The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-19

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wig.
Ks he studied her carefully, from the
crown Of paste diamonds that glittered
In her hair down to the silver lace that
fringed the high tops OF her dainty
boots. the first violin grew less angry
with the girl for singing her little love
song TO him, and when she left the stage
he gave her hand with as hearty
good viii as any man in the thetter,
which was a strange thing for an orchcs-
ira player to do.
The fame of ''Nonie.r the new singer
at the Frivolity, ran quickly through the
town, and the theater was crowded
nightly. And every night she sang at
Minis, until it came to be the feature OF
her performance and looked for by the
regular habitucs as the piece de resist
ance of the entertainment.
do you see old MimsT said one. "Up-
on my word, he bushes like a schoolboy
when Monte comes at him. Must be
new sensation to the old chap to have
girl look at him twice. Once is enough to
scare most of 'em into fit"
well, / would be willing to wear his
face for night to get as many smiles as
he does. But here goes for try for one,
at least"
With that the young fellow turned TO a
flower seller and selected a bunch of the
finest roses. At the end OF Monies act.he
stood well up and threw them straight at
her feet. Monte bowed, picked them up
and courtesied again, laughing and show
ing her white teeth the while. Minis,
scowling n little, looked about to see who
had thrown the flowers. When he saw,
the scowl grew deeper.
That night the first violin did another
strange thing for an orchestra player. He
went to the stage door and waited for
Monte to come out. There was n group
of men about waiting for chance to ogle
the favorite, or perhaps invite her to a
little supper in some nearby coy retreat,
and among them Minis saw the one who
had thrown the flowers. As Monte came
out this man hurried forward and spoke
to her. The girl hesitated, stopped and
listened, then, with a slow and half UNI
certain negative, went on past him to her
omnibus.
The fellow made as IL to follow, but,
looking about, he saw Mims' eyes fixed
upon him. Beneath the street light they
glittered like beads of fire and seemed
uncanny from the setting of his queer,
pale face. The man shrugged his shout
ders and walked away in the other direc-
ton.
The next night, when Monte was sing
ing, heavy flower piece was sent down
to the stage-an unusual thing at the
Friyolity, where matters OF that sort
were not much INDUCED in. 1t so hap
pened that it cane down where Minis
was. and he had to help lift it over the
stage rail. As he did so he saw a note
lying among the flowers, and with dex-
ferrous flip he managed to throw it out
SO that it fell beneath his chair. He
knew instinctively who had sent it, yet
to confirm his suspicion he turned and
looked about the house.
As he had thought, the same fellow
was again standing to catch Nonie's
glance of acknowledgement, but Nonie's
glance was fixed instead upon the first
violin, and the blue eyes shot out fiery
darts as Minis deliberately stopped, pick
ed up the note and placed it in his pocket.
Upon the following night Monte thought
to have her revenge, so she began by
singing and making eyes at the Byropic
youth with the bass viol and utterly ig-
nored Minis presence. But she had
reckoned without her host, for the au-
dience would have none of it. They had
| DGCOLlG SO aCtuSlOIltu 10 udNfuK the nISt
violin as the silent partner in this little
byplay that they would brook no change.
And then the contrast between the face
of this old young gamin and the rosy
cheeks and sparkling eyes of the girl lent
picturesque effectiveness to the scens
that nothing else could. SO the people
began to hiss and howl and boot to show
I their disapproval, while cries of "Mimsl
Mimsi The first violinr gave added in
terpretation to their meaning.
The girl stopped, bewildered Mt the out
burst, and at first did not realize the
cause. But when she did her eyes fash
ed angrily, and she went on, mistakenly
| ignoring their displeasure and trying to
drown the tumult with her own voice
and TO charm them into good nature with
her pretty ways.
In the confusion she carelessly came
too near the footlights and. jarring the
| slight gauze covering from one of them,
sw her fiimsy skirts above it.
A tongue of flame leaped upon her, and
there was cry of horror from the house
The audience, panic stricken by the pos
sibility of fire among the inflammable
material of the stage, rushed pellmell for
/ the doors. The orchestra followed, tum.
bling over their instruments, and in less
time than it takes to tell it they had
cleared such space that only two peo-
| pie remained in the endangered portion
of the theater. One of these was the
! girl, wrapped in the winding sheet of
fame, and the other was Minis.
| Tearing his coat from him as he sprang
forward, Minis flung himself upon the
stage. The girl, terror stricken, but re-
aiizing his danger as well as her own,
| began to retreat toward the wings.
Minis, seeing that in moment more the
flames would be communicated to the
canvas scenes. leaped upon her and gath
cred the living flames into his arms.
Himself insensible to the pain and dan
ger or regardless of them in his passion
ate endeavor to save the girl, he beat the
| fire down with his hands, tore her burn
| ing skirts away and at last wrapped her,
tortured and burned, but living and con-
scious, in his own garment.
Monte was not so severely injured but
that she could appear at the Frivolity