The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-08

was time for her to snatch her hand away,
and move with sudden and quick repug-
nance from the over-bold baritone AS she
went through this piece of pantomime and
caught her note with splendid accuracy,
just at the precise beat she tore from her
corsage some OF the roses that had been
handed up TO her over the footlights earlier
in the evening. Then, finishing her indig-
nant repartee on the highest note of her
register, she-somehow, perhaps by oci-
dent held the roses up to her face, as il
enjoying their perfume The audience
thought it an effective and particularly
graceful bit of by-play
BUT the next moment, as the baritone
and treasurer was beginning his last i'm
passioned appeal, a crash was heard. sim
the baritone held on. But his singing was
suddenly marred by loud whispers from
the back of the stage, and before he had
Drought his great duet to its proper climax
there was swish of sized canvas a BUMP
and the curtain was down.
Up jumped Raymond Wright. Desert
ing his score and his musicians. he diyed
once more through the dark subterranean
portal, but only to be met, this time by
rush Of mingled male and female sing
ers. In the darkness . he could not ten
who 1t was that, without ceremony. thrust
MIN backward and trampled over him, but.
IN another moment he was lying on his
back between the cello and the bass violin
While voice-it was the incompetent
snyders-ro boldly from the stage over
him.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is no cause
LOT alarm or hurry. A gas standard. hav-
ing been accidentally overturned. has jg-
hlted some loose canvas at the back of
the stage. The curtain has been lowered
10 cut off the draft from the front of ,he
house"
But the audience would not be reassur-
ca. The cause, 1t was true, did not seem
TO JUSTIFY rush, for neither flame or
smoke could be discerned from the front.
sun, the audience preferred 10 make its
way out in time. Stragglers from the eho-
rus added to what was, at first. only a
very moderate degree of alarm by pushing
hurredly through the aisles, still wearing
costumes and makeup. After them came
me baritone and treasurer, fearful of hay
ing TO pay for missing hired costumes
You fellows there come back and talxe
Off those things before you run away. y
was shouted by the very voice that. only
moment before, had been doing artistic
wonders In the great duet with Belle Bish-
op.
There was a laugh, a pause in the re-
treat and some of those who had begun to
move suddenly realized that they Were
displaying, to say the least, very little dig
nifty. The fleeing chorus-men began to
SINK back through the stage box. Sow
der, after a brief disappearance, once
more stood before the footlights and spoke
Ladies and gentlemen, / am happy tc
say that the very small conhagration has
been eXtinguished, the chorus has been
corralled, and the opera viii go on where
it left off,
Once again the curtain rose, showing the
baritone and the prima donna, ready tc
repeat their half-fnished duet There was
little tittering among the audience when
they recognized the man who had lust
been among them ''corrallng the cho-
rus" and the baritone himself, having
some difficulty in assuming a sufficiently
grave demeanor, made one false start
much to the discontinue of the orch ascra
and their leader. After that the duet weni
on.
The audience were in hopes that Belle
Bishop would sing and act as she had sung
and acted before, and Snyder shared this
hope. He was again in the wings, Gag
erly watching for a repetition of the prima
donna's rose pantomime. She had lost the
bunch which she had at first plucked from
her corsage, but there were still other
roses where those came from.
And at the proper interlude she repeated
this business" only, this time she took
out all the roses that were left. Then Sny-
der was happy
The curtain fell at the end of that act
just when it should fall The applause was
long and loud. There were loud calls for
the prima donna, and when she had three
times appeared and bowed the baritone
came before the curtain, leading-or, rath-
er, dragging Snyder.
Ladies and gentlemen" said the bari
tone, '1et me present to you the man who
Snyder was violently struggling to
wrench his arm free-'the man who. by
his presence of mind in letting the curtain
fall al the right time" Here there was
loud tfttering, both on and off the stage
saved US from what might have been a
dangerous conflagrat ton"
This announcement was greeted with en-.
thusiastic applause and cheering. But the
bungling stage-manager had made his es-
cape.
But you did it twice, you know" The
| stage-manesger was saying to the Drima
| donna when the conductor came upon then
a few minutes later. standing near the
| canvas limestone.
THE second time was to make it look
| all right 10 the audience" said Belle.
Put you meant it the first timer"
Miss Bishop" said Wright lam I tc
| have the honor of escorting you homer"
Thank you, Mr.. Wright" was the an
swer. Mr.. Snyder has already promised tc
! take me-"
And that answer made Snyder so happy
| that he had the impotence to allude to his
bungle at the end of the first act, asking
| Wright if he didn't think the opera hao
| gone very we'll after all.
! But Wrights disgust was too deep for
words. He merely bowed and left these
! two together.
/
EDUCATION OF ANIMALS.