The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-05-21
the point, whirled it around his head

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and threw it into the air, I saw him
watch it hurtle past, like a cat
watches mouse, afraid to breathe.
Athene had turned and bowed to
the audience, his thin lips curling
back over his white teeth like a
VOLTS who had just shown his skill in
playing with his victim. Once more
he turned and cast knife, and this
time I caught my breath, for 1 saw
that it was aimed at the head and
would hit very close. It pinned a
curl to the board and I saw a shud-
der go through her form as if she,
too, had expected it to be her last,
but still she stood up and looked
without seeing far into the flies over
my head.
As Athene turned to bow the Sec
ond time l heard a rustic and looked
across. Calbert had stepped out,
grabbed pistol and stepped back.
No one saw him, or seemed to notice
it, and I do not believe that Athene
knew he was posted where he was,
for when he turned for his third
cast l am sure that from the glean
in his eyes he was not thinking Of
anyone or anything but just the plot
in his dirty brain. His lips were
grinning, and 1 heard him softly
curse as he aimed a knife at the
woman before him. All at once it
flashed over me what he intended
doing. I don't know how it was, but
I felt 1 knew as well as if he had told
me. He was drunk. His hand was
shaky. He had proven it by his in.
ability to shoot. He had gotten
drunk for purpose.
Across the way I could see Calbert
half crouching with the pistol raised
in his hand. Evidently he had no.
ticed it, and I caught myself wonder
ing if he would shoot the man be.
fore it was too late. He seemed
about to do it, when, with final
maudlin giggle, the thing whizzed
away, and 1 saw streak of reflected
light for one instant in midair,
grabbed the scene against which l
was leaning-and then there was a
terrific report, followed by rattle,
and the knife fell broken at my feet!
Calbert with his gun had done it
Just as it seemed about to enter her
neck he had fired, and some Fate had
guided his bullet! The woman must
have known it, for she had tainted
and lay Imply against the board and
I saw Calbert's face through a cloud
of revolver smoke. Out in front, his
arm still raised, Athene stood en-
tranced, while from every run be-
tween the scenes the shifters and
company were peering and the audi
ence had jumped upon its feet. The
horror of it was in everybody's face,
and every heart had stood still. One
moment more and their would have
been bedlam and the performance
would have been ruined, had not CAL
bert had the presence of mind to save
the situation.
With his gun still in his hand, ne
walked down front, smiled in his
most winning fashion, bowed,
stepped to the side of the aston
ished Athene, gripped him firmly by
the wrist, bowed again to the audi
ence, whispered to the other to dc
the same, and gradually backed into
the wings as if it had all been pre-.
meditated affair, and he had been
waiting for the shot! Wonderful!
Oh, but the effect was immense. /
never saw a finale so thrilling. For
a second or two the house could not
get over its scare, and they did not
catch on, but when they did they
sank back to their places with a sigh
of relief that we could hear behind
the scenes. Someone laughed and
then the applause broke out in a per-
feet storm. Athene wanted to go out
and take it, but the manager calmly
gripped him without word and held
him back while Calbert went on.
After it was all over we revi-ed the
woman and made up purse for her
and sent her away-back to her par
ents, I think it was. she went; but
the little devil himself, we had to
turn adrift from the simple fact that
we had no evidence to hold him. It
killed his show business. however,
and heard later that he got stuck
like pig with one of his own knives
by Spanish woman down in New
Orleans, and have always been glad
of it. He certainly deserved some
thing heroic"