The times., 1898-07-31
STAGE STORIES.
4 Raise in Hands.

The theater was closed for the even
ing. All Of the merry crowd that had
laughed and marveled in turn al the
vaudeville features Of the performance
just given had gone either TO their homes
or to some other place of amusement. In
front the four arc lights that fanked the
carriage entrance had been extinguished.
and tardy watchman was going his
rounds with a lantern to see that every
thing was safe for the night.
Despite the lateness of the hour nearly
all OF the players still sat around in the
green room in various degrees of make
up. The season had just begun and each
felt that he wanted to make the acquaint-
o. anee OF his neighbor. Even the married
couple who opened the show with
sketch, had only known each other for
few weeks and had not been together
much as yet. The man had seen his fu-
ture wife working singly in a music hall
and discerning her talent had suggested
that they double up for a while. AS a
tour without a chaperon would have
been grossly improper they had been
legally welded and seemed rather to en-
Joy It
Besides these two the little apartment
held nearly every member of the COM
pany There was George Bond, the
strong man: Stundsld, a little foreigner
whose specially was lypnodsm and luna
cy; La Cigale. a dancer whose antics
were declared graceful by some and dis
graceful by others; Lew Richmond, a
monologuist and several others. As is
common on such occasions and in such
society, each had done his best to i'm
press the rest with his own greatness,
bringing in practical object lessons here
or there. Only the mesmerist and the
strong man, being artists, felt bit above
the average boaster and contented them
selves with conyersing upon their pro-
feSsions in the abstract Bond had twice
explained how the muscles were best
trained by very gradual increase of ex-
ercise and Stundiski had started at three
separate pauses TO describe how he had
proven that a man who was hypnotized
could have Impressions forced upon him
that would remain after he had return
ed to his normal condition.
Being a nervous and rather sensitive
parsonage, the Russian would probably
never have gotten any further in his
recital had not a certain acrobat in the
assembly ventured to argue with him
on phe possibility of such a case. The
attention of the crowd was soon claimed
by the athletes loud statements, and by
the quiet replies of his antagonist. Mes
mer' said tue hypnotist, rather sarcasd-
cally, relates in one of his volumes the
instance of a man who was helped into
.lumber. and who while asleep was told
that on the day following at / O'Clock
precisely he would see upon blank card
his photograph. Fully in possession of
his senses, that subject was shown bit
OF paper at the time appointed, and eX-
pressed sincerely the utmost astonish-
ment at the perfect likeness before him.
OF course, you do not doubt Mesmer?"
But that was exactly what the acrobat
did Il should rather hear of such things
from people who had seen them" he an
swered.
-Stundsh paused a moment and thel
lighting a fresh cigarette began in ner
vous. eNcitable way TO prove his point b,
q narrative when l first came to thi
country" he said Il was much inter
ested in a remarkably intelligent fellow
named Elkins. ! had met him on th'
boat and had amused both himself ant
his wife by certain exhibitions of my art
She was a foolish little woman whosi
mind seemed, like a weathercock Il
change with the wind but he was de
v0tedly fond Of her and showed il in al
undemonstrative way that touched m,
more than 1 would have cared to admi
to either
"Elkins himself was a strange creation
1.-the and cleanly built, with a large heaf
end fine gray eyes he might have at
tracted the admiration and love Of any
woman. Stray sentences of ilis and briel