Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-03-30
FROsTBURG, Md, SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1901.

Pd every lntOnatlO0. me lnc mouse
was applauding enthusiastically she
whispered to her companion, "Shc is
n nice girl and she tries but she can't
sing that. ana | don't believe she ever
will. DO you hear her trill wabblc?
She missed two notes in one of her
runs. It should have gon" like this"
md in brilliant, pcarly little tones al
most under her breath the speaker ran
through one of the passages in which
Marguerite vents her delight
Soft as it was, the young man be
hind her heard the run. He looked at
the singers face and started. He
glanced from the face to He gray hair
and back again. lie tried to rCmcm-
Der all the things he had been saying.
and hluShcl deeply.
Presently Faust was singing his love.
The woman in black leaned forward.
her lips parted, her fingers uncon-
SciouSly marking the time: then. as the
tcnor's fcrvor increased and his tone
grew clearer and more vibrant. Il flush
OvCrSprcad her face. As he ceased she
beat her %lovCd hands together as loud
ly as she could.
A sympathetic look stole into the
young mans eyes, and while the wom-
an in black was wholly occupied with
the stage he whispered softly to Mel
lie: THAT woman in front of us is
Alice Titus. She Is Mitchcl'S wife,
and she has been blushing with pleas
ure at his singing They sang lovers
together for years, and the company
called them the turtlcdovcS.
Nellie aWOlie from her dream. She
glanced from the woman to the tenor
and exclaimed incrcdulously and loud
er than she knew: "Shp can't be Faust's
wife. Why, she is gray"
The lips of the woman in black tight
encd, and the young man regretted his
indiscreton. lie tried to atone for it
in the church scene by praiSing the
dramatic way Alice Titus had played
that, but he knew that the singer un-
dcrstood the situation. and the words
stuck in his throat.
Meanwhile the success of the per-
formancc and of the new singer grew.
Before the end was reached the mem
bcrs of the company had congratulated
Miss Evans heartily upon her triumph.
The last traces of the girls nervous
ness disappeared. She walked as OH
clouds, and in the final trio she poured
forth such a flood of voice as she had
never known that she possessed. The
audience was stirred quite out Of the
habit of putting on wraps during the
last scene. 1t sat delighted and called
out the singers after the final curtain
had fallen. The men called "Brava"
loudly. and the recall became an Ova-
ton. Alice Titus companion leaned
forward. waved her handkerchief. cried
"Brava" and did what sh" could to
stimulate the excitement. Somebody
cried: Evans! Evans!" and Maras-
quin led forward the trembling but
happy Marguerite.
Then the audience began to go out,
but the woman in black sat still. Her
lips were white. and when her COM
paniOn rose she did not move. The
other woman avertcd her face and bus
led herself with her wrap. At last the
passage to the stage door was cleared.
and the woman in black rose heavily
and walked slowly toward it.
She found Faust. still in his stage
clothes, outside his dressing room. The
woman in black passed in without a
word Faust dismissed his dresser,
entered and closed the door. His wife
was leaning on the back of chair,
sobbing. He raised her to his arms,
saying softly: There, darling, don't
take it so desperately. Think of all
the drudgery you escape by being out
of the harness.
She still cried. nesting on his shoul-
der Presently she raised her face
kissed him and said: You're wonder
| fully good to me, Fred, but even your
tenderness cannot disguise the fact
that | am grny. was told of it to-
night by a chit Of a girl with pink
checks"
The mans face flushed with anger,
and his wife FASTENED to add: "She did
not mean any harm, dear, and she did
not think could hear. She was sur
priscd into speaking too loudly when I
was pointed out to her as your wife.
She could not believe it, and | must
say" with a rueful glance into the
large dressing mirror, that can't
blame her"
"Nonscnsc, dear! OF course it was
only the make up"
"Oh. | know all about that, and I
know | could look 90 on the stage to-
morrow. But for all that l would do
every bit of my hard work over again
for the youth of that little chit behind
me. Time is more cruel to women
than eternity can ever be."-BrOOklyn
Eagle.