The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-09
ALAS! SHE DIED TOO LATE.
CAMILLE WRENCHES THE SOULS OF
MORE THAN HER AUDIENCE.

Nrthersoic would Recognize tho Saturday
Night ThIrrt TO sell Becr-T3ut Even when
She Died That Did Not End the show.
TWAS close upon midnight In Harlem. Around
the broad, brilliantly lighted entrance OF an i'm
posing building were grouped n dozen white
faced mon. with their watches in their hands.
Inside n woman lay dying. They were waiting
nnxiously, eagerly, almost fronziedly for hcr
last gasp. For many nights the woman had
been shutting of this mortal coil Just at that
hour, yet never before had the pallid, trembling
group surrounded the entrance. But this was
the last night, and the issue OF life and death
was fraught with import to Thorn.
For the Raines law closing comes at midnight
sharp on Saturday, and unless tho woman died
before then many a thirst would go unas-
suagcd and many q coin spend Sunday in a
pocket instead of a till. That meant ruin for tho
waiting mon. They were tho saloon.kcepors of
the vicinity. The place where they stood was the
lobby Of the Harlem Opera House. The dying
woman was Camille as interpreted by Olga
Nethersolc and n crowded audience was gasping
for air and pining away with thirst.
Hist !" whispered one of the men in the
lobby, his pop-eyes wrinkled up with apprehen.
sion. us 1t her voice that I hear"
"Yes-s-s |" Kissed n short. powerfully built fol.
low. whose face was cast for the villains part in
the molodrama. "Clrr-r.rse heri IT'S she
She still livos."
HAS she no heart = cried q third. did we
not scnd her O messenger bcseeching her to die
at IL 80. SO that all might drink after tho show Z
And here It is HAT"
Fools that we were to bescechi' exclaimed
the villain. Two should have threatened.
Then IL she needed not our warnings we should
have slain her."
"Hist!" said the pop-eyed man again. "Sh.h.
h-h. The door opens"
A man. dishevelled. wild.eyed and white.
faced, burst out OF the door.
What news. trusty messenger y cried half a
dozen of the waiting ones In q breath.
Evil nows." gasped the newcomer. "She 10
but on her fifteenth gulp and her twenty-niath
s~trangle. Would it were a~poplexy instead of
consumption"
Would 1t were a gun and I had It," growled
the villain. Hasn't she begun to perish =
she still has her voice with her." replied the
messenger. land she's earning her pay with 1t.
List! Even now you can hear her."
He spranE to the door and hold 1t ajar. Out
from the blackness within came q long and
powerful fit OF coughing. Then f1oated out the
soft yet penetrating cry of the dying woman to
Armand"
"oh. Sheol!" howled the group without. "sho
The messenger. with a groan. let the door
close; A tall, red-nosed man snatched out his
1T lacks but ten minutes of the time" he said
in the hushed but steady voice of one devoted to
a desperate enterprise. Il will give her five min
ntcs more; II She is not dead by that time"
"WhatT' whispered the others, crowding
will carry out my plan though I myself fall
Rash man, what would you do n demanded
the hGPisYeaT S Rhe is my plan. II a, five minutes
to u she has not died finally and definitely,
will rush in; announce myself, as the Coroner.
Too late! Too late!' shrieked the villain.
did you not think OF It earlierf'
Was is los init i'd T. cried the tall man. drop
ping into his native language in the excitement
-, Even now there would not be timcs retorted1
their thirsts. Then where would we come ini'
What answer sent Camille to our plea T.
asked The p.op-eyod man. "Fouchsafed she no
.Rsply enough" grrowled the villain; but
art is long. but life is brief. Iayin sandwiches
and go into the hotel business"
Eleven ffty-threc,' announced a solemn
Three of the men rushed desperately to the
session Of riches. stared pitiiessiy at them.
"She lives; she still livcs!' they gasped. IF
PITY stirs in your SOUL go back and ring down
Nit" !srsely responded the moneyed man of
Take $40 and close at 1856" besought the
NE repeated the plutocrat.
Fifty seyenty-fve: One hundred A hun
Nit. not. no !" rotorted the plutocrat.
Again the door opened. -,
voice from the stage. followed by u dreadful fit
OF coughing.
villain; "She's good for ten rounds yet If she
don't"
the messenger. He dartcd in. I'm report prog
ress," he called as the Coor shut after him.
Five minutes more" said the tall man.
What's that %rustling insidef'
That's. a draught rafting the parched
tcnEnsfs q the m 9a55l AGAINST the arid roofs
lain. gloom9ily. THE audience IL croak before
"EIeEep a%tty-six." said the tall man. standing
Dead silence relsncd in the lobby. There was
The ,hs ,n 1inRi ie q. bo tsi e{ + Sr6 oeii; rs and the voice 70 of
WHAT'S thatl Come out and have a drink,
Cant; the show aim out yet. Nope; wont be
out for quite q while. Likely be close to 1890
eyed man fell in a heap against the WALL
Eleven. hfty-seven. thirty announced the
A member OF the group broke down and
sobbed. Two others burst into profanc observa-
Eleven. dfty-eight.
What's the orders I" This query came from
three h,e ,R Rsf;s ah6r hprtep Ss rs who SInea had @d Just rushed
Nobody answered, for at that supreme mo-
ment, just as tho timekeeper had opened his
from inside plunged out through the door.
nail. Coughed herself ,onti Curtains goin'
down. Audience BLOWN It's nose and talkin'
A volley Of orders was fired by the waiting
group at the bartenders:
keep OPEN" W may get a few yet. y
Fill up every glass In the place with beer"
"Shake loose all the whiskey. bottles" Put
up a Nc mixed drinks sign" Get u wigglc
on YOU
In an instant all was excitement. The saloon
owners were about to rush forth from the place
when there sounded from within a great roar OF
applause.
dead" yelled the villain.
"She WAS" cried the messenger. Wait. III
sce."
He darted back in and Ave seconds later re-
turned staggering and wild-eycd.
They've givca her n curtain call. and daml
don't think shes going to make II speech
Midnight" said tho announcer. with tho
dull cracliie OF n great despair In his throat.