Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1892-01-12
peephole for Toms vic and child,
bnt NO ona cr,iI3 coo thorn

| peephoie for Toms wife and child,
but no one could see them. 7e
Then, as the play went on, We no.
ticed that Tom himself was getting
anxious. he had not been able to
find them either and he had begun
TO wonder why they were otthere
and what had become of them. Still,
hope had not left him. He felt sure
that somewhere in the vast auditor
ium pair of bright brown eyes were
following his every movement and he
did his very best, though with some
what heavy heart. u
He had big change in dress to
make before the fifth. act, and, as he
had beep on the stage up to tho last
moment of the fourth, he had very
little time to take alnst peep at the
auditorium. 1 think some kind of
Presentiment must have filled his
mind, forshe seemed to have grown
careless, and did not act with the
same spirit as heretofore. His
the stage, and every now and then we
could hear him heave a great sobbing
sigh. 1s-ig .ir' s1iY s{iC
The audience, however, had grown
lenient. Tom had caught their sym
pathies in the earlier acts, and any
thing he did was good enough now
The act was nearly over; Tom was
in the middle of his last speech when
we noticed woman standingin the
wing with note in her hand. 1t was
Mrs. Clarlson's servant girl.
Almost hurryiug through his
words, for Tom had caught sight Of
her, too, we came to tho tag the
last words of tho play. They were
soon spoken, and, amid an outburst
of applause, the curtain came down.
Scarcely waiting for the roller to
thump.up the stage, Tom rushedat
the girl, and tore the note from her
hands. @}si a wtEi IA
81 saw it afterwards. this is how it
read:
TON, dear Tom, our darling has
fallen and hurt herself, come homo
quickly" iis.H ~
Without waiting to change his
dress, without waiting to wash of the
grease paint and mascara, In his stage
costume, wig and all, just as he was,
just as he had made the first and big
from the stage, pushing aside every
ono who stood wondering in his way;
with eyes staring like a tnadman's,
all the terror and grief that was eat
ing at his heart looking out from his
face, he ran headlong down the stair
case and passage to the stage door,
crying: Get me cabl For Gods
sake cab! OIL my God! myS dar-
ling! be quick! She may be deadl'
Just as he reached the threshold
something seemed to give way. He
tripped and fell forward on his face,
and great gush OF blood spurted from
his mouth and nose. t..
They picked him up so tenderly,
those supers and stage hands stand
ing round about, and carried him into
the doorlIeeper's room and sent for
doctor. But when the doctor came
poor Tom Clarkson was dead.
. "Well, no, that is not the whole Of
the story. The whole company sub
scribed, and the manager gave a
benefit for Mrs. Clarkson, and nice
little sum was raised We have never
let her be in want, besides Tom had
always been a thrifty man. But the
most interesting part of this anti
climax to me is yot to come Snllie
did not die. We had good doctors for
her, and she grew up straight and
strong and tall, and If you will como
to the Adelphi this evening you will
see mywife make her debut on tho
stage. We have been married eigh-
teen months. Tracey L. Robinson,
In N. Y. Recorder. 2} is2alai.if "tb