Evening journal., 1903-06-27
STONEGRAVE
OVERMAaN

here? directed the attendant to ad-
NIT no one"
"Never mind that. ] am here to read
you a play, play in whichsthere is a
great deal of money. a play
Leave it. l will read It,"
give me five minutes of your time.
/ will read you the first lines. Then
you can finish it at your leisure"
Without waiting for permission, the
stranger, a tall, spare man, with point
ed mustache and chin tuft, glittering
black eye and hook nose, began to re-
cite without referring to the manu-
script the opening lines OF his play.
Never before had the manager heard
such versatility in the assumption of
different characters. Now the reader
was the loving father, now the inno-
cent girl, the hopeful man of twenty
one Into all these he infused the in
dividuality Of the part, but when he
came TO the principal character, the
villain, his listener was lost in wonder.
Presently the reader stopped, took out
his watch and said:
"rhe time l asked is up"
eco on"
The reading proceeded, and when the
play was finished the manager, as
founded at the vigor of the play and
the genius of the reader, asked for his
name.
"My name is StOnegrave Overman. l
think l have satisfied you that / can
write a play. At the first rehearsal
shall satisfy you that can act par"
"You will persOnate"-
"The villain"
In halp an hour the playwright left
the theater with a contract, and in two
weeks the play was produced, with
Stonegrave Overman cast for the prin-
cipal part
"What a singular nameW exclaimed
every one. "Stonegrave Overmanl Who
is the man anyway? don't find any Of
the theatrical profession who ever
heard of him."
When the star came on, notwith-
standing there was something forbid
ding in his personnel. he soon captured
plain that he was a villain-and yet he
was a seductive villain who made the
part which had been constructed to
show the superiority Of virtue con-
temptible. The manwho played this vir-
tyous role had long been a favOrite on
the stage and was noted for the effec-
tiveness with which he would declare
q noble sentiment. And yet tonight his
efforts seemed to be strained. Try as
he would he could not infuse into his
many opportunities for making 'the
good" seem adorable the necessary vim.
Beside the stranger, with his insinuat-
ing villainies, he seemed to dwindle ei-
ther into insignifcance or pharisaical
cant or both.
In the third act, wherein was the cli-
max of the play, the air without had
become heavy laden and a fierce
storm came on. A wild wind howled,
the lightning blazed, the thunder
crashed. This commotion of the ele-
ments seemed to inspire the star with
genius. While the other actors and the
audience were trembling he gllded
about the stage as If stimulated by re-
freshing drafts of sparkling wine. His
wit. his sarcasm, all those speeches that
were thrown in TO give effectiveness
and charm to his part fairly scintillat
ed. Once several of the audience, those
with remarkably acute eyeslght
thought they saw a myriad of faint
sparks enclrcllng the actor which they
attributed to the electrical condition OF
the atmosphere.
Suddenly there came a remarkable
change. During a momentary lull IN
the storm when the star was address
ing the man of the noble part with q
merciless satire that was making hin
cringe in spite of himself, lowering his
voice and pausing to render the las
word effective, there came the fain
sound of a distant bell. Whether It de
noted the celebration of a mass, a toll
ing for the dead, whatever it was, th'
actor seemed trans6gured. Prom thu
bold, devil may care creature whose re
splendent acts and words were throw
ing the good into shadow he became fl
a twinkllng a whipped spaniel. Their
were three strokes of the bell, indicat
ing that it signaled the elevation Of tn
host At the first the actor cringed, a
the second drew back a step toward {
wing close beside him and at the thir'
passed behind it. During the whole o
the retreat he was still the trembling
dog, with its tail between its legs, COW
ering before the raised whip Of 1t
master.
Something had gone wrong, but nc
body knew what it was. The stag
manager had the presence Of mind I
ring down the curtain. Later he cam
before the audience TO announce tina
the star had suffered a physical co
lapse and the play would not go on.
Behind the scenes all was commotiol
Some one turned out the lights, thoug
in the investigation that followed n
one would admit having done so. III
, stage manager directed a call boy to 2
for a doctor, then hurried to the win
behind which the star had retreate'
When he reached the spot it was dar
! as Frehus He called and receiving Il