The age-herald., 1898-05-22

The first act of the opera had gone splendidIy. The hundreds of friends and relations of the performers who sat in front flor the production was what Is commonly called society affalr-were jubilant and indefatigable in their hand-clapping. Now the grand chorus that should end the act had begun, with swinging. carrying rhythm which everybody had been humming and whistling for weeks past. That chorus was rushing on grandly-an the voices blending without a faw-rushing on to the final bar that should bring the curtain down with overwhelming dramatic effect.
 The final chord came, a thousand pairs of hands in the audience were ready for the outburst of applause. The mouths of the performers shut on the last note-as at rehearsal-but the curtain did not drop.
 Every eye on the stage, from the prima donna's to that of the most nervous school girl at the back of the group turned by an unguarded instinct to the prompt s.de, where the stage manager held the curtain cord. But still the curtain held off.
 The conductor beat the closing measures in distracted perfunctory manner, while the instruments ran on from accompani- ment to symphony for the conductor, too, had his eyes fixed. on the prompt side. The audience felt chill creep over it's hot enthusiasm. telling effect had been kill ed.
 Not until the last note had been played by the orchestra did the curtain fall, and the heavy bump of the roller as it struck the boards, sounded like a wooden groan of despair.
 Then Raymond Wright-that was the conductors name-rushed away from hts desk and disappeared, like one taking tumble, through the gaping hole that open- ed from the orchestra to the mysterious regions under the stage. And when the somewhat mechanical applause died away, the audience heard strange murmurings of voices behind the scenes.
 Snyder, the amateur stage-manager and director of the occasion, vas undergoing the hardest trial of his life. Pale, with beads of cold perspiraion on his foreh. ad, with his back against canvas yew tree, he was receiving the combined onslaught of the entire troupe, led by Wright.
 You have ruined the whole opera, Wright was repea ating- again and again with frantic emphasis.
 "It's no use going on with it now" said the first tenor languidy.
 Then both male and female choruses chorused Oh, tut, tut, tut! What made him do it?'
 'I didn't do it on purp pose," poor Snyder protested feebly.
 Belle Bishop the prima donna, stood watching the affair from the other side of the stage. She had been the angrfest of all at first for of aIl she was most keen ly interested in success. With Snyder. she had spent two months Tn hard work, drill ing untrained principals and recalcitrant chorus-singers. Next n importance had been the work of Wrisnt. mus teacher, musician and-devoted admirer of Miss Bishop Now she wore an expression on her elaborately male-lo stage face that plainly showed a growing sympathy with the object of the general indignation. The dayo ctr rod pon far They ought to know that Snyder could have had no reason to wish to spoil the success for which he had worked SO hard all these weeks. Besides, Belle Bishop suspected the real cause of the rnshap.
 Snyder turned away from the enrag,,a crowd, vouchsafing notice of Wright's fifteenth, "You have ruined the whole opera" Slowly the mob broke up into anx- ious groups to discuss the question, wheth CT the performance ought to- go on or not, after this terrible scenic catastrophe.
 Snyder threaded his way about on the prompt side, then behind a set piece of undulating park, and finally found, behind a canvas outcrop of gray limestone, the prima donna herself.
 .I didn't think you would join in it. ht said reproachfully. Tt was your fault.
 .How was it my fau't.' said Belle with finely simulated astonishmen-
 "I was looking for-eor what you promis- ed"
 In the imperfect llgnt aDouu tiltit pd'l of the stage and with So much makeup it was really impossible for Shy der to sec a blush on Belle's face, but he thought he saw It.
 'I forgot" she said How vas 1t to have been?"
 eff you smelled at the rose. it was Yes; and if you dropped it it was No You held it all the time
 'sWell I'm sorry said the prma donra, "But you know, MT. Snyder, this orera has been very trying business"
 "It has been a yery t-y'ng business for me-" said Snyder, woefuly.
 Belle looked up and laughed merrily. Snyder could not understand the meaning of that laugh He would have asked her. but. just at that moment, Wright came up and excitedy demanded, Are you going on?"
 'sWell guess we must go on or give back the people their money.' said Snyder very cooly.
 Can't" came from figure in velvet feshlings behind the excited Wright. It