The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-07-15
III.

The manager regretted that Nine. La
ollie had been taken i'll. He was angry,
too, for Nine Lncile's name on the bill
had more Than half filed the house and
now her place was to be taken bys little
pale faced girl. who looked hopslessly
plain and unattractive.
Underwood The very name was com
monplsce The sudienec sighed impa
tisntly and leaned wsariy back against
their cusbione seats They looked more
weary than ever when Nellie stepped up
on the stage, She was clothed in white
"A plain, old fashioned gown. years old
and without a single flower and they TIT
tered sudibly behind their fans.
The scoompsnist sat down and ratified
of the opening bars OF famous old song
1t was cry OF woman for . lover she
would never see again and il was 90 old
people thought it was worn out.
The accompsnist played on; the notes
bee ims slower and finally ceased and then
he waited
Apparently Nellie had not heard The
N usIc bsd fallen from her hands and she
was staring out with Awhile set face at the
crowded ball before her.
Stage fright poor thing people mur
mured.
Some of them stared at her coldly,
some OF them pnt up their opera glasses
to look at her, bat they could not see
what she ssw-s man lying tossing, per
hsps dying, on a bed, they could not feel
V vhst she felt ths, terrible aching At her
heart and that choking st her throat,
Suddenly the mist clsarei from her
eyes and she saw with a start the waiting
audience before her and the glasses lev
eed at her face and she turned to the &C
compsust. He understood her glance
and commsnced sgsin.
Then she raised her eyes and stared
strsight towards the gallery. When she
opened her lips her voice rang out clear
aud full across the crowded hall. 1t
never fstefed, the notes fell from her lips
hqui1, wonderful snd the audience sud
denly became still, They ceased to stare
At her; opera glasses fell lit was strange
that they had become dim and in that
great hail there Was scarcely sound to
be heard,
The song went on. What WAS there IN
that old fashioned air TO hold them spell
tsund1 A giris fresh voice calling to
her absent lover. They had never heard
ltsuug like that before,
The eyes Of the beautiful woman lie
came moist; strong men lespsd iorssrd to
hide their faces. They scarcely realized
/. when The music stopped; then they
looked up, 10 ses bsr dissPpe,fiDg from
toe stage and for brief momsn, there
xss = dead silence.
Then ths storm began. Artihoisl vom
90 forgot their sriiac.lity; ~esried men
woke to lie assiu aud shouted wildly At
the empty platform.
Nellie heard il family At the back, bn,
her only tbousht was to get swsy TO
Ralph, add while sbs was speeding hcms
Wsrds 10 a cab. a msn Va. msting proiuse
apologies 10 tbe suiieuse. lie vas sorry
Mp. Underwood could uot siog sgsin that
night, but be hoped and believed they
would bear bsr .gsi1 very soon.
When Nellie so, home be room zee med !
to be very dsrE s1s ssw distinctly tso
agares which ssms towsrd her vhsu .he
entered and tben she beard tsilt voice
-RrlpL's voice .-spesklag to ker from
the bed. ...
She beard neither the doctors sdnoui
,ious nor the doctors eutt.stiss. She
snel, a, her husbands aide aud tobbed