The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-09-18

| actress. Had he been inclined 10
| porty cas- and hankeringS for
'green-room escapades. and affairs
with bellies of the stage. such as af-
tiict so many otherwise normal young
| fellows. he never would have become
entagled with Viola Markham. and
certainly never would have given
Podgsrs Corners such a shock as he
did.
Paul grew up a very commonplace
sort of boy He was steady, indus
trious and saving. Everybody about
POdgers Corners agreed that he was
model boy-only some insisted he
was not overly bright. But Others
said II was only lack of imagination.
! Of that you may judge later.
He accomplished great deal in his
slow. methodical manner, however.
and by the time he was in the early
twenties had cleared the cumbersome
indebtedness from ;he farm left by
his father when he and his sister
were mere children, and improved the
property until it was one of the
model farms in the vicinity. When his
sister married he divided the farm so
as TO leave the homestead in her part
and after that he lived with her and
began to add to his own acres.
He never had felt desire to live
in the city" nor even to go there.
He moved contentedly in his little
sphere his only extravaganza being
books. and he grew to be stalwart.
hard-handed, sun-burhed son of the
soil
When it became necessary Tor nm
TO go to the city to fix up some dis
1uted matters with the firm to which
he sold large part of his produce,
he regarded the event with dread.
1t was largely because of his sis
ter's repeated admonitions that Paul
determined to visit theater. He had
only partially completed his business
and had to stay over another day
anyway. So he found himself facing
the footlights from a balcony seat
and mentally clubbing himself for
wasting rs cents in so scandalous a
manner.
just then the curtain went m
and a moment later Paul Comstock
was plunged into a new world. He
had never seen play before and the
scene before him was as real as life
TIe sat. leaning forward, with half
parted lips. drinking in the panorama
before him. 1t was all so new. so
altogether wonderful that he rubbed
his ewes to see if it were not dream
His interest quickly centered in the
vivacious soubrette who played the
inrenue She was merry little
blond and had very good part as
sweet and guileless maiden who
solved everybodv's troubles and cir
cumvented the burly, black-mus-
tached villain, despite the most
alluring temptations.
Paul Comstoc< thought she was the
most beautiful creature in the world.
Never in his widest dreams had ne
imagined such human perfection. As
. matter Of fact. he had thought lit
lie about women. Romance had thus
FAR had no place in his life or mind.
re had seen Only the plain. sim
sic girls of his neighborhood
with only their rural attire
and taste to enhance thci~ natural
2bHlrns lie knew nothing Of the art
If stage "mak ~-up" end TO him this
orious creature behind the foot
.,i@,stS was Just what she appeared
\ gl,o 1,tn
When the curtain went down on the
frSt act he sought ont her name on
tie programme. It was 'Niola Mark
lam" Each succeeding act added to
lis icntranccment, When the end
trame he sighed deeply and stumbled
from the theater.
a1fe went home next day bearing in
his 'innermost heart the vision of
.o,den- haired. blueeyed divinity all
smiles and ~race-a ray of sunshine
whirh thereafter warmed and slim
MA 1nd his lonesome life. He built air
pastles, of which she was part, by
duvi anl-dreamed of her by night.
Tie lived on his lonely life very
much ffit@ same as of old. but a new
elem ent had come into it. He had
built a Shrine and placed therein
memory.
!. A year or more later he saw
paragraph in newspaper which
start led him as lie had never been
start led before. 1t read:
ssA benefit performance will be
given Saturday afternoon at the Ly-
ce,umT foru Viola Markham, who has
been doing ingenue parts in well
known companies for some years. and
who has been seriously i'll. Miss
MARKHAM does not improve as rapid
" as hoped snfi the physicians say it
is, absolutely necessary for her to
giye up all thought Of work and seek
..Asolute rest and quiet and country
air for long season. Her friends
hope. 10 realize enough by the Benefit
perf5rmance' ito senabe her to do
thiQ"
HPanlfs heart vs,Anli as he read, and
he. marveled . greatly that so fair
divinity should not have legions of
powerful friends who would jump at
The chance TO aidfher in distress, and
il was incomprehensible to him. The
idea Of her being i'll and poor dis.
tressed him beyond Measure.
And when, week later, he read