Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-02

cd every intonation. While the house
was applauding enthusiastically she
whispered to her companion, "She Is
nice girl and she tries, but she can't
sing that, and don't believe she ever,
will. Do you hear her trill wabble?,
She missed two notes in one Of her,
runs. 1t should have gone like this"
and 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 Mt
the singers face and started. He
glanced from the face to the gray hair
and back again. He tried to remem-
= 4 all the things he had been saying,
and blushed 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
tenor's feryor increased and his tone
grew clearer and more vibrant, q flush
overspread her face. AS he ceased she
beat her gloved hands together rs loud
ly as she could.
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 Nell
lie: That woman in front Of us Is
Alice Titus. She is Mitchd1Is wife,
and she has been blushing with pleas
ure at his singing. They sang lovers
together for years, and the company
called them the turtledoves."
Nellie awoke from her dream. She
glanced from the woman to the tenor
and exclaimed incrcdulously and loud
er than she knew: "Shc can't be Faust's
wife. Why, she is grayv'
The lips of the woman in black tight
ened, and the young man regretted his
tndiscretion. lie tried to atone for It
In the church scene by prasing the
dramatic way Alice Titus had played
that, but he knew that the singer un-
derstood the situation, and the words
stuck in his throat. y
Meanwhile the success of the per-
formance and of the new singer grew.
Before the end was reached the men,
bcrs of the company had congratulated
Miss Evans heartily upon her triumph.
The last traces of the girls nervous
ness disappeared. She walked as on
clouds, and in the final trio she poured
forth such 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 "Bravaw
loudly, and the recall became an ova-
ton. Alice Titus companion leaned
forward waved her handkerchief cried
'Bravav' and did what she could to
stimulate the excitement. Somebody
cried: Evans! Evans!" and Maras-
| quin led forward the trembling but
happy Marguerite.
4 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 moys. The
other woman ayerted her face a-ld 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 III black passed in without
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: "Thcre, 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
4 tenderness cannot disguise the fact
that | am gray. / was told of 1t to-
night by a chit of girl with pink
| cheeks"
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
| prised into speaking too loudly when 1.
was pointed out to her as your wife.
She could not believe 1t, and I must
say" with rucful glance into the,
large dressing mirror, that l can't.
blame her"
Nonsense dear! OF course 1t was
only the make up
ooh, know all about that, and
know l could look 30 on the stage to-
morrow. But for all that 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."-Brooklyni
Eagle.