Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-01

II don't think she is so plain, after ALL
Neither do l. says Monica, eagerly,
''there is something so sweet about her eX-
preston"
Il am perfectly certain that man Peter is
awfully in love with her." says Mrs. Her
rick, solemnly, land that without the slight
est thought of her money"
''What would he think of her money for"
says Madame O'Connor, testify, who had
firmly believed him fortune-huntar only
two minutes ago. Isn't she jewel in her.
self?''
by the bye where is our Bella all this
timer says Olga, suddenly. 1t now oc-
ours to me that of course we have been miss
ing her all this time"
Il know" says Monica. mySteriouSly:
''she is asIeep,-getting herself up for her
Lady Teazte. | was running along the cor
ridor, outside her room, half an hour ago.
when her mother came out on tipt0e and
impIored me to go gently, lest / should wake
her."
Gentle dove" says Mrs. Herrick.
~ shall go and dance the cd1l-cI?l up and
down that corridor this moment says Mrs.
Bohun, raising to her feet with fell de-
termination in her eye.
Il think you had all better go to your
rooms and get ready for dinner. 1t is pain
fully early tonight" says Madame, ION &C
count of all this nonsense of Olga's. Butno
dressing mind, as l have told the men to
come as they are. There will be plenty of
that by and by"
The curtain has risen, has fallen and risen
again, and now has descended for the last
time. A flutter-is it rapture or relief
trembles through the audience. 1.-THE School
| for Scandal has come to timely end!
/ selfshly forbear from giving my readers
heightened account of it, as they (unless
any Of the AghyOhillbeg party takes up this
| book) have merci- that is, unfortunately,
! been debarred by fate from ever witnessing
performance such as this, that certainly,
without serviie fattery, may be termed
| unique. Words Chat is, my wordS) would
fail to give an adequate idea of it, and so
from very modesty hold my pen.
1T was marvellous" says Sir Mark Gore,
who is paying flying visit to Lord Ross
moyne. He says this with the profoundest
solemnity, and perhaps little melancholy.
| His expression is decidedly pensive.
1T was indeed wonderful" says the old
| rector, in perfect good faith.
And wonderful it was indeed. Anything
so truly remarkable, may safely declare,
was never seen in this or any other genera
| ton.
Miss Fitzgerald's Lady Teazle left moth
| ing to be desired, save perhaps an earlier
| fall of the curtain, while Captain Cobbett's
Joseph Surface was beyond praise. This is
the strict truth. He was indeed the more
happy in his representation OF the character
i'll that he gave his audience a Joseph they
never had seen and never would see again
on any stage unless Captain CUbbett could
kindly be induced by them to try it on some
other occasion.
Sir Peter (Mr. Ryde) was most sumptu-
| ously arrayed. Nothing could exceed the
| magnifcence of his attire. Upon an amateur
stage, startling habiliments copied from a
remote period are always attractive, and Mr..
Ryde did all he knew in this line, giving
even to the ordinary Sir Peter of our old
fashioned knowledge certain garments in
vogue quite century before he could posi-
bly, have been born. This gave a char ming
wildness to his character, a devil-may-care
sort of an air, that exactly suited his gay
and festive mood. After all. why should
Sir Peter be old and heavy? why indeed2
The effect was altogether charming. That
there were few disagreeable people who
said they would have liked to know what
he was Gt (suc't phrase, you know y, what
he meant, i'll fact, and who declared that, as
mere simple matter of choice, they liked
to hear word now and again from an actor
goes without telling. There are trouble
some people in every grade of society,"
| gnats that aUiIL sting. Silence is golden, as
| all the world knows; and Mr.. Ryde is of it {;
| SO of course he forgot his part whenever he
| could, and left out all the rest.
This he did with systematic carefulneSS
very praiseworthy in 50 young man.
| On the whole, therefore, you will see that
the affair was an Unprecedented success !;
and if some did 60 away puzzled as to
| whether it was burleSque or a tragedy, no
| body was to blame for their ObtuSeneSS. There
| certainly are scenes in this admirable come
| dy not provocative of laughter; but such
| was the bad taste of Madame OConnOr that
| she joined in with the Philistines mention
| ed further back and laughed straight
| through the piece from the start to finish,
until the tears ran Gown her cheeks.
| She said afterward she was hysterical,
| and Olga Bohun, who was quite as bad as
| she, said, mo lCOnder."
Now, however it is all over, and the actors
and actresses have disappeared, to make
way for the gauze, the electric light, and the
taDeaux; whilst the audience is making
iisr,f happy with iced champagne and con-
versation, kind and otherwise very much
otherwise), about the late performance.
Olga Bohun, who is looking all that the
heart of man can desire in white lace and
lilies, leaving the imprOmptu thea;er, goes
in search of Hernia, who, with Owen Kelly,
is to appear in the opening tableaux. She
makes her way to the temporary green-rOom,
an inner hall, hidden from the outer world
by means of hanging velvet curtain, and
with staircase at the lower end that leads
to some of the upper corridors. Here she
| finds UIic Ronayne, Miss Browne, Monica,
| Desmond and Kelly.
She has barely time to say something
| trivial to Miss Browne, when pale light
| appearing at the top of the staircase attracts
| the attention of all below. Instinctively
| they raise their eyes toward it, and see a tall
| figure clad in white descending the stairs
| slowly and with strange sweet gravity. is
| 1t an angel come to visit them, or Hernia
| Herrick?
It resolves itself into Hernia at last, but
beautiful Hermia,-a lovely apparltion,-
a woman indeed still, but with something
of an angel-light" playing in her dark eyes
and round her dusky head. Always a dis
nguished-looking woman, if too cold for
warmer praise, she is now at least looking
supremely beautiful.
She is dressed as Galatea, in clinging
garment of the seyereSt Greek style, with
no jewels upon her neck, and with her ex-
quisite arms bare to the shoulder. One
| naked sandaled foot can be seen as she
comes leisurely to them step by step. She
is holding low EtruScan lamp in one hand
| upon level With her head ana there is just
the faintest suspicion of smile about her
usually irresponsible lips.
No one speaks until her feet touch the
hall, when a little murmur, ..Idistinct, yet
distinctly admiring, arises to greet her.
Il hope / don't look-foolish,' she says,
with as much nervousness in her tone as