Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1891-02-28

around l presented myself at Lancaster
Gate.
The performance was to consist of an
opening farce-its name has escaped my
memory-and Mr.. Arthur Sketchley's
comedy, ''How Will They Get Out of It?:'
and that shall never foget. The farce
bored me; the actors were imperfect,
and in looking forward to the comedy
which was to succeed l rapidly came to
the conclusion that it would be anything
but success and that 'they" never
would "get out of it," But there is an
end to all things. even to Il farce played
by amateurs, and after some tiresome
delay, which en- exhibition Of pyro-
technic pianoforte playing rendered still
more intole-able, TIE curtain rose on the
comedy.
was familiar with the piece, ard re-
membered too well the original cast
Charles Matthews and his wife, Mrs.
Stirling, Frank Matthews and his wife,
Montafre and Miss Wentworth. In
deed had been present at the rehearsal
when the piece was originally produced
at the St. James theatre in 1854, and
knew every bit Of "business" by heart;
so that my forebodings on the present
occasion were gloomy, and they were in
large measure justified. The piece was
for the most part indiiferently played;
but one assumption was, as well
known dramatic critic would say, "ade-
quate" The part of jerry Arnton, orig
inally taken by Miss Wentworth, was
brightly and intelligently rendered By a
young and pretty girl whose name, the
bill informed me, was Mary Ez'uce. A
fair Scotch lassie she was, with u mass
of auburn hair shot with gold; q broad
fair brow, giving promise of good sense.
dark eyebrows and eyelashcs and Sc
rene blue eyes through which looked
forth the soul of a franl, and fear
less maiden. The nose was small
and straight. the upper lip shorf
and sensitive; the complexion bright.
and the whole woman wholesome,
hghtsome and delightful. She seem
ed to me. in fact, the perfection Of
all that is feminine; and I made up my
mind that when the performance was
over | would get an introduction to her,
and lost no time, accordingly, in asiZ-
ing Edward Bold whether he would act
as my sponsor.
Delighted, my dear fellow" was his
reply. ''rve known her ever since she
was so high. and she's as good as the
gold in her hair. And, by the by he
added as he took my arm to lead me tc
her, ''her father is Campbell Bruce, the
Q. c.. Il widower with two children; his
chambers, you know, are on our stair
case. first floor"
The necessary forTualit;as were ther
gone through with, and il the course of
the evening had several opportunities
of talking to Miss Bruce, and succeed
ed (much to the disgust of several inef-
fective Young whippersnappers) in tax
ing her down to supper. 1t turned out
that her brother. who was in the navy.
had once stopped few days with me on
my station in New Zealand, for | had
been the victim of disastrous specula-
ton in sheep in that colony and had sue
culnbed, with hundreds of other unfor-
tunates. to the hard times which com
menced in 1868 and eliminated in 1870.
may remark in this connection Though
said nothing about it to Miss Bruce)
that with the exception OF life interest
in sum of $4,000 had lost every far
thing | had in the world. Later in the
evening | was presented to Mr.. Bruce, a
massive, stern looking man of perhaps
90. He had judicial air with him.
which gave one the impression that his
life had been passed in weighing evil
dence and finding it wanting. But when
he found that Bold and | We're old
friends. and that his son had been my
guest at Ruataniuha. he was good
enough to ask me to call on him in In
verness terrace.
Come some Sunday afternoon" he
said. 1--WE are always at home then.
and shall be glad to have some conver-
sation with the man who was hospitable
to my boy Carnegie in New Zealand
l need not say that l felt sincerely
grateful to Carnegie Bruce for having
smoked my tobacco and drunk my
whisky in the Antipodes. laccepted Mr..
Bruce's invitation, and few Sundays
afterward | went to Inverness terrace.
The afternoon passed away rapidly and
was requested to stay to dinner. You
will not be surprised to hear that did
So The fact is that (as Bold had been
thoughtful enough to tell me before
hantl) Mr. Bruce had foible. He had
for years been endeavoring to establish
his claim to the dormant peerage of
Dunedin; and once he was mounted
upon that hobby it galloped away with
him. | was so successful in my en-
couragement of his amiable weakness
that he took quite a fancy to me- and
was pleased to declare that was man
of sound sense, and that it was II pity |
had not studied for the bar. After din
ner we reorganized the navy, reconstitu-
ted the ministry, settled the French ques-
ton. placed the army on proper foot
ing and solved the Irish land problem,
all in the space of five-and-forty minutes,
the quickest time ON record. And then
| cordially acceded to Mr. Bruce's sug-
gestion that we should join Miss Bruce
in the drawing room. The worthy gen
tle1nan retired with all reasonable ex-
I 49,