Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-09-24
A DRAMATIC POINT.

then open. They belonged to a French
Dramatic company that would gladly have
eft Chill if it could; but being compelled
by stress of war to remain, the company
Bid the next best thing, and gave perform
hnces at the principal theatre on such
Rights as paying audience came
A stranger would hardly have suspected,
BY the looks of the street, that deadly
war was going on, and that the rebels so
ealed-were almost at the city gates. AL |
Slough business was ruined credit dead, |
Ind no mans life or liberty safe, the streets |
kere filled with a crowd that seemed bent |
BIZ enjoyment and making the best of |
thngs.
AS Jacques Dupr6 and Carlos Lemoine
walked together they were talking earnest
not of the real war 80 close to their
Loors, but of the mimic conflicts of the
ftage. NJ. Dupr6 was the leading man of
Die company, and he listened with the
Unused tolerance of an elder man to the
Energetic vehemence of the younger.
You are all wrong, Dupr6," cried Lee
spone, "all wrong | have studied the
subject. Remember 1 am saying nothing
against your acting in general. You know
lou have no greater admirer than | am,
md that is something to say when you
know that the members of a dramatic COM
phny are usually at loggerheads through
jealousy"
Speak for yourself, Lemoine You
NOV l am green with jealousy of you.
You are the rising star, and | am setting.
Y You can't teach an old dog new tricks,
etarl, my boy"
''Thats nonsense, Dupr6 1 wish you
would consider this seriously. 1t is be-
cause you are so good on the stage that
can't bear to see you false to your art just
toplease the gallery. You should be above
al that"
How can a man be above his gallery
the highest spot in the house! Talk sense,
Carlos, and I'll listen"
''Yes, you're flippant simply because you
nov you're wrong, and dare not argue
this question soberly. Now she stabs you
through the heart"
No. False premises entirely. She says
something about my wicked heart, and evil
dently intends to pierce that depraved or
gan; but a woman never hits what she
aims at, and l deny that Pm ever stabbed
through the heart. Say in the region or
neighborhood of the heart, and go on with
your talk"
Very we'll She stabs you in a spot so
vital that you die in few minutes. You
Throw up your hands, you stagger against
the mante-shelf, you tear open your collar
and then grope at nothing; you press your
hands on your wound and take two Keeling
steps forward you call feebly for help and
stumble against the sofa which you fall up
on, and finally, still cropping wildly, you
roll off on the floor, where you kick out
once or twice; your clinched hand comes
down with thud on the boards, and all is
over"
'.Adnirably described Carlos. 1 wish
my audience paid such attention to my eff
forts as you do. Now, you claim this is all
wrong, do youF
s'All wrong"
''Suppose she stabbed you, what would
you do!'
u would plunge forward on my face
dead"
"Great heavensl What would become
Of your curtain?"
"Oh, bother the curtain"
tits all very well for you to condemn
IA the curtain Carl but you must work up tc
Y Nit. Your curtain would come down, and
kylgour friends in the gallery would not know
What had happened Now, l go through
the evolutions you so graphically describe
Z. and the audience gets time to take in thu
situation. They say, chuckling to them
selves, That villains got his dose at last
and serves him right, 100 They want t.
enjoy his struggles, while she stands grim
" at the door taking care that he doesn'
get away. Then when my fist comes dow
flop on the stage, and they realize that
am indeed done for, the yell of triumph
that goes up is something delicious to hear.
s'That's just the point Dupre, | cair
the actor has no right to hear applause
that he should not know there is such
thing as an audience. His business is
portray life exactly as it is. E"
''You can't portray life in death scene
Carl"
44TN 7 n
n rather | would did | not know that you al
III much deeper than you would have us SUI
VI pose You apparently won't see that al
very much in earnest about this.
''Of course you are, my boy, and that
one reason why you will become yer
great actor l was ambitious myself once
but as we grow older"-Dupr6 shrugge
his shoulders-"well, we begin to have a
eye on the box-office receipts think yo
sometimes forget that l am a good deal OLE
or than you are"
''You mean that am fool and that
NAV learn wisdom with age. | quite al
nit that you are better actor than l an
10 fact, l said so only a moment ag
but"
'You wrong me, Brutus; | said an old
soldier, not better. But will take "
on your own grounds Have you ever SEE
- 4 man stabbed or shot through the heart
81 never have, but ! know mighty WI
be wouldn't undo his necktie afterw ards
Dupr6 threw back his head and laughe
'Who is fippant now" he aske
ID don't undo my necktie; | merely tie
off my collar, which dying man mi
snrely be permitted to do. But until y
have seen a man die from such a stab
Ireceive every night, l don't understal
bow you can justly find fault with my re
diton of the tragedy. l imagine, y
know, that the truth lies between the t.
Extremes The man done to death won
likely not make such a fuss as l mah
Dor would he depart so quickly as you S
be would, without giving the gallery go
show for their money. But here we
At the theatre, Carlos, and this acrlmo
bus debate is closed-until we take G
hext walk together"
In front of the theatre soldiers were
1uty, marching up and down with musk
pn their shoulders, to show that the st'
Vas mighty and could take care of a tn
ire as well as conduct war. There W.
nany loungers about, which might ha
Indicated to a person who did not kno
that there would be good house when
play begun. The two actors met the mi
eger in the throng near the door.
How are the prospects to-nightf" ash
Dupr6