The age-herald., 1898-05-22
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attTHE INCOMPETENT SNyDER)E
By FRANK SUMMERS.
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was the baritone and treasurer of the con- eern who spoke. Half the receipts are spent on costumes already"
 Well, if the thing is going to be fail- ure, don't want to conduct That's all,' said Wright. My professional reputation is at stake"
 "If you don't conduct, MT. Wright" Belle put in, "the thing must be a failure. You don't expect Mr. Snyder to take your place, do you?"
 That turned 1t. The opera would go on. Wright would even risk his professional reputation at nod from Belle Bishop. Besides, he was piqued by that suggestion of Snyder taking his place at the head of his laboriously gathered and trained semi amateur orchestra.
 But Snyder went about his business of stage managing with only half will. He was wondering what Belle meant by laugh ing as she had, and why she had forgotten or pretended to forget, her promise. LucSi- ly, there was only one more act, and dur ing that all the stage manager had very little to do that he could not call the boy to do for him. His second crisis would only come when it should be time to let fall the curtain on the grand finale. So he sat or lounged in the wings and watched the prima donna.
 Now she was on for a great duet with the baritone-and treasurer. She had never looked more lovely to Snyder than she did when she faced the house, holding the bari tones right hand in her left. The notes seemed to pour like liquid love from her throat as she turned her head aside in mimic bashfulness from the entreaties Of her stage lover.
 Wright was of the same opinion. as he swung his baton in an ecstacy Of delight. Wright was thinking how she would thank him. when the performance was over, for the noble part he had taken in the work And then
 Now it was the baritone's turn, alone Belle, during her wait, looked aside into the wings, where the stage manager was standing. Her eyes wandered, and in their wanderings they met Snyder's. Quickly she turned them away again. for Tear or becoming distracted and missing her cue at the end of the baritones part. NOW it was time for her to snatch her hand away and move with sudden and quick repugnance from the over bold baritone. As she went through this p'ece of panto- mime 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 foot lights earlier in the evening. Then, finish ing her indignant repartee on the highest note of. her register she-somehow, per haps by accident held the roses up to her face, as if enjoying their perfume. The au- dience thought it an effective and particu- larly graceful bit of by-p'ay.
 But the next moment, the baritone and treasurer was beginning his last inn passoned appeal, crash was heard. Still the baritone held on. But his singing WIS suddenly disturbed by loud whispers from the back of the stage, and before he had brought his great duet to it's proper climax there was a swish of sized canvas, a bump, and the curtain was down.
 Up jumped Raymond Wright. Deserting his score and his musicians he dived once more through the dark subterranean por- tai, but only to be met, this time, by a rush of mingled male and female singers. In the darkness he could not tell who it was that, without ceremony, thrust him 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 Snyder's- rose boldly from the stage over him.
 Ladies and gentlemen, there is no cause for alarm or hurry. A gas standard having been accidentally overturned has ignited some loose canvas at the back of the stage. The curtain has been lowered to cut off the draft from the front of the house."
 But the audience would not be reassured. The cause, it was tone, did not seem to justify rush, for neither flame nor smoke could be discerned from the front. Still, the audience preferred to make its way out in time. Stragglers from the chorus added to what was, at first, only
 
 ing hurriedy through the aisles, still wear ing costumes and makeup. After them came the baritone and treasurer, fearful of having to pay for missing hired cos- tunes.
 "You fellows there, come back and take off those things before you run away" was shouted by the very voice that, only moment before, had been doing artistic wonders in the great duet with Belle Bishop.
 There was laugh, pause in the retreat and some of those who had begun to move suddenly realized that they were display ing, to say the least, very little dignity. The fleeing chorus-men began to slink back through the stage box. Snyder, after brief disappearance, once more stood be- fore the footlights and spoke.
 'Ladies and gentlemen, am happy to say that the very small confagration has been extinguished, the chorus has been carroed. and the opera. will go on where it left off,"
 Once again the curtain rose, showing the baritone and the prima donna, ready to repeat their haf-fnished duet. There was little tittering among the audience when they recognized the man who had just been among them "carolling the cho- rus,' and the baritone himself having some difficulty in assuming a succinct grave demeanor, made one false start much to the discomfiture of the orchestra and their leader. After that the duet went 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 eagerly watching for 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 Snyder was happy.
 The curtain fell at the end of that act just when 1t 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 bari- tone came before the curtain, leading-or rather, 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 at the right time" Here there was loud tittering, both on and off the stage sssayed us from what might have been a