The Florence daily tribune., 1899-02-27
CYRAN0 COURTSHIP.

ne tbiloNluE Story - hastu On tue
celebrated play, "Cyrano de Bergerhc.
in which Mr. Richard Mansfield the
actor, has been recently creating a sen
sat:un in New York In the play Cy-
rano. man Of brilliant intellect. but
handicapped by an enormous nose. wooes
his cousin RoNanc, through handsome
focl, keeping himself ont of her sight
Phyllis began TO laugh Just as soon
as Cyrano made his appearance This
conduct on her part was as distinctly
diSaI pointing as though | hadn t fully
expected her To act in such manner.
To tell the truth, really didn't want
to take Phyllis 20 see "Cyrano' at all,
hecause-wcll you see. We a pretty
hig nose myself IL isn'ta Cyrano mem
Der 10y any means, of course hut even
as child the women who didn't like
my mother used 20 pity me openly on
account Of it, and my college friends
still rlldde To my unfortunate proboscis
as a regular wind splitter " So, as |
said. ! wasn't at all anxious to see
"Cy ano' in Phyllis company, and if
/ haGn't feared her suspecting the rea-
son Of my uuwillingness in this regard
l shonl never have done So As it was
il really hart me little when her dim
Piles heyan to come and 20 at sight of
Mansfield colossal nasal organ. | said
nothing, however and it was not until
the end OF ire poets bakery" act that
| received my first cruel blow.
- think Mansfield is perfectly sub
lime, don't your gushed a pretty girl
Of Phyllis acquaintance who sat in
front of us, Il was with difficulty that
Phyllis restrained the dimples from
open iusun ction ms she replied.
"Wcll, they say il is only little
step from the sublime to the ridicu-
Ions, she remarked with dancing eN es
"and us | never in all my life saw any
thing half so ridiculous ms that nose |
suppose its wcarer is at least approach
ing sublimiy.
"Phyllis, said | when the music
had given me half chance to speak
without the girl in front hearing all
said, "don you think it possible for
the owner of big nose TO be anything
but ri0iCulCusT'
PLY His cast mischievous glance AT
ue over her shoulder and before max
ing answer buried her face in the big
bunch of vioets | had given her
IAN things are possible, she then
rather cruelty said ''hut l should think
it would crather difficult for the owner
of a lig nose to he anything else.
The kiss scene was beginning now,
SO I had long act in which to recover
80 much of my equanimity as / might,
When Roynne had delivered her pas
sionate cxhortation to Cyrano to protect
her lover from all the danger which
might threaten him at Arras, begin
ming with sword wounds and ending
with cold, and when she begged her
cousin to see that the wordless object
Of her devotion wrote to her frequently,
Phyllis turned to me as the curtain fell,
and | could see there were tears in her
eyes She acted as though she would
have said something, but did not. For
once | was wise enough to hold my
tongue and TO leave all chance of assist
anco FOR my cause to fate or providence
and the girl in front Of us. This girl
had been crying openly. and her eyes
We're all red and moist still as she
face Phyllis
''Oh, Phyllis! Isn't it pity such
perfectly grand character should have
such an awful nosol" she exclaimed
weepingly Phyllis regarded her with
an air Of chilly contempt.
"What under the ever blessed canopy
does the kind of nose he has mattery''
she inquired loftily. with character
like Cyrano features don't matter in
the least. Who with. any soul at all
would dream of considering or even
remembering his nose
The girl in front of us was properly
squelehed and | was unwisely elated.
"Wbn indccdy' | murmured ac-
quiescently. Phyllis stiffened immedi-
ately.
II wasn't talking TO you, thank
you. she remarked in tone softly
suggestive of icebergs and the Klondike
and so On. | was so crushed by and in
dilnant at her manner and speech that
l didu' even come to her rescue when
she lost her handkerchief during the
course of the fourth act and was in dire
distress for another wherewith to wipe
away the tears consequent upon RoN-
ane 3 sorrow over her lovers death and
Cyrano's wounding And she in turn
was strangely silent when we rose at
the conclusion of the last act and made
our way toward the street.
The crowd was great and we We're
obliged to stand few moments in the
foyer. Phyllis turned to me suddenly
with an apologetic touch upon my arm.
II didn't mean what said about
about big noses, she said softly. and
picking shyly at my coat sleeve as she
spoke-"thst is-not about all big
noses Cyrsno' recovering herself
somewhat MS the onward movement of
the crowd recalled her to conventional
I'D tlaa ..L...lln..t;.., -.