The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-25

could but end the thing wanted
Paris did not seem the old Paris
found some of the fine shade trees
cut down where the barricades had
been erected, and here and there on
the walls of the little houses in the
Rue Santierre, where I lodged were
the marks of bullets-the scars of the
rage of the terrible commune.
wanted new drama-something
that would fill the house and my
pockets a we'll
just then this new drama seemed .
dream, vision not to be realized, for
some of the finest things in that line
had failed, and the dramatists were
taking their wares across the channel
and even to the United States.
advertised for manuscripts in the
proper channels and retired to the up
per rooms to wait I knew it would
be long time before / could find just
what I needed, and when 1 thought of
the stuff 1 would be expected to read
the useless dialogue and the poor
humor-I fairly shuddered.
My one friend and confdant, Mon
sieur Jadct, a little man with the
blacklist eyes that ever sparlzled, used
to climb to my room and walk over to
the table and run his hand through
the dramas that were accumula ting
there.
q told you So he would say. s'You
get enough, but not what you want.
1t won't come. Paris is still SILVER
ing over the commune, and it won't
come out of the shadow of the barri-
cades and such until year has pass
ed That one terror paralyzed the
brain; it has palsied the hand, and
no drama. monsieur, no drsmsi Sscrel
Why do we wait for that which % n
not Gomez.
And then ne would walls To the win
dow aud look out over the city with
his face darlzly sober
We waited for three weeks. Day at
ter day l picked upa new manuscript,
but soon laid it down. A dozen lines
were enough
One afternoon when 1 had come in
from walk through the denuded
boulevards found my room occupied
Pierre, my janitOr, had let my Wis
itor into the room, aud she sat in my
chair with her eyes resting half jeal-
ously upon the pile of rejected dramas
on the table.
was struck at once with the beau
ty of the girl, for girl she was, not
past eighteen, with fragile but be-
witching figure and a face almost
transparent In the Sunllg nU
You are Monsieur Mp" she
asked, half timidly. showing me two
rows of snow white teeth.
Ireplied in the affirmative and she
seemed to smile again.
81 am Mile WHEN" she answered,
modestly taking from beneath her
shawl a little roll of paper at sight of
which 1 seemed to fall back.
Was it another drama?
You have advertised for drama. .
she went on. ''And see. / have
brought you one"
1 took the roll and was about to un-
tie it when she interposed hand.
when I am gone, if you please,
monsieur" she said. Il will leave it
with you. l will come-when shall
return for your verdict"
Plying the girl told her 1 had re-
ceived SO many manuscripts and that
I feared hers would not be read for
some time; but she said quickly:
4 will come tomorrow You will
read it tonight. 1t may be better
than strol1ing through the streets, =
and before 1 could reply she had
arisen and was gone
I heard her footsteps on the stair
and then lost the sound of them
Half an hour later l was looking up
from the manuscript with a startled
face. 1t had comet ] felt that 1 held
in my hand the very thing I had
sought, and with the drama clutched
in nv grip 1 went over to the window
and breathed hard, yet joyfully.
The drama was called The COun-
tess Claire" and 1 saw at once that
the young heroine would captivate
the hearts of the tickle Parisians If
anything could
The girl who had brought the
drama had left no address and 1 did
not know where to look for her, SO all
I had to do was to wait She said she
would come the next day.
1 dared not show the play to Mon
sieur Jadet, but resolved to wait till I
had made arrangement for it's pur-
chase. would keep the secret all to
myself
The next day vivien came back.
Modestly dressed and intellectual in
appearance I had taken to her, and
wondered if she were not the daugh-
ter of the play wright
ST have examined your DRAMA
said L
And Won like itr' she started Il
thought you would, monsieur"
1T is very good.
She clasped her thin hands and
looked at me.
Your father. the playwright
81 have no father. I came to Paris,
an orphan. from the district of Haute
Lorraine. / walked all the way save
when I was helped a little by the
Prussian soldiers
But the dramaP How did you
bring it along without losing it2''