyed me. The giri was not as handsome
as q dozen Others oil the stage,
but her gaze was awful. Il burned
~ Franl. man n.l. H.. .,,.-
| have lived a life of torment. l
have never spoken to the girl, for | know
that III i do j shall be lost. Every night l
lead the orchestra N she keeps her ter
rible eyes fixed upon ne. / nave prayed
against the influence. 1 nave invented
every means to get the creature out Of the
theatre, but to no purpose. She is stay
ing here to ruin me. What shall / do?
My wife is ali the world to me, but / shall
be lost. There is no resisting that gaze.
Some day i shall be brought into the
girls presence outside of the theatre, and
then I will be helpless. What is TO be be-
come of me and my wife,"
This is "a clear case of hypnotism. Since
hearing the story from the orchestra
leader l rave seen the girl with her eyes
fastened upon him. She is a rather pretty
brunette, with black eyes that nave n
strange power of dilation, and / noted
that whenever the musician turned his
helpless gaze to meet hers she appeared
to expand the pupils of these eyes
and then to contract them with a drowsy,
passionate effect, the poor victim Of her
spell, in the meantime, growing alter
nately red aud white, while the perspira-
ton poured down his frightened face.
The girl is evidently practicinR upon the
musician, finding him a particularly pill
able subject to her power, for when "a
party OF young men i'm a box. who had dis
covered the beauty of her yes, endeav-
ored to attract her attention, she tried her
influence upon them, and, finding that IL
was greeted only with smiles of careless
delight, turned her luminous orbs once
more upon the musician. The latter is
now considering the feasibility Of confess
ing his plight TO the manager of the thea
ter, and demanding the discharge OF his
tormentor. He declares that the question
is reduced to the alternative of putting a
Woodworking girl ont of n situation, or
leaving him the slave of that maddening
pair of black eyes.
"Oh, yes" said a stage manage in a
theater where burlesque opera is given,
"there is n little sentiment to be found
sometimes even i'm our business. re-
member scene at n rehearsal awhile
ago that contained something of the ten
derness that you find IN looks Perhaps
you don't remember Billy L, the
comedian who was such a ~favorite here "a
few years ago. oh, you do, Ell? Well, j
thought those smile crackers passed out
vi ittttibts "thtfA htts 100
Well. Billy went out west just before
Francis Wilson and the other winners
that are doing the pace to-day came in.
A good actor and a good fellow was Billy,
but like many another good man in our
profession, he drank, and drank hard. IL
got the best of him. Billy was drawing IA
fin salary when he disappeared suddenly
and we had to put his understudy into
his part. He turned up ut the theater
six weeks later, but there was no using
- Nr-a-I ls.r. fhne ~ hn AnIlId
20 away and rest for a time, and get his
nerve back, he could go to work again:
He went away, and not a sound was heard
of him for years. Well, at the time he
disappeared there WINS q pretty little girl
i'm our chorus in ove with Billy. She had
always been with us, because she is a
faithful girl, and m OF the most capable
chorus women i'm the business. A short
time ago we were rehearsing a new opera
at the theater. One morning i noticed a
strange figure standing In the wings. Il
was q very ragged and shaky individual,
badly in need of a shave and "A drink. ]
was about TO inquire what the presence
of this intruder meant, and to eject him
from the stage, when l thought l detected
something familiar about the fellows
face. His big, wild eyes were scanning
the faces of the chorus, and presently he
shambled forward with outstretched
hands toward some one upon whom he
had fixed his gaze.
katie! Katie " he called huskily.
There was no installing who the pooI
devil was now. Katie stared at him for q
moment, and then ran swiftly to him ant
caught him, unattractive as he was, In
her arms.
"Billy, it's you! Girls, girls, Billy
come backr'
Aud as she sobbed and kissed the grir
zled face that tried To hide itself on hel
shoulder, / think every n down To the
scene shifters was crying a little. My eyer
were wet with the rest. j don't suppos,
IL was a nobly sentimental scene, but !
was mighty touching. all the same. Wha'
has become of Billy? oh, within a.fev
hours Katie sprtIcpu him nm into preSenta