The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-04-20
ROMANCE OF A PLAY.

ROMANCE OF A PLAY.
"But what put the idea into your
head?" asked the leading man OF the
iramatist, as they stood together dur
ing the rehearsal of the new play.
The dramatist was lady, tall,
slight woman of perhaps thirty, win
n striking face, lighted by pair OF
dark blue eyes The beauty of those
eyes made people sometimes fancy
Mrs Clayering was beautiful. but she
was not: she was intellectual; she was
charming and sympathetic, and she
had suffered-you could see that In her
face. Perhaps, then, she was, In Il
sense. beautiful. The leading man was
inclined TO think so, and he liked very
much to talk to her. AS for her, she
thought him "a nice fellow" and ad-
mired his acting, but that was all She
smiled at his question.
"Oh, I harlly know" she said, with
an absent look in her blue eyes. Don't
you like it?'
Like It? Yes, of course, l do; it's
telling, very telling; bit romantic,
YOU know"
"Oh. yes not like real life; but real
life is sometimes too prosaic for the
stage. i often think these pessimlsts
one hears SO much Of now have known
verv little trouble. They are too fond
of dabbling in the miseries of exist
ence."
The leading man gave the speaker
quick look: but his cue came just
then--in fact, he had missed it-and
he had to run forward to take his
place.
Mrs. Clavering was novelist who
had not been very long in London,
having spent most of her life abroad.
She had written two or three one-act
pieces. which had been well received;
and now she had launched into a
three-act piece and was going to pro-
duce 1t at matinee. 1t was a clever
play, well put together and well writ
ten. but not calculated to set the town
talking, though superior to good
many plays that do set the town talk
ing. What the leading man alluded to
was. as it were. the motif of the piece.
The hero. in the first act, cast Off his
wife and left her. declaring he would
live as he chose she hampered him,
and 80 on. The wife, still loving the
man who was 50 cruel to her, declared
he could not shake her off. II shall
be with you," she cries, whether you
will or no! You shall hear me call to
YOU when the darkest hour of your
life comes; and II l cannot win you
back to love, 1 will ut least keep you
from crime"
In the second act the hero is about
TO marry Il rich girl; the wedding
guests arrive, all Is ready. when sud
denly he starts; he hears his wife's
voice calling him; he Is appalled,. con.
science-strcken; he confesses his in
tended crime In the third act mat
ters have reached climax; the hero,
ruined socially and in purse, is about
10 commit suicide; once more the warn
ing voice arrests him, he filings the
pistol away, and as he does so his wife
enters and the two are completely re
conciled.
"A charming idea" said the leading
lady to the author, "but don't you make
Margaret too forgiving?'
Il don't know-Graham is her hus-
band"
THAT makes 1t harder"
"Oh! no, l think 1t makes 1t easier"
DO your" aloud-but to herself:
Her husband was one of the good
sort or she wouldn't talk so, It's all
right TO forgive like that in a play;
~ ASiA iiiN NOllll 10 luc
old way again in no time at all"
Yes" said Mrs. Claverlng Have
YOU ever read Browning's Any Wife
10 Any Husband?"
The leading lady raised her brows.
mo. indeed!' she said. Browning
is too deep for me-"
ANY one can understand that. Read
It."
The stage manager came up to ask
about a proposed cut and the lead
ing lady turned away to ask the lead
ing man whether Mrs. Clavering was
widow. divorced or separated.
I'm sure l don't know" was the
answer; and nobody else did. She
lived In apartments near one of the
West Central squares, and was al
ways welcome In the literary and ar
tistic circles in which she moved, and
though II was generally presumed thar
her husband was dead 1t could not be
recalled that she had ever said so:
and sometimes in these days II isn't
wise to be curious about peoples alb
sent or non-est husbands When Won
came to think OF 1t, indeed, 1t would
be difficult 10 assert positively that
Clavering was her real name.
Her novels were published as by Alix
ClaVering, ana when she came to Lon
don she called herself Mrs. Clavering,
which might or might not be nom.
de guere; for II was her publishers who
FIRST introduced her into London liter
ary society; and ii was not their busl-
ness TO disclose her real name, sup.
posing that she had another name than
that under which she chose to appear.
The rehearsal was over and Mrs.
Ola vlI.inn
alterations to make In the second and
third acts, and after n slight luncheon
she settled herself to the task. Set.
tied? She seemed very restless and
worked very fitfully. Sometimes, for
minutes together. she sat with her
face hidden In her hands and more
than once tears trlckled through her
fingers
They say the piece is likely to catch
on." said gentleman, VINO, In truth.