Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-12-07
BEHIND THE SCENES.

She had disliked them before, but now
she hated them with "a fierce and burning
hatred that was growing almost beyond
her power to hide. for though she had
lived in America for ten years she was as
true u Spaniard at heart as all her anccs-
tors had been and would have yielded up
her fresh young life TO help her country or
destroy that country's enemies.
The cheering sank a moment-maybe
they were ready to 90 on with the play,
and she started to her feet. when suddcnl5
u wave OF SOUND came sweeping back thas
nearly dcafcncd hcr-thc strains of "Tha
star SpanRcd Banner" ringing out loud
and strong and true from hundreds #
stnnch American hearts that thrilled with
joy and pride and tenderness As they sang.
Little Juanita trcmblcd as she heard IT,,
and, flingng her thin brown hands wildly
over her cars in a vain attempt to shut
out the sound, tossed her head in scorn ~
she muttercd, "That is only noise--thcy
are very good AT noise, but my country
I people, they can fight they But the
words died on her lips and suddenly her
! eyes strained wide with horror, for, Creep
| ing creeping toward her along n piece Of
drapcry under which she sat was - line ot
dainty, dancing red, that grew and bright
cncd rs she looked
] IL Is I1c' she murmured, lire, and
they will all be burned oh, | am so
glad, glad, glad See it will run along
the curtain, growing, growing all thu
time, till it can reach that bunting thera
and then it sill he big and all in front
can see it, and they will shout again, but
oh, it will be very different from that
shouting now They will sec it leaping
| to them down the great long strings Il
bunting, and they will shrek and scream
| and run, and those who are not trampled
will be burned and the fire will dance
and 1t will he my turn to taunt and cheer,
for the death that comes to them will coms
straight across their flags. Oh, God, but
it is glorious" And she clapped her hands
| together as she watched the little flames
grow bigger.
Outside the cheering had begun again,
and suddenly above the deeper roar echoed
the half hystercal cry of a little child.
AS she heard it the girls face grew
quickly pale-she had forgotten the chill.
dren. She could see men die-yes, and
women, too-and rejoice in their suffer
ing, but the children! Months before a
little Child had come into her life that
brought her only sorrow and disgrace S1
her neighbors said, but she thought other.
wise, and for its sake loved all the babiea
In the land. She could not see baby die.
suddenly the cheering stopped again,
and America came rolling out 10
seemed to Juanita's strained senses that
hundreds of children were singing, too;
that she could hear their voices, and some
were like the voices Of her sister and her
child With a cry she wheeled about and
faced the flaming curtain How terribly
the fire had grown But she must fight 10
now, and it Mt least should see that Span
ish folk could conquer. With one leap she
was on the highest boxes, scrambling,
catching at the slipping boards reaching
out to grasp the curtain and pull it from
its fastenings.
But she was not tall enough, and her
brave heart sank. The flame was barely a
foot from the end of the bunting now, and
should that once catch fire it would be be-
yond her power to stop the panic.
She must She would, and as the chill.
dren's voices rang on along the grand old
tune she crouched low on her uncwtain
perch, gathered all her strength into one
last effort and sprang straight up into Nho
little sheet Of flame. She could tcel hSr
fingers on the burning cloth and hravely
caught and held it, while below the hoxa3
fell with rafting crash.
But little she cared for that, for she
could feel the curtain giving with her
weight, and in moment more She too
had fallen, grasping at the burning edges
as she fell, smothcring them in her arms
, rolling upon them, clapping the sparks ia
death between her slender hands, just IA
the stage manager the property man and
the fireman, followed by the whole Won
dering, gaping company, came rushing
back TO see what the noise had meant.
One or two of the women began to shrek
~. 49, g y, l., : IL
ing edges that We're left on the wall and
floor, but the men jumped at them, almost
vlrottling their voices in their throsts
and two seconds later the danger was all
over, the repentant fireman mourning in
the ruins, the company gathered around
.Juanita, the callboy posting for a doctor,
and the stage manager addressing the au-
dience explaining the noise and confu-
sion, assuring them of their safety and
telling of the brave deed that had saved
them all the horrors of a panic.
And then the cheering broke out again
harder than ever, but this time it was for
the girl who had saved them, and for the
first time in her life Juanita, the chorus
girl, responded to "a curtain call meant ex-
pressly for herself, her own self and no
one but herself.
But how different from the scene she
had OFTEN imagined. BLACK and burned
and bloody her patty skirt hanging in
tatters, her bright bodice torn and grimy,
her hair disheveicd and the make up
pushed into unSightly streaks and patches
ON her thin dark face
This Is the girl" the anager was
saying in his great, importa dice, this
is the little Spanish girl to whom we all
owe our lives, " And the people, looking
. from the dark little Spanish face to tho
grand old stars and stripes that waved so
proudly over it, were silent for a moment,
till husky voice far up in the darkness
of the gallery shouted, Three cheers for
Spainr' and tumult of shrieks and
cheers and Kisses swept over the house,
changing gradually to cheers alone, as
boutonniers and long stemmed roses came
flying through the air to fall before her
feet,
With a smile she stopped and swept
them up into her SCARED and smarting
arms. Thanks" she said so clearly that
they could heas her throughout the house.
at is for me to thank you, for you have
checrcd my country and have taught mo
to forgive, And a moment later as she
sank almost fainting into the doctor \
arms he heard her murmurnG prayers for
\ forgiveness for some great sin and vague
ly wondered wh,S it could have been. But
Juanita knew.-Mary \. Dickcrson in
~ nj