The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-29
A First Night Tragedy

| udlf, ana sent giint over large spaces
| OF her pale-green silk skirt, embroidered
! in gems, and only half hidden under a
/ long cloak
"Overtons wife, hoarsely whispered
| one newspaper seller to another, as he
/ stood shifting his feet in the mud
| The Devils wife" grinned his compon-
| ion. The lady heard and turned to look
| at him with horror in her eyes. She saw
! only a wizened face. dragged and distort-
I ed by hardships. wherein the sordid mer-
| riment gave place TO a hungry gaze which
! seemed to devour every feature OF her
! pale, elusive beauty. She shuddered, as
at an evil omen. Why did these common
! men speak Of her husband as the
| devil?"
The warm. tense atmosphere Of the the
! atre began TO drive away disquiting
thoughts and Enid, far back in the dark
| of the box, fell TO dreaming. The Or
! chestra was playing, and the music had
| the soft clapping of leaves in spring, the
sllken clapping of wings, and bird notes.
In memory Enid was a remote wood Of
| sunny glades, reading the "Idyls OF the
| King" The dress she wore that night.
! where like a shoaling sea the lovely blue
playd into green" was borrowed from
the Idyll of that Enid, her namesake, End
worn to commemorate the events of the
| tinkle of bells, and saw, coming up one of
| the green alleys, tall figure, clad in mot
| ley green and red, with bauble and jes-
| ter's cap framing a firm, delicately mold
| ed face. He was reciting with rare I'M
self-consciousness, blank verse Shake
| speare-"As You Like IT. But even the
knowledge that he must be the famous
| actor that she had heard was staying "a.
the village inn could not rob the wood
land meeting of its exquisite glamour and
romance. He came upon her suddenly.
unexpectedly, her dropping hat sending
an almost silver shadow over the pale
purity of her face; no radiant Rosalind.
clear-eyed and clear-souled, but a th.as
fashioned out of elusive aspirations and
| vague dreams, whose eyes were yelled
mysteries, and over whose countenance
| fitted the transcience of subtilzed ideas.
She seemed bodiless as the sunlight and
the shadow-as sensitive, as frail. But
she had met his embarrassment with d
readiness of sympathy-indeed, with as
fertile an Imagination, as romantic a Ian
guaSe, as Rosalind's own; and a charm
ing imprOmptu comedy was enacted on
the greensward. The tinkle of the TESTERS
bells sounded loud in the orchestra to-
night, bringing back all that HAPPY rove
scene, all the gracious wit and courtesy
band.
She took up the program. Faust: Mr.
Ernest Atherton. why. Mildred"' she
exclaimed, dismayed, TO ner friend
Mark is not playing!" Her eyes fell on
the next line. Mephistopheles: Mark
Overton. 1t had never for i moment &C.
CURED 10 her that Mark would take any
other part but that of Faust. She had
never seen him other than 4 hero, a lover.
or philosopher. She gave a shudder Of
repulsion. The curtain went up.
At the end of the first act she sat quite
still, her face drawn and tense. Mildred
was startled b. her look She took her
friends hand, but Enid drew IL away,
murmuring, do not speak to me Cor 2.
moment"
What marvellous force-wnat ,xtrsor-
binary power" exclaimed Mildred, when
the thunder of applause had died away,
4 had no idea that Mark was capable
Of so magnificent a piece of acting"
Enid made no answer. She was shaken
b. emotion.
The curtain rose. Seldom had such a
Mephistopheles been seen on the boards
The actor had given to the abstraction of
evil a 1.-THE and virile body, wherein limb,
gesture and voice were subject and sub
dued 10 the principles of hell. And over
every movement, grim and fatal, lay the
slime of CHASTITY cynicism.
At the end Of the second act Enid
moaned, and covered her face in her
hands. 80, God! o, Godr' she murmur-
ed, what devil have 1 been living with
all this time
Enid, dearest Enid" said Mildred.
drawing her to the back of the box you
must not give way. 1t is wonderful-re-
alistic-but do not forget it Is only act
ing"
"Actingi" cried Enid. chow can you act
like that what you have never expert
enced? How can you portray like that
what you do not know? Can you deny
that this is a revelation of evil such as
you have never conceived? That the fiend
breathes out evil with every breath-at
every pore? Don't you know acting from
reality? That man is vile, base, degrad-
ed to his inmost soul"
Mildred was seriously alarmed at her
friends words She knew from expert
ence the futility of combating her pref
udices and at the end of the third act.
seeing Enid look wilder than ever. she
slipped away TO have a word with Over
ton
After some little delay the message
reached him. and they went back TO the
box together. 1t was empty. Inquiry
proved that lady in a long cloak with
dark opera wrap tied over her head
had been seen to leave the theatre some
few minutes ago. Overton grew pale. In
Ends hysterical condition anything was
possible. See what you can find QUIT ne
said L will get some Of these things
off and come as soon as l can"
In a few minutes he was beside her
a long macintosh cape concealing his red
costume, most Of the paint rubbed of his
bou
figure. but one that might pass unob-
served in the myriad strangeness Of Lon
don streets. Go back TO the box" ne
said to Mildred; Enid may return there
before I find her. Pray God she has come
10 no harm
The girl quaied before Jne agony IN n.s
eyes. And the play?' she faltered.
His answer was lost as he plunged into
the driving rain.
There was d solitary figure standing on
the embankment. A woman-surely Enid
\ great sob Of thankfulness rose in his
throat
Enid. nv beloved darling. what folly
Is Jais?' ne murmured- Surely you
would not let anything wash out the re-
membrance Of your husband and your
lover? Why do YOU trembie 50. ny dear
est? Are you not in the one place where
you may find perfect safety perfect pro-
tection-in your husbands armsg' The
familiar voice was beginning 10 soothe
her.
She opened her eyes. i was sim rain
ing heavily, but there was a glare o.
moon. Her white arm was in the grasp
Of horrible tal0Hs. with claws Ike q bird
Of prey she lifted a shUddering glance
a dreadful. unfamiliar face with caring
eyes. leering. scared with evil lines met
her view Her terror renewed; she gave
q Wild shrek. struggling 70 free herself.
They were precipitated dangerously