The times., 1899-03-05


had evidently been right-there was
crude mound without grass or flowers
growing upon il and with neither stone
nor headboard for a mark Sentiment al
ways seems absurd from stout men, but
Jimmy looked at the deserted place
his heart went out to the unknown being
reclining beneath. He wondered If the
man had been a laborer who had died and
been buried there; If he had not belonged
10 some poor family which had resided
near. but had moved away after being
deprived of the something it left behind
even if he had not been foully murdered
and hidden in the cold earth by the pike
side.
After few moments of these reflections
the player turned away. His eyes were wet
and he determined that he, at least, would
pay some tribute to the clay that others
had reyerenced so little. From the wild
flowers growing about he made a wreath
and laid it on the bare spot. And then,
still thinking of the romance OF the thing,
he got bit Of pinewood and marked on it
with knife the first lines of Byrons sim
pie elegy:
What soul held this poor tenement
What trgsnt soul?
and then he left determined TO come
again at his earliest opportunity.
He returned to the spot a week after and
was just as it had been left, excepting
that close inspection revealed other lines
penciled on the impromptu headboard.
Jimmy Barrows knelt down reverently
to read the words. They formed a couplet
-misspelled. badly scrawled and in any
thing but perfect meter. But Mr.. Barrows
read them and then read them again like
one dazed
You dcrn'd old fool.
This a mule.
Then he rose and left the place, a sadder
but wiser man. John Lancaster declares
that on that day he was offered the first
bribe ever suggested to hin.
"A good many Northern people may have
a lurking suspicion that there is political
jinSo or correspondents glrsh or some eth
er unreliable ingredient mixed up in the
recent newspaper reports of those South
ern demonstrations which show the broad
spread grasp the reunited country idea
has taken" the press representative of
William Gillette remarked the other day
when asked for a story on his star. Nev-
ertheless ! saw something a couple of
weeks ago in New Orleans which TO my
mind emphasizes the sincerity of this new
born feeling. / had remained over espe
cially 10 have another look at the play, for,
while l had frequently seen it before,
had some curiosity TO note its effect in
Louisiana at this particular period of our
history.
''one of the men in Secret Service'-in
fact the leading character-is a Federal
spy, and he has the best of matters in
every situation, while the fellow who op
poses him is forever undergoing humilia-
tion and failure, although perfectly
honest in serving his cause. i expected to
see the New Orleans audience reverse the
opinion of New York and other cities on
the further side of the Mason and Dixon
line-that it would give its sympathy to
the Confederate and hiss the intended
hero. ! watched the house Critically when
the soldiers in cray came on the stage.
But there was d marked absence of en-
thusiasm. When Dixie was played in the
imaginary street back OF the scene look
ed for the crowd to loosen the floor and
shake the roof but the applause was only
nominal. That was the first test. During
the second and third acts the Secret Ser
vice agent, who is in love with the daugh-
ter OF an enemy, turns clever tricks on
the other man at every point. And on
each occasion the Southern audience
cheered at the Northerner's success. At
the end of the scene there were fully as
many curtain calls and as much enthusi-
asm as / had seen in New York. l was
surprised for l did not think that the pso
pie would be pleased at their country
mans discontinue.
IN the last act, where the Union spy
is about TO be shot. the assembly showed
a strong sympathy for him. This was so
marked that it became evident TO me
that the South had completely forgotten
its lost cause. The Confederate general
in the piece said to the prisoner, You'll
go TO the lookup, sab, and you'll stay
there until our army marches into Wash
@-gton.' Instead Of applauding this idea
rhe crowd INDUCED in a laugh al the
speech of the officer. The spy replied
quickly, Why, general, until you march
into Washington? That means that you
are sending me to prison for life The
cheers that followed this un-Southern
sentiment belonged 10 the school deaf
ening.
Il met an ex-Confederate when ! re-
turned to my hotel and asked him if he had
been 10 the play. He said that he had,
but that he had left before it was over. /
inquired if he objected TO the sentiment.
- oh, no. he answered. 1t is all right,
but it made me a bit sad to see those gray
uniforms
Il believe one shows ones nature in the
theatre and the action of this New Orleans
audience proved TO me that the South had
reioined the Union in spirit as well as in
fact"