Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-04-21

A LOVE STORY OF MODERN DAYS

The curtain has risen, has fallen and risen
again, and now has descended for the last
time. A flutter-is it rapture or relief
trembles through the audience. THE School
for Scandal has cone TO a timely end!
/ selfshly forbear from giving my readers
a lengthsned account Of II, as they (unless
any OF the Aghyobillbcg party takes up this
book have mefci-- that Ia, unfortunately,
been debarred by fate from ever witnessing
without seryi'e fattrry, may be termed
unique. Words Chat Is, my Words w6itld
fail to give an adequate idea OF 1t, and 50
from very modesty ] hold my pen.
ut was marvellous says Sir Mark Gore,
who is paying a flying visit to Lord Ross.
moyne. He says thi, with the p~rofoundest
solemnity, and perhaps q little melancholy.
His expression Is decidedly pensiye.
1T was indeed wonderful" says the old
rector, in perfect good faith.
And wonderful 1t was indeed. Anything
so truly remarkable, l may safely declare,
was never seen In this or any other genera
ton.
Miss Fitzgerald's Lady Teazle left moth
ing to lie desired, save perhaps an earlier
fall Of the curtain, while Captain Cbbbetts
Joseph Surface was beyond praise. This is
the strict truth. He was indeed the more
| happy in his representation Of the character
in that he gave1hiS audience Q Joseph they
never had seen aud never would see again
on any stage, unless Captalp Goblet could
kindly be INDUCED by them to try 1t OH some
other OCCASION.
Sir Peter (Mr. Ryde) was most sumptu-
ously arraycd. Nothipg c5uld exceed the
magniacence Of his attic, Upon az amateur
stage, startling habll!ments copied from q
remote period arc always attractive, and Mr..
RYde did all he know in this line, giving
even W the ordinary Sir Peter of our old
fashioned knowledge certain garments IN
vogue quite a century before he couldSossl-
bly, have been born This gave o charming
wildness TO his character, a devil-may-care
sort of an air, that eShet'y suited his gay
and festive mood. After all. why should
Sir Peter be old and heavyP why lndeedp
The effect was altogether charming. That
ther! were a few disagreeable people who
said they would have liked to know what
he was at (Suct q phrase, you know y, what
he meant, IN fact, and who declared that, a.
q mere simple matter Of choice, they liked
to hear a word now and again from an actor,
goes without telling. There are trouble
some people IN every grade Of society,"
gnats that tciL sting. Silence Is golden, as
All liz NOllh hlONH, dlld III. lN9uC 10 II ~
so Of course he forgot his part whenever he
could, and left out all the rest.
This h, did with a systematic c%arefulness
very praisewOrthy in SO young a man.
On the whole, therefore, you will see that
the affair was an i~nrrecedented success;
and If some did 20 away puzzled as to
whether it was a burlesque or a tragedy, no.
body was to blame FOR their o~btuseness. There
certainly are scenes In this admirable come
dy not provocative OF laughter; but such
was the bad taste of Madame O'Connor that
she joined In with the Philistines mention-
ed further back, and laughed straight
through the piece from the start TO finish,
until the tears ran down her cheeks.
She said afterward she was hysterical,
and Olga Bohun, who was quite as bad as
she, said, mo Wonder."
Now, however, it is all over, and the actors
and actresses have disappeared, to make
way for the gauze, the electric light, and the
%tableaux; whilst tie audience Is making
Itself happy with iced champagne and con-
versation, kind and otherwise livery much
otherwisc), about the late performance.
Olga Bohun, who Is looking all that the
heart Of man can desire in white lace and
lilies, leaving the impromptu theater, goes
in search OF Hernia, who, with Owen Kelly,
is to appear in the opening tableauX. She
makes her way tothe temporary Green-rOom,
an inner hall, hidden from the outer world
by means of a hanging velvet curtain, and
with a staircase at the lower end that leads
to some Of the upper corridors. Here she
finds Ulic Ronayne, Miss Browne, Monica,
Desmond and Kelly.
She has barely time to say something
trivial to Miss Browne, when a pale light
appearing ut the top of the staircase attracts
the attention Of all below. Instinctively
they raise their eyes toward it, aud see a tall
figure clad il white descending the stairs
slowly and with q strange sweet gravity. l.
1t an angel come to visit them, or Hernia
Hcrrick?
1t resolves itself into Hernia at last, but
a beautiful Hernia "a lovely apparltion,-
a woman indeed still, but with something
Of an angcl-llght" playing In hor dark eyes
and round her du5ky head. Always a dis,
tinguishcd-looking woman, if too cold for
warmer praise, she is now at least looking
supremacy beautiful.
She l. dressed as Galatea, in a clinginI
garment OF the scvercst Greek style, with
no Jewels upcn her neck, and with her eX'
qlisite arms bare to the shoulder. One
naked sandaled foot can be seen as she
comes lcisurcly to them step by step. She
Is holding a low Etruscan lamp in one hand
upon a level with her head, and there is just
the ~faintest suspicion of q smile abcSt heI
usually irresponsible lips.
No one speaks until her feet touch the
hail, when n little murmur, indistinct, YET
distinctly admiring, arises to greet her.
81 hope | don't l~ook-fooliSh," she says,
with rs much nervousness in her tone as
can possibly be expected from her.
"OA, Hernia, you are looking too lovely"
says Olga, with a hurst Of genuine enthusi
asm. rs she not, Owen?"
But Mr.. Kelly makes no reply.
A slight tinge OF color deepens Mrs. Her
rick's complexion as she turns to him.
Poor Mr.. Kelly!' she says, the amused
flicker Of n smile fitting over her face,
which has now grown pale again. What a
situation! ThvIe! don't sully your con
science; | will let you of your lie. That is
where an old friend comes IN so useful, you
see"
AZ all events, l don't see where the lie
would come in. But, as you do, of course
shall say nothing" says Kelly.
What Pygmalion! y says Olga, in high
disgust. And what a speech! C0ntemptt
bic! ! don't believe any Galatea would
come to life beneath your touch. 1t would
be as cod as marble itself!
SO saying, she moves away to where Mon
lea is standing, looking quite the sweetest
thing in the word, as
"a nun dcmure. Of lowly port"
"She has prophesied truly" says Kelly,
in a low tone, turning to Mrs. Herrick. ~
fear my Galatea will never wake to life fol-
me"
A subdued bell tinkles in the distance.
"Our summons" says Mrs. Herrick, as
though grateful to it; and presently she is
standing upon a pedestal, pale, motionless,
with a rapt Pygmalion at her feet, and some
Pompeian vases and jugs (confscated from
A. l.n.uinr .nnu.A L., Ahn hnnEmrnn,n,I