Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-09-24


stances, but did not de>l ,.i.,
The guard set al tit ,...tes would
+ never have allowed the yonmS uiIt t+
J pass through them or to elm the
wall. but when wagon lade., sth
/ provisions entered no one thou Of
wat hing the wagoner's boy in hi k
and slouch hat, and so a little uIIba
| bought the costume of the fellow, and
the Young Count smacked his Whip
/ gayly as he drove over the hill and got
away without being discovered, though
the guard would examine the wagon be-
fore he let it pass.
The Count sat under tree reading a
book for long while afterwards-th is,
the wagoner in the Counts clothes and
when the truth was discovered the con-
strrnation was so great that the confeder-
atc> escaped scot free.
By that time the young Count was
married. He had met his wife at q lit
| tie church, to which she came with her
were made one and went OH to-
| Eethrr There was some talk OF the
Cnunt himself becoming an actor, but,
whatever happcned the old noblenan,
his father, could do nothing
Finally the family held counsel that
they would forgive their son if his wife
would leave the stage.
Now, the beautiful Adelaide was a
born actress, but at the moment love
dominated her soul. Her husband was
all in all to her. She yielded to his
pcranasions and retired from the profess
Siou she adorned.
She went to live with the great fam
lily, who were very kind to her. She
tasted all the sweets of idleness and
luxury and was adored by her husband.
She was for awhile perfectly happy.
But slowly, surely, nameiess long
in@ crept into her soul. She felt her
lie dull and uninteresting The artist
within her got the better of her Her
one great longing was to act once more,
TO tread the stage as of yore, to live the
lfr for which she was born. She
drr,uMyl of it at night, she dreamed Of
it by day, but she never spoke OF it.
Her word had been pledged and She
must keep it.
occupation was wearisome. She turnrd
l. attention to the poor and was ttoln-
tift;l to them. Among other wrcJcHcd
people she gave aims to the poor rr"a-
tur's in the debtors prison. 1t was in
the wear 1917 At that day in the place
where she abode IL creditor who chose
couIi cast his debtor into a foul prison
and let him rot there.
There was, | believe, some law which
made it compulsory to give the man
who owed money which he could not
pay bread and water. For all else he
had to depend on charity, and there
were bars in his cage behind which he
could sit, thrust out his hand for what
ever pitiful strangers chose to give.
The Countess Adelaide had often
spoken to one unfortunate man, a gen
tleman whose debt was very large, and
one day it came into her mind that there
was way in which he might be deliv
cred from his bonds and restored to his
helpless wife and children. Accord
inglv, she spoke of it to her husband.
Her idea was to give an entertainment
to the public, the object being specified
in the public prints and in private let
tels. The tickets sold at high prices;
actors of position would be implored tc
offer their services, and she herself
would take the principal part.
To this the Count gave his consent.
His parents, after some demur, agreed
that acting for charity, and to such an
audience, was not Objectionable, and one
night the play was put upon the boards
of a magnificent theater.
Once more Adelaide, in all the splen-
dor of queenly costume, walked the
stage. Once more she was happy And
how she acted!
Applause rent the air. How wonder
derful genius impressed all who lis
tened. The old delight in it returned
to her husband, and none was more en-
thusiastic than his relative l do not
know what the play was, or would give
its name to my readers, but those who
saw it that night never forgot it.
How often did they call the beautiful
Countess before the curtain! how often
did she smile and courtesy and kiss her
hands to them! She was happy for the
first time for long, long months. A
good deed had been done. The poor
debtor was happy, too, for his debt had
been paid, and he had money besides to
begin the world with on his day of free
dom. His wife knelt to kiss the hand
of the benevolent Countess, and the
poor man himself, bewildered by his un-
expected good fortune, could only weep.