The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-01
THE BALLET OF ..SERo."
Bill Nye Listens SpeIlbound to the Pa
thetiC story.
Edgar Wilson Nye.


Edgar Wilson Nye
cannot interpret Wagner yet, though
hope to some day, but can read the whole
pathetic story of Nero i'll the ballet. Now
| gather from the d'dction that Nero is aris-
ing from his couch to greet the jocund
moon. Now he steps TO the window TO
open the shade. 1t escapes from his
clutches and scoots TO the top of the house
with loud snort. Nero jumps on the
window sill to reach it, cursing softly to
the low wall of the clarionet and forgetting
that he cannot reach the shade; also that
he has not yet donhed his toga.
Still purple with rage the young en-
peror hangs up comforter at the window,
and taking hurried bath begins to dress
for the day by wrapping himself in the
folds of purple Turkish towel of cunning
workmanship to the soft music of the bass
drum and the ''dance corners" and
''chasse all" of the ballet. Even though
we cannot see Nero we read his home-life
in the pantomime of a ballet. Any one
can do it who will make study of it and
go every evening.
Now Nero has morning prayers to large
sycamore god which has been carved out
with jackknife by q man condemned to
death by Tiberius. Next to the lascivious
blessings of the xylophone we read from
the ballet that Nero has gone to his mother
to obtain funds for the day and largess or
two for the voters of the Ninth ward.
And now the music becomes more fortis-
simo, and the elderly ballet girl on the ex-
treme right begins to brace up and dance
with more vigor, seeking to earn her salary
as conscentiously as though she really ex-
pected to receive it. This means that
Agrippina, the mother of Nero, is putting
some more thickening in the plot, and that
in little while Nero's stepfather will be
ready for the embalmer. One can almost
hear the protest of 0ctavius as he muir
murs and kicks at the idea of taking poison
just as he is feeling comfortable on the
throne.
And now we follow the strange story as
the front row of yellow-headed dancers i'm
DIR. Jaeger costumes and with putty in the
creyices of their countenances begin to cir
Gle to the right, and we gather from the
Terpsichorean remarks made by the pre-
miere with the brawny hook that Octayius
has croaked to the low sad wall of the
ophicleide and the shrill wall of the pic
colo.
Thus Nero becomes emperor of Rome,
with chance at the surplus and AN I'M
vitation out to dinner almost every day.
All now forward and back; the premiere
danseuse turns eight cartwheels across the
stage and picks torch out of the hand of
a vestal virgin from Hunters Point. This
means that flush times have again returned
to Rome, and on the Rue de Senaca there
is a strong bull movement in stocks.
Nero now gets married TO plain but
well-connected girl whose father owns the
leading paper there. He does not really
love her, and so the alto horn gives an air
of pain and the bass fiddle is seen TO shud-
der as the walk-around on the stage indi-
Gates that Nero has fallen in love with
Acte, a freedwoman who dresses plainly
but looks first rate. II is plain now from
the dactiOB de ballet that Nero is leading a
double life, at least, and that he is out
nights a good deal, d'carrying on at
great rate.
Oh, why will men, especially emperors,
do that way? They must know that some
day the populace will drop on it. and
shame cover their otherwise luminous ca-
reers. Acte of course knows that her par
ents would not approve of this style of
cuttings up on her part; but there IS n sort
of romance about living i'm a pleasant fat
overlooking the Campagna without pay
ing rent for it. and so she goes on, know
ing that Nero's wife is at home alone sew
ing carpet rags or upholstering the throne
while Acte Is at routs and balls almost
continually.
Finally we discovered by the antics of
the ballet that Nero has shaken Acte and
now looks with amorous glances upon
Popp@a Sabina, a very able woman, who
gets the entire cDutFol Vi tnt dtHllillstTd-
ton. Nero does not even dare commits
sion notary public without asking Pop
pea. or Pop Sabina, as she is called. And
so il goes on from bad TO worse, until
Nero's mother is driven out of house and
home. She is allowed TO sleep in barn
for awhile and wash oft carriages for her
board for a time, Sfsd then asked to take
little ocean voyage for her health.
The ship is so made that ii will fall to
pieces about the second day out. But she
is resolute woman. with broad feet, so
she treads water until she can remove her
heavier wraps and useless clothing; then
then she rides heneoop for thirteen days,
ever and anon eating a hen when she gets
hungry enough, until at last, Land ho,"
the smooth sand of the beach.