The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-05-27

death scene I Wn0n i nave piuokoo tny
rose cannot give IL vital growth again.
and certainly the resemblance to my
voice and manner was marvellous. II
was evident the audience were deceived.
Just then the manager unluckily came up.
why. Crofton. whatever are you doing
here" Then followed an explosion Of
wrath.
When could get word In I told him
In few words the history Of the matter.
He began to grow calm, and his anger on.
tirely abated when he learned the name
of the actor. and In q little while he
showed nearly as much interest In the ex-
pertinent as l did myself.
by Jovew he said, he has got you
to . T, Crofton. my boy. Faith. would
have thought II was yourself talking. but
In matter OF acting you can't hold can.
die to him. my dear fellow; and. by the
powers, he has electrified Vermont
It was true Miss Vernon did not seem
to have penetrated the disguise. but she
was playing with an earnestness and pas
sion that had never seen In her before.
Desdemona's touching pleadings were
given with exquisite pathos. and when
Othello stepped to the bed to smother her
and drew the curtains, q shrek almost
appalling In Its intensity and anguish
rang through tho house; the audience.
which seemed spell-bound during the
ecene, burst forth into q tumult OF APP
plause. Othello has now unlocked the
door to Emilia, who enters Immediately
after the murder. Up to now, with tho
exception OF the extraordinary power Of
acting, there had been nothing remark
able about the performances. but now
surely the actor must be mad. for instead
OF questioning Emilia and hearing OF
Roderigo's death as he should have done.
he began at once to acclaim Othello's
death speech, while poor Emilia, not
knowing what to make OF him. stared
helplessly.
He went on: "Ipray you. In your let
ters. when you shall these un!ucky deeds
relate, speak OF me as am; nothing ex-
tenuate nor set down aught In malice;
then must you speak OF one that loved,
not wisely, but too we'll" He omitted
the intervening lines and concluded with
terrible energy.
"Set you down this: and say. besides,
that In Aleppo once. whore n malignant
and turbaned Turk beat Venetian and
traduced the state, took by the throat
the circumcised dog and smote him
thusr'
1t is impossible to convey an idea OF tho
passion OF rage and despair with which
the actor spoke these lines. and then.
plucking the dagger from his girdle, he
stabbed himself magnihcently. and fell
| forward with a heavy thud upon the
stage, amid the loud plaudits OF the audi
ence. ! myself was quite carried away.
and joined vigorously In the applause
when all at once the manager caught my
| arm.
Look there" he whispered hoarsely.
"Do you see 1t? There is blood on his
clothes. Ring down the curtain quick
quick! This Is not aoting-this is realr
The green baize was already descending
rapidly as we rushed forward to the
stage. The manager was right. At our
feet lay the poor actor. already dead,
stabbed to the heart.
Look to Vernon" cried the manager.
Maybe it's murder as we'll as suicide, for
by heaven We have had Shakespeare In
earnest, tonight"
His surmise was correct, for on drawing
back the curtains OF the bed we found to
our horror Miss Vernon stretched on IL
lifeless. In moving the unfortunate
mans body, q letter addressed to myself
fell from his tunic. 1t gave the explana-
tion Of what seemed to US to be the act OF
madman. Miss Vernon was his wife,
and had betrayed and deserted him. For
two years he had endeavored to trace her
without success, until chance brought
him to the Phoenix. There he saw her.
and devised and carried out his terrible
and fantastical scheme OF revenge. From
that day to this, such is my repuRnance
to the part, / have never again played
| Othallo