The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-03
WAS HE A HERO?
NJ DAVID A. CURTIS.


"Ho hasn't many days to livc." said the
hospital surgeon in matter of fact way,
and yet not unkintly, when I happened
across my old friend Halscy in ward 0.
docs 1t seem hard to your he asked,
still smiling. II had two years of such
happiness onco that it has mado I'LL tho
rest Of my life bright"
pressed his hand. "But," snid, sit
seems hard to die in public hospital"
Not to mo-, he replied. cit was in
this very hospital that found my hnppi-
ness.''
Thon there was long silence. Pres
emily no smiled again and said: "I'll tell
you tho story. There isn't much to it, 1
suppose. but it seems to toll something
about whit love can do for man, and for
n woman, too, when it is honest and puro."
Then he told 1t. Not easily or smooth
~, for he was very weak, but with long
pauscs, during which that happy smile
would SO light up his face that l. begin
ming to SEQ whit it meant, felt glad that
ho had found mo worthy of being called
his friond.
II was nm actor once" he said, land 1
was, in my day, favorito in tho cheaper
sort of theators. You SEQ 1 belonged to
tho Same sort of people that sat in front,
and 1 had enjoyed seeing the same parts
on the stage TINT I was playing. so 1 put
my whole heart into thom. ] had been q
nowsboy and had many time gone with
out my supper to go to tho theatcr, and
know how to play to the nowsboys And
thon WAS ambitious and used to study
hard, for thought, as nll young actors
do, that wns going to DO star and be
famous. In fact, my head WAS full of al
most all tho nonsense that most young
IL, i'll . & 7
don't know whether 1t Is or not.
"Ono thing, though, didn't trouble me,
as it did good many of tho men in tho
profession. My good old mother was
alive, and lived with her, and 1t mado
mo so happy to mako n good homo for hor
after she had known sore trouble that
kept clear of MI such alliances rs lead
men to destruction. Twas thrown IL good
deal together with the women of tho stage
behind the scenes, of course, but 1 cared
little about Thorn. Some of them were
good, true women too, but mono of them
seemed to compare with what Thought u
woman ought to DO when 1 was with
mother. So I had very little to do with
them us long as l lived at homo. But
mother WAS old, and large part of her
lifo had been very hard, and Mt tho tiino
was ut the height of my prosperity shc
Iliiiu HAS ScClllcu u lOnB Gllno ago,
but now it seems like yesterday.
Perhaps If l had not felt so terribly
lonely for time aftor that my whole life
would have been different. Who can tell?
Such little things mako such great diff
ference sometimes, and it was really IL kind
sentence, spoken with perfect tact, that
first set mo thinking of tho only woman
ever loved. You sec, had no ono in tho
world to care for, and just those fcw words
came like dow from heaven. She only
meant to DO friendly and courteous to Il
man sho hardly knew, for had only met
her onco or twice before but to mo tho
kindness was something almost beyond
belief
"Howovcr it was, it Ill came about in
time. Wo woro in tho same company that
season, and naturally saw II great deal of
each other. l WIS attracted To her, as /
said, and sho liked me, as was perhaps TO
DO expected. l hadn't this scar across my
face thon, and was rcckoncd good look
ing young fellow. Thon was doing VOL
in tho profession, and WAS in II position to
do little favors for her from time to time,
which she appreciated, for shc was only
playing small parts, and not doing worry
we'll with them either, so sho was no ia
voritc with tho manager.
"And tho more saw of her tho moro
thought of hor, until before realized the
situation was In love. And it was not
any trivial matter either as / found out
quickly enough when 1 tried to got tho
best Of 1t, for found loved her SO that
could not 1.-Two without her-nt least
Thought then that could not. found out
aftcrward that could.
1t was an indcscribablc shock TO mo
when l learned the truth about my own
feelings, for at tho Same timo TINT know
| loved her also recognized the fact that
l could not trust her. 1t was not that sho
was really wicked, but sho Ind never had
any good groundwork of principle. and
the life of tho thcatcr Ind dono her no
good. People talk u deal about tho inn
morality OF the stngo, and much that they
say is foolish and wrong, but actors live in
al atmosphere that is so artificial that
they losc sight Of the importance of much
that is good. Then. too, some of them
seem to think thoy can 10 good and bad at
different times, just as they play parts on
the stage.
lit seems curious perhaps that young
man Brought up rs | WAS should linve
looked mt matters just MS l did, but aside
from the homo influence there was another
thing that governed mo. loved Ada SO
much-I'li cnll her Ada, since you mover
can know her real namo-that could not
think Of hor lightly. Sho would have to
bo all or nothing to mo, and l was actual
ly afraid to mako her my wife. 1t isn't
easy to describe tho condition OF mind
was in. When try to realize it myself,
L got confused.
II can't even thinl: how it would have
ended If tho end had not been brought
about by u curious accident. While l was
still struggling with myself, unable to de-
eide ono way or tho other and almost worn
out with the violence of my own emotions,
fearing to go near Ada and yet utterly
unable to keep away from her. went ono
night after tho play to club that he