Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-05-12

|
When Belcourt reentered the theater
he found everyone behind the scenes in
a terrible state of excitement.
| Mile. de Bolney could not be found.
The house was impatient and the man
ager desperate. lie was sending for
the police, that she might be found and
arrested. Suddenly Belcourt, at the
idea of the possible consequences OF
Jeanne's fight, determined on a bold
move.
He stepped up to one of his friends
who had been taking part in the play,
whispered to him and appeared to be
begging him to consent to what he had
| asked.
Finally the friend yielded, opened the
| door and walked towards the stage.
Then Belcourt, pushing away the di-
rector and stage manager,who attempt
ed to stop him, gave the signal to lift
the curtain and appeared himself be-
fore the house. A deep silence ensued.
Ladies and gentlemen" said Bel
court, mile. de Bolney has received q
telegram announcing that there has
been disaster on the German frontier
and our army has sustained defeat.
She is overwhelmed by the news, and we
must ask you to have patience until she
feels able to continue her role."
Adismal silence followed these words.
Belcourt's friend now stepped forward
and executed the order he had re-
| ceived:
I'VE, too, are surely as good patriots
as Mile, de Bolney! Surely, the play
ought not to be finished before a French
audience, who has just heard that our
army is defeated"
Cries of "Bravo!" were heard. and
unanimously the whole house rose and
prepared to leave the theater.
Belcourt had saved the honor of
Jeanne and of the theater.
The rumor of the defeat of Reich
| shoffen, which the government was
keeping secret, was soon spread abroad
i'll Paris by the spectators who had
heard it from Belcourt, and the news
caused fearful calm in the gay capt.
tai.
Belcourt had been congratulated by
all the authorities of the theater on his
happy. idea, but Just as he was prepar-
ing to leave the theater that same night
he was seized by police official and
conducted to the Mazas prison on a
charge of Having divulged a state Sc
cret," crime always punished at least
by hard labor, and in time of war by
death.
For more than a month Belcourt had
| in
leok forward to but dishonor or death.
He had been questioned over and over
again as to how he had discovered the
secret, but in vain; nothing could in
duce him to give any details, for he did
not know whether Jeanne would for
give him for having said SO much as he
had. The next day sentence was to be
passed upon him.
Successive defeats had elnbittered the
minds of his judges, and it was pretty
sure that he had little chance of getting
off without paying the full penalty Of
his crime. Belcourt was thinking sadly
of his hopeless love for Jeanne which
had caused him to act as he had done
i'll order to save her, when suddenly the
eeor of his cell opened and the porter
announced: Mime. the Countess de
Aorfeuille." 1t was Jeanne herself
dressed in the deepest mourning
Her beautiful hair had some silvery
threads, her face was cold and severe
as marble, her beautiful mouth was
rigid, her eyes seemed to be gazing at
some invisible object, aud she had a
deathiS pallor-such Gs one sees on the
faces of those who have received some
mortal wound.
1t was pathetic to see so fair and sc
young a girl in such hopeless despair
and Belcourt was deeply touched by it,
"Iou are free, Louis" she said, gently
but sadly. THE empress herself has
asked for your release. Thank you so
much, my friend, for all you did for me
L came directly heard of your iinpris-
onment, My husband had only lust
been brought home and buried at Nor
feuillc."
Very soon after, Jeanne returned to
her husbands stately home, that she
might visit daily the tomb of him she
had SO dearly loved and who had mar
ried her cn his dcathbcd.
When Louis had tried to console her
and gently limited that she was too
young to go through the rest of her
life alone she had answered, decidedly:
DO not ever speak to me of anyone
else. | will live and die the widow OF
Roger, and will certainly never be any.
one clse's wife,
1t was thus that great artistic was
lost to the French stage, but the mem.
DRY of that debut will never be lost to
any of those who witnessed it.-Fronl
tho Icn,, ol, IL,