The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-04

Just look how worshipingly he is looking
at Miss Bertram."
He turned obediently, and looked earnest
ly at the box.
"But surely, my dear child, you do no
call him young man" he said again
land as to being interested in Miss Bert
ram, it strikes me he is far better employed
talking to that sweet looking girl. Now
that is evidently a case should say, in
spite of some disparity"
You are looking at the wrong man, yoJ
old goose; don't mean the tall, fair, mid
die aged man; | mean the dark, pale young
fellow sitting az the back"
II see no young fellow sitting at the
back"
You must be getting blind, dear! DE-
you mean to say you can't see him sitting
behind that pretty girl?''
He looked long and earnestly; at length
turned to me with puzzled air and said:
'Ore of US must be laboring under som
deluson- | wonder which? Certainly
can only see two people in the box"
"Well!'
l was too taken aback to say more Was
he going blind, poor dear, or was he trying
to tease me? | was fairly bewildered, and
subsidized into astonished silence. Turning
toward my husband presently l found him
speaking TO 4 man whom he introduced to
/ me as Mr.. Hilbert an old friend of his.
! The thought struck me that would make
! him the umpire in our argument.
| My husband and were having little
! discussion before you came in,'' said after
awhile; will you arbitrate? You see that
| box over there?"
Eyes"
| "Now, are there not three people in it?'
Mr.. HILBERT fixed his glass in his eye and
studied the box as carefully as my hus.
band had dene.
Not at this moment, certainly" he said;
81 see particularly charming girl and a
man evidently devoted. Where is youl
third person, Mrs Nicholl?"
Just at the back of the girls chair.
You must see him; pale young man with
intensely dark eyes"
Mr.. HILBERT looked long and earnestly.
81 certainly do not" he said at last. 81
think you are perhaps misled by the refec
ton of that light against the curtain" he
went on feebly; lit is curious how one can
be deceived in that way"
This was too absurd! felt indignant,
as my husband laughed with cruel enjoy.
ment.
Mr.. Hilbert did not laugh though. He
seemed suddenly to have grown depressed
and serious. | spoke to him twice, but got
no reply. He sat staring at the box with
an absorbed, far away look
The curtain rose ON the last act, and in
this Miss Bertram had splendid opportuni-
ties. In the death struggle at the close,
she had to rush down to the front of the
stage. felt an irresistible impulse to see
how the strange looking young man was
affected by this episode.
looked at the box. There he sat- with
the same eager, hungry look, and his eyes
with that strange, deep glow, looking di-
rectly into the eyes of the advancing &C
tress. 1t seemed to me that by the sheer
force Of an irresistible attraction she was
compelled to look straight at him, as she
came toward the feotlights. Was it a
marvellous piece Of. acting or the reality
of an uDspeakable horror, that seemed to
freeze her blood and stiffen her limbs and
transform the living woman into rigid
statue of fear and agony? She stood there,
rooted to the spot, with her dilated eyes
fixed upon those other terrible eyes. Then
with a frantic gesture of terror and repul-
sion, and long, thrilling shrek she fell
heavily on the stage.
The stage drama demanded that the cur
tain should drop at this moment; poetic
justice was satisfied; the play was ended,
and from the excited audience rang round
after round of frenzied applause at one of
the most marvellous pieces of realistic act
ing the modern stage has witnessed. My
husband was completely carried away.
MIR. HILBERT sat silent, with a most curious
and unfathomable expression in his face.
looked at the box. The dark young man
was no longer there, and yet l had only
turned my eyes away for a moment.
The people were still wildly clamoring
for Miss Bertram. She did not appear
until the storm and noise seemed gather
ing into tumult. At last she came for
ward, leaning heavily on the arm of the
principal actor. She was evidently very
ill, and her efforts TO smile in acknowledge
ing the roars of applause were painful. She
had apparently no intention of crossing the
stage, but chung to her partners arm con
vulsively, and with one hurried, terror
stricken glance at the box staggered of,
almost fainting.
My husband was little to enthusiastic,
I thought, in his praises of her, and said
that dying scene was one of the finest bits |
of acting he had ever seen, and he was an
old playgoer.
'And the remarkable thing is that she
began in burlesque and dancing parts" he
said. when | used to see her years ago, |
she was looked upon simply as beautiful /
woman and an exquisite dancer. No one
could possibly have suspected the exist |
ence of such tragic power as she showed |
tonight"
The papers next morning, without ex- |
ception, expressed the same opinion, and |
one and all dwelt on the marvellous stroke |
of genius that could rise to so superb and /
unlocked for a climax at the last moment /
of long and exhausting play. The ac-
tress had stepped at bound into the front /
rank of the highest walk of art But, !
strangely enough, the triumph was never |
repeated. To the establishment of the pub
bic, Miss Bertram on the day following |
threw up her engagement at the Thespian
theater and abruptly quilted London.
Such an act at such moment, with |
such splendid posi- bilities opening out to |
her, was simply suicidal. But the fact re-
mains, that no persuasiORs from her man
ager and agent, and no consideration OF !
being bound TO pay heavy fine, would in
duce her 20 alter her resolution She de-
clared, without giving any reason, that she
would never set foot in the TheSpian
again, and she kept her word. In fact. she
herself from the London stage
for many years.
Before we left town Mr.. Hilbert came to
dine with US and, as a matter of course,
Miss BertTam came under discussion, her
freak in throwing up her en-
gagement being one Of the topics of the
hour
well, at least we can congratulate our