Rocky Ford enterprise., 1893-09-07

4
beautiful carriage with two horses, and
the driver clad In some ones CASTOR
livery, now and then; and they were
very, very happy. The tall, handsome
young man and the smiling, sweet.faced
little girl were very fond Of each other.
and the company wondered why-and
took 1t ont In wondering.
Matters came to crisis one after
noon soon after Dorothy took her per-
emptory departure. The manager was
In anything but good temper, owing
partly to that affair and partly to the
new play now being gone over, and
which seemed determined to go wrong
from the first. The cast had started
out being slow, and when he stOrmed,
us he always did when angry, they
became s,illen and Indifferent. Mark
ham was late-of on one Of his sium-
ming tours, said the leading man-and
when, to cap the climax, Katherine for
got her lines completely, and could not
remember them when angrily prompted
by the manager, Mr.. Phillips lost con-
troll of himself entirely. and. plunging
at her, he struck the troubled. patient
little face q cruel blow with his open
hand.
Take that. you little fOOl!' he cried.
with n curse, while the others stood
staring ut him in incredulous aston
ishment; you haven't brains enough to
live! Get on the stnge, 1 tell ybu, nnd
don't you come back till you can say
those lines from first to last, do y un-
derstand? And II ! catch yOli---
He stopped suddenly. and his un-
pleasant face grew fairly livid; stand
ing in the wing was the towering form
of Barry Markham looking at the man
ager in such way as to make him
shiver.
With a little cry of love and trust,
between her sObs or pain. Katherine
ran to him with outstretched hands,
and. STOPPING, he gathered her into his
strong arms and held her closely 10
him. She laid one soft cheek, still red
with the mark of the managers heavy
hand, upon. his breast, and began kiss
ing the hand she loved so much and
which held her tightly now. One of the
women pressed her handkerchief to
her eyes quickly and looked away. For
n minute Markham held the loving
baby to him, and then he put her gen
tly down upon Il pile Of grass mats in
the wing. Then he shook off the big
top coat he always wore. stripped his
gloves quietly from his hands. and, lay
ing them all down beside Katherine,
he crossed the stage to where the man
ager stood. For the first time he spoke
and his voice, though low and calm,
fell upon Mr.. Phillips ears like the
ring Of cold steel.
Put up your hands!"
The manager turned shade paler
and started to speak.
PUT ND your hnnds!" said Markham
little louder. doing 80 himself. The
manager, hardly knowing what he was
doing, doubled his fists and held them
In front of him. The next moment he
was staggering across the green stage
carpet as II he had been shot. He
was powerful man. and, with roar
of rage, he recovered himself suddenly
and hurled himself upon the actor But
Markham had been gentleman and an
athlete, and he was ready for him.
One-two-three blows only, but 80 ter
rifically :'cientitic were they, so entire
square and hard, that no more We're
needed. The manager fell against the
back drop in n senseless mass. and
Markham, with a grim smile. picked
up his coat and hat and put them on
again. He turned to the others, as
two silent stage hands carried the
bleeding manager to the nearest dress
ing room, and said slowly:
II sincerely beg the ladies' pardon for
this disgraceful scene, but it was quite
unavoidable. l have just learned this
afternoon that my-my wife is dead.
and that Katherine, as 1 hoped and
prayed, is my daughter. That is all."
He turned, and, taking the little girl
into his arms once more, he bowed to
the others. and. picking his way
through dust covered piles of rope
and furnished finery, past worn-out
drops and worn-Out furniture, and into
the little alley where he had first met
the little one who was clinging about
his neck now and smiling through her
tears again. AS they passed under the
dim light which fiared and danced in its
wire cage above the door. he stopped
and pressed his lips again and again to
those of his baby; and, though she
knew he was happy, there was some
thing like tears in his eyes, and his
voice trembled trife when, moment
later, he called a cab to take them to
the hotel.
You have seen Markham and his
daughter play ''Fauntleroy?" Then you
have seen the best Little Lord and
the most natural earl on the stage, for
the love they show for each other,
toward the end of the little play, does
not have to be acted at all.
Everard Jack Appleton. in the Ar
gonaut.