The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-03
THE VILLAIN nv THE PLAY.
A Tbrunrg Episode EndinR :. Death ON
the stage.

years ago there was not a handsomer stago
lover before the public than | was. and l
was always in demand and received the high
est salary. for 1 was popular with audiences.
and my appearance in a cast meant good busi.
ness at the box Office.
I was 25 years old. and for i've years l had
been steadily coming to the front In my pro.
fession. until at tho time OF which l write l
was leading man in the foremost company Of
that dramatic season. Naturally, such a con-
dition of affairs would have It's effect upon
my spirits, and I am sure | never acted as we'll
as I did that season.
Then there was something else In bring ont
the best there was in me. The leading lady
Of tho company was q young girl OF nineteen.
who had como from private life to the stage
at a bound. and in ler second season she had
taken her place by my side In the best company
OF the year. while I had boon working my way
to my plnce for ten years, because | had be-
gun as a call boy.
This girl. Katherine Dere her stage name
was. was not only a really promising actress,
but she was II most beautiful woman besides.
and her beauty was not merely of face and
figure. but of soul. I felt this tho first time l
ever met her. which was several months be-
fore she Joined the company OF which / was a
member; but q man is sometimes influenced
by sentiment in such matters. and his judG-
ment may he faulty. In this instance my
Judgment was correct. for she had not been In
our company a month until every other woman
in the company-Rnd there were four OF
them. all ambitious and good actresses-were
her sworn friends, and were as deeply inter-
ested in her success as her own mother could
have been. Indeed, they wero more so, for
her mother did not want her TO be successful,
hoping TINT II she failed she would leave the
stage. To those who know anything OF tho
jealousles OF the stage, no Letter argument In
favor Of Katherine Derc's attractive qualities
could be adduced than this Of her popularity
with her associates.
As for myself. she had not been in our com.
pany a month until I was desperately In love
with her. There are some persons connected
with the stage as critics or players or managers
who will assert that the actor who Is a real
lover cannot play the lover 80 we'll as II he were
merely playing the part, and with some actors
possibly this may be true; but in my case 1t
was quite different, because critics. managers,
and friends told me I had never played as ]
played to Katherine Dere.
Nor was my love OF the hopeless kind. I
was OF respectable pnrentnge and good social
position. and paid my court to Miss Dere as any
gentleman would have done. Whether that
made any difference or rot. / cannot say, for
when a woman loves, she loves despite all cir
cumstances and conditions: but tho fact re,
mains that Katherine Dere accepted the heart
| gave her. and her own came back to me to
take the place of mine.
Then. indeed. were we happy, and we played
as we never had played before. All tho world
loves n lover, they say. and OF course IT must
double its love when there, are two lovers. and
| actually believe our audiences loved us be.
cause we were in love. 1t seemed so to both or
us. for we were greeted night after night with
applause which the mere art OF the actor calls
forth. Our story had been told In the news
ment there was in 1t. for we were actor and
actress enough to know the value OF advert.s,
most.n sacrilegs when we really loved each other
81. but sEe, made the sacrifice to art. and. as l
Say. played as she had never PLAYED before.
But II was not all sunshine, this new life OF
ours. In the same company. as is in every
there was one man who did the villain. And
stage. but off OF it: and this fellow had fallen
in love with Katherine nj the very beginning
OF her engage ment, with our company;
At first | thought she encouraged him. for
lainous until the love he pcoffered katherine
was refused. l think he ,3ust haze loved her
found that she would. not care for him he be-
gan to hate her. aud whenever he could in
juF %n her h in any . wny he sI hia p2t hSs aIMey to do ans s1i
fancy his rejection would never have been
known by the other mombers OF the company
II he had not told it himself. for Katherine
never mentioned II.
When 1t was understood that Katherine and
I were to be married the mans whole nature
charged. or al that was bad In HIM appeared
TO assert itself. and there were times when
thought NJ was i"s'mE rlS m1n IT, ne w w1u, 10
our hotel after the performance he would
follow along in the shadows on the other side
OF the street, until after Il while Katherine he
came quite nervous. and | had II talk with the
manager Of the company, about II. What the
open annoyance of US ce1scd. and only, at rare
intervals would We catch n scowl or n threaten
Ing shake of the head from him.
was quite satisfied in my own mind by this
time that the man was not crazy. and that it
was merely ica.ous PnGer which was the cause
IF his actions. but the manager TOLD me 1t would
lie n well to lie on my guard. | had requested
that he he Retained n The c9mpany: for
M. sure neither katherine nor myself wished
him ANYTHING except good.
\ month before we were to he married a new
play wa Int on. and in IL Katherine had the
part OF IL faithlcss wife, the villain was the he
trayer, and ! WAS the wronged husband; The
in these later DAYS. teach lessons of morality
from the stage 10y curious complications of m
cuirnte the doctrine tia, the woman Vas the
real offender in such cases. and that 1t ~Hs she
who deserved renth: not tie man. That was
for we had rehrar-ed /; many times and knew
that We hal found a prize in the very uncer.
tain lottery of dramatic successes. Ii It had not
been so. am sure neither Katherine nor myself
would. have acccl ted tho characters we did.
How clearly, too. 1t showed in the characters OF
husband. wife. and hctrnyrr, the peculiar com
plicniinns OF stage representation as c0ntrasted
with the actual facts.
In lie great scene where l was 70 shoot my
vito, was. TO come IN unexpectedly and sur
prise tho villain and her in my library. stand
ing near an open window with their arms
about each other. ON my Appearance. the
| villain was TO whlrl about, facing me. and tho
woman was to bc thrown 10 one side. and at
that mor,ent | WAS to shoot her and then de-
nounco the Villain, but do him no personal
injury. | was also to deliver u brief address
on tho dutv of wives and the punishment they
deserved when un!aithful
II was the first night of the play and such n
house as we had had never been known In that
city,. Long before, N" curtain went NJ the
~. r. o." sign hnd been put ont and hundreds
were turne1 away. The audienc" that filled
tho house from nj Ia. gallery was the M, st
elegant and h~cpItitul had ever seen. aud |
felt, % | looked through the ucephole and took
IL all In. as II some strange intnXtgant hud got
into my blood. All Of us were excited: even
the villain seemed to forget his bitterness, nnd
actually laughed and clatted with Katherine
and me as Il we lad always been on tho best
of terms.
Al the close Of the nr-t act the success Of
the plpy was established, and when the curtain
went down the house went wild and the entire
company. was CPlled out. ard called out, again
and again. Then the author was called for
and made a speech, hut the audience was not
l -at.a- I'D an. a,p l~l r.. -