The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-23
SH|URHN'S
J]GGLERY
Wonderful Artist the Hero of
His People.
ALL TURN OUT TO SEE HIM
Pathetic Story of the Death of
His Wife.

a bourgeois and he amuses the people like
ar artist; n is already as popular as a
h,ro; he is the Roscius of the people
he was born at Batignolies and at Ba-
tiEnolles he desires to die. To be sure he
visits ever year the big cities of France,
Brueaux. Toulouse, Lyons and Marseil-
ie;, but his visits are of lightning speed,
AID like Talma, who refused TO play when
NIT let himself 20 at any OF ,Aem. But at
Hatignolles, before this audience of the
cite mat trembles ana vibrates and feels
snd marks the strong places, Saturnin
gays for all there is in him. proud of his
sft and content with his public.
In the PROVINCES indeed, Saturnin, like
very juggler. is the man for the outside
chow that draws the crowd; he is the
nan with the hoarse voice, pulling ser
tents out of 4 jug, swallowing swords.
nysteriously fetching a cane from these
Gentlemen. making a pigeon fly out OF
pockets of those ladies, telling fortunes,
announcing rich marriages to poor lovers
and the end Of the world to stingy mig
cards; he is the mighty hercules who
rarries weights Of hundreds of pounds
and lets them fall heavily on the stage 50
that the people can judge of their weight
by the dust.
AT lSatignolles the case is entirely diff
ferent. Saturnin is no longer vulgar
mountebank. He is the dramatic artist
He swallows no more swords, he plays
the drama. He has a theatre with gas
and with snow effects. The wind may
rage. but you do not hear any awnings
straining in the gale like the sails of
ship. The rain may fall, but the ladies'
n will he hrrr4 mt in
inside he theatre.
There is still. indeed. the necessary
advertisement out in the open air. con-
sisting OF a trained poodle who does
tricAs with lump of sugar in his mouth.
and a monkey who plays La Dame
Blanche" on a --and-organ, but it is only
the clown who performs these duties and
SATURN reserves mis- efforts for more
tragic things.
And so il happens that tonight, after
IN absence of three months, he is about
u celebrate his homecoming in his grea-
test piece; he is going to play the role Of
Don Pablo, the Count of Mongibelo, in
The Hand of God or the Recompense Of
Virtue"
Il is a gala day for all the artisans
the employees and the storekeepers of
and rushed frantioaly through it, and
they are now dressing. The grocer, his
face shaved only on one side, is hurriedly
serving an old customer and excusins
himself with the words:
Yen see. madame I am In a great
hurry tonight-oh. very great hurryl
j going to The theatrel Saturnin has
cone back and is playing 1.-THE Hand of
Gcd."
The apple woman has shut the blinds
o, her little stand and inside is rubbing
with soap the silver necklace that her
husband gave her the night of their
betrothal And the little wife Of the her
borist has come 10 seek her and look
irc her well over. eXcaims;
You look well. my dear
The newspaper woman and the public
.etter writer. both of them delicate, are
going together to the theatre. on the way
they are talking and openly fearing that
Il ey viii find Saturnin grown older or
little tired. The son Of their concierge
joins them. He is a big, brown-h haired
boy with a pale complexion. revealed in
the light of the lamps, an employee of the
library He reads all OF the bad books
that the library possesses and judges
everything about the theatre like an art
eretic.
And all OF this little world is in perfect
g6od faith.
The return of Saturnin is fixed event.
These honest people are going TO amuse
Il emselves at little expense. their en-
thusiasm will be real. their applause sim
cere. and their criticism just Saturnin
Will be grandly feted. and he VIII have de-
served it.
Yet never has any day seemed longer
- Saturnin and never was there any eve
ming so cruel and deceptive
All the time while the crowd was piling
gaily in upon the wooden seats and while
the hand organ was breathing the most
wonderful airs. and the heavy sous were
falling by handfuis into the iron box pat
there TO receive them, Saturnin was hid
irg his face in both hands TO stihe the
schs that were breaking his heart. Alas,
there IN the green wagon with the mud
stained wheels, connected with the the
atre by a travelling Stairway. and which
serves at onces as the artists green room.
the managers Office and private apart
ment a sorrowful drama is being enacted.
In this movable house, dragged by
haif-pay horse which has tasted the grass
% every country fair, there, in the big
bed woman OF thirty years lies dying,
She is Saturnins wife. Ii is typhoid
ftver that is killing her.
Only last week she was brisk and gay
as the birds in May. playing with Don
heard on the chin of the wicked traitor.
mufaing herself in the furs of the beauti-
flu princess and holding Saturnin low
trElV around f1p neck saving.
Thou art my llon-hero, superb and
generous.
And now. tonight, she is dead.
The doctor came about five O'Clock and
went away again with such troubled
face that Saturnin felt hopeless. He was
there. leaning on the bed watching the
trembling Of the bed clothes. raising the
sick ones heavy hand upon a pillow.
Slipping the sheet away from beneath
her enek, where II formed an uacomfort-
able cushion and twenty times pushing
back into her thin hands the white gilly-
flower that she could no longer hold and
YET wanted always 10 feel. And Satu-0.n.
tn hercules. wept. beating the air NTH
his his arms. shaking the planks by his {
repeated walkings. sitting down, rising
again. going out, coming back over
Rheimed and broken by his sorrow.
= am helpless. am l not?'' would he
FAY. All wei, what would yeu? II 7
Is stronger than l; cannot help it; c
cannot. II she deis l will throw myself Z
n the river {
That scene was terrifying. Already his