The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-01-10
mislcllanenus.
WAS HE A HERO?
By DAVID A. CURTIS.

Copyright, 1855, by American Press Associa-
toni
"He hasn't many days to live 3" said tho
hospital surgeon In a matter Of fact way,
and yot not unkindly, when l happened
across my old friend Halscy in ward 0.
Docs 1t seem hard to you?" he asked,
still smiling. Il had two years of such
happiness onco that it has made all tho
rest of my life bright"
pressed his hand. "But,' said, sit
seems hard to die in public hospital"
Not to me- he replied. 1T WAS in
It's very hospital that found my happi
Mess"
Then there was long silence. Pres
utly ho smiled again and said: IN tell
, ou the story. There isn't much to it, l
suppose, but it seems to tell something
about what love can do for man, and for
q woman, toe, when it is honest and pure"
Then he told it. Not easily or smooth
Is, for he was very weak but with long
pauscs, during which that happy smile
would so light up lis face that I, begin
ming to see what it meant, felt glad that
lac had found mo worthy of being called
his friend.
L was an actor once" he said, ''and
was, in my day, IA favorito In tho cheaper
sort Of thcatcrs. You see l belonged TO
tho Same sort of people that sat in front,
and had enjoyed seeing the same parts
on the stage that l was playing so put
me- whole heart into them. I had been
newsbuy and had many "a time gone with
out my supper to go to the theator, and
knew how to play to the newsboys. And
then was ambitious and Used to study
hard, for thought, as all young ACTORS
IL, tI,,t ~ I'm Cts and bn
famous In fact, my head was full of al
most all the nonsense thnt most young
peoples hoads hold, If 1t is nonsense. l
don't know whether 1t is or not.
"Onc thing, though, didn't trouble me,
rs 1t did good many of tho men in the
profession. My good old mother was
alive, and l lived with her, aud it made
me so happy to make Il good home for her
after she had known sore trouble that l
Kept clear Of all such alliances as lead
men to destruction. Twas thrown good
deal together with the women of the stage
behind the scenes, of course, but l cared
little about them. Some of them were
good, true women, too but mono of them
seemed to compare with what thought IL
woman ought to be VIXEN l was with
mother. So had very little to do with
them as long as l lived at home. But
mother was old, and large part of her
life had been very hard, and at the timo
was at the height of my prosperity she
died. That has seemed n long time ago,
but now 1t seems like yesterday.
Perhaps II l had not felt so terribly
lonely for time after that my whole life
would have been different. Who can tell?
Such little things make such u great diff
ference sometimes, and 1t was really kind
sentence, spoken with perfect tact, that
first set mo thinking Of the only woman
/ over loved You see, l had no one in the
world to care for, and just those few words
came like dew from heaven She only
meant to be friendly and courteous to
man sho hardly knew, for had only met
her once or twice before but to me the
kindness was something almost beyond
belief
However it was it all came about in
time. We were in the Same company that
season, and naturally s:tw great deal of
each other was attracted to her, as l
said and she liked me as was perhaps to
be expected. l hadn't this scar across my
face then, and was reckoned n coed look
ing yeung fellow. Then l was doing well
IN the profession, and was in position to
do little favors for her from time to timo,
way
playing small parts, and not doing very
we'll with them either, SO she was no IA
vorito with the manager.
And tho more l sGw Of her the moro l
thought of her, until before l realized tho
situation / was in love. And it was not
any trivial matter either, as l found out
quickly enough when 1 tried to get the
best of it. for found loved her so that l
could not live without hor-at least l
thought then that could not. found out
afterward that l could.
1T was an indescribablo shock to me
when l learned the truth about my own
feelings, for at the same timo that | know
[ loved her also recognized the fact that
l could not trust her. 1t was not that she
WAS really wicked, but she had never had
any good groundwork of principle and
the life of the thcatcr had done her no
good. People talk u deal about the I'M
morality eff the stage, and much that they
say is foolish and wrong, but actors live in
an atmosphere that is so artificial that
they lose sight Of the importance OF much
that is good. Then, too, some of them
seem to think they can 10 good and bad at
different times, just us they play parts on
the stage.
1t seems curious perhaps that young
man brought up us l WAS should have
looked at matters just as | did, but aside
from the home influence thoro was another
thing that governed mo. loved Ada so
much-I'Il call her Ada, since you never
can know her real name-that l could not
think of hor lightly. She would have to
be all or nothing to mo, and was actual
" afraid to mako her my wife. 1t isn't
easy to describe the condition of mind |
was in. When l try to realize it myself,
l get confused.
II can't even think how it would have
ended if tho cud lad not been brought
about by IL curious accident. While | was
still struggling with myself unable To de-
cidc one 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 i;oop away from her went ono
night after the play to a club that l DO
lonSod to.
1t was a Bohemian sort of club, whore
there was great latitude allowed in the in
PRODUCTION of friends rs guests of the club,
SO l was not surprised to find a group of
men in the smoking room who were
strangers to me- Neither did l notice at