Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-16

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 IT AVE you seen the last issue o,
 the Clipper?" The question was asked by a rather plump, smooth faced, pleasant sort of fellow, as we were lounging in the rotunda of the Watson house-a resort of the pro- fesh' between seasons.
 Upon my answering in the negative, he pushed back his Panama, settled himself down in his great armchair, put up his feet at a convenient angle, on another, displaying pair of pas sionate hose, and while his features took on an expression of retrospective amusement, he continued:
 'sWel1, see Calbert is dead. Did you ever know him? Did a stunt in the continuous. Smoke pictures and magic and such stuff. Oh, he was good, and I'm sorry to hear he's dead. l was his side-partner once, and I al- ways did like him. He was all right, every way you take him, and therell be lots worse off for his funeral. never will forget the time was work ing with him on the Empire circuit. That was eight years ago. Oh, he was top-liner when he died, I tell you! He got his $500 week and never played on Sundays.
 F'He was as brave as a lion and as quick on the trigger as they make them, and he never stood for anything crooked nor underhand anywhere. He was great shakes for helping the weak, and I've seen him give his last dollar away to set up some woman whose hus band or partner had deserted her. I remember once we were doing brother song and dance stunt down at Memphis at the Grand. On the bill there was the usual melange from grand opera to prize fighting, and among them was 8 team doing fancy shooting and knife throwing. They were a man and his woman-circus people, think-who were trying their luck in vaudeville-and they stopped at the same hotel as we did; in fact, had the very next room. He was one of those little, wiry, black-haired chaps with a temper like a tiger, dis sipated and cruel as they make them; and she was one of those slender, deli cate types of women with high voice and yellow hair that you see every once in awhile. She was a swell dress CT, and quiet and peaceful; but to look in her face when she wasn't on exhibi- tion, blind man could have seen the trouble there. First time Calbert saw her, we were at band rehearsal Sun day morning, and she came in, with her hands full of her grips, and, this fellow. following her, scolding and { l. II. IL She surprised us from the fact she didn't answer back. Calbert was right in the middle of solo, with the orches- tra strumrning away, half asleep, when they crossed behind him, and the fel- low-Athene, I think he called himself --let out an unusually ugly oath. Cal bert stopped short. wheeled about and stared him coldly in the face. The man half paused and his lips parted over his ugly white teeth, as if he dared any interference. Calbert eyed him for moment, and then said: What sort of a pup are you? Don't you know a woman from cat?'.
 "sHow did you get in this? Tend to your own business. She's my wife, he answered..
 "sWell, I don't care if she's your mother. My business is to attend to any man that swears at woman in my presence, and if you speak once more like that while I'm around, one or the other of us will have to cancel for this bill. See?' and he eyed him squarely in the face.
 "Their stunt was to do some fancy shooting at swinging targets, hitting each one alternately while the orches- tra kept time to the shots by playing the 'Marsellaise,' breaking glass balls on time limit and all that sort of stuff, and ending with a display of knife throwing that was really thrill ing when one considered what might have happened if ever there should be mistake. You've seen the act, haven't you? No? Oh, every circus has it. They stand a woman up against board and throw knives at her, try ing to see how near they can come to her without hitting.
 ssWell, I remember, one evening, after the show was over, and we had gotten back to our room, Calbert was sitting on the end of his trunk unlacing his shoes, and I was trying to make up my mind whether wanted a drink or not, when we heard his squeaky little voice suddenly raised in the next room, in most sickening oath. Oh, I swear myself, lots more than ought 1 to, but I never could stand hearing a man curse a woman. He let 'em fly l at her in a blue streak, and then there was rush of feet, struggling sound and a woman's voice in pleading tones that ended in gurgle. It all hap | pened so quick that I was still shiver- ing in the shock when looked up and saw Calbert's face, set and white. In l about two shakes he had passed me, 1 dashed out into the hall and threw himself against the other door. By | chance it was not locked, and I reached | there just in time to see him grab the | dirty villain by the throat as he bent over the woman's form, lying across l the bureau, and whirl him backwards across the room. It took just two 1icks | to settle him, and when I pulled Cal bert off, the other was meek as a lamb. The woman had pulled herself to- l gether and tottered over to the man