The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-09

4 DTlDe IakeTi BamDler huu uTuhNaiN' So"A~
intervene where blood had been shed.
But Waejka's chance had passed. 1t does
not return. Ndiuschd. cowed, humbly goes
upstairs to the kitchen, there to clean the
samovar. and the aged Lukd groans. FOR
he knows what life il, and its queer eddies
and whirpoolI of chance
| He has comforted tho dying wife OF the
locksmith, Anna by name, and, with all the
| ribaldry, drunkenness and profanity around
them, whispers in her ears consoling words
She has known naught but misery, s'arVa-
stion, cold and blows her life long. Her
brutal husband is presented IA the type or
the workman who il always preaching OF
f, the dignity OF labor. He Ia a workman
| he proudly asserts to the thief, and files
| away al his locks while his wife lies gasp
ing We catch Al rain Of Tolstoy in the
retort Of the thief, who tells him that work
! alone doesn't make a man. Thick OF APP
prehension, the huge dolt sits and files
! When his wife begs for more air, he tells
| her to go out into the yard-the place IL
already too cold Then he moves over 10
her and offers her some bread. He even
asks il she suffers Finally. with the
| OlUeTS, he ledVeR IOT tne taNeTu HN Dig
listens to Luka's words Wasjkd enters
and laughs them to scorn. IL there God!
| The company. which has returned. discusses
violently this question. Talk. talk talk
the Russian tramp will talk all day II you
| give him a theme and a drink. III one
believes in God, interposes Lukd, then
| God exists: If one does not, then there Is
no God. 1t is a neat metaphysical eva
| sion, but the others are momentarily ST.
enced. Was ka has boasted that he fears
neither life nor death Anna quietly dies
while the rest are Cabling, and instantly
q hush pervades the sordid scene. Dead!
What does that mean? A moment ago
qlerulously begging for quiet now quiet
forever The young criminal edges his
way upstairs, his Dragging spirit clean
| gone, Dead! Some one must go to the
tavern and tell the husband. The police
must be informed; the sooner the better
for the mans sake. He might be sls-
| pected -! The curtain falls on NOV
! ing spectacle. one quite devoid OF the
sentimental m,ish offered by melodramaiic
| authors To their audiences
Anohe case in which Lukd interferes is
| that Of the old actor. We gather from this
abiect wrecks disconnected speeches that
he has been a dramatic artist in his time
but, as he repeats, parrot-fashion, he has
poisoned his organism with alcohol He
picked up the phrase from the doctor al the
poorhouse intirmary. This Caricature of
| humanity, this wrath with brilliant past,
has drfted into the back waters Of the
| night refuge and there awaits death. One
| CLEAN of light he is made to see before
! the end. LukG tells him Of IA city which
| contains u hospital for the cure of drunken
| ness. There must the actor go and there
begin new life. new life! The words
ravish his ears stunned by debauchery
and wake momentary vista Of hope.
Where il this city? Lukd cannot tell. He
has forgotten but he will surely remember
! The actor later relates to the cynical street.
walker he good news. His brain stimu
lated by the intrusion OF a new idea sirs
| to life He quotes, misquotes, Shakes
peare: recalls bits OF Lear" and breaks
down in recitation. The word, the word
what is il? Exalted he waves his arms
| wildly and PUSHES out to the haven OF rest ,
the tavern. When the dead woman is
| surrounded by the speechless crowd the
old actor comes in mounts a table and
! deelajms- his speech --Hs-remembers. The
effect ia ghastly
| Lukd has also conversations with the
baron This odd bundle OF bones lives
on the Young woman mentioned above.
| II he can't get vodka he will drink drugs
| these failing he will sit and gnaw his nails
as a mouse gnaws the wires of it's cage;
or he will sit cross-legged for hours on
the top Of the Russian stove and listen to
story telling His catch word is talk
more: anything for an anecdote. He
mocks continually the woman who sup
ports him She is an inveterate senti-
mentalist, and every day tells story about
| a student Of noble birth who once threat
ened to shoot himself for love OF her But
az the baron sarcastically points out, the
| name of this imaginary hero liz CASTOR
one day another it 10 Raoul. He taunts
the poor devil into despair and drunken
ness Luka expostulates. He touches the
spring that sets working the young mans
recollectons OF a happy and honorable
past He was the son of wealthy, noble
family He had his coffee in bed in the
morning yes. it ia true! He had servants,
| horses, wife. Why was he born? No
idea! Why did he marry? No idea! Why
is he still living? No idea Why will he
die?--
Then the woman has her revenge. 1t
il her chance and she takes il, She sneers
at the barons lies. He take his coffee in
bed! Not he. Liar he is when he boasts Of
his birth. yagabond! The episode is as
ugly as II it happened under our eyes
His secret weakness exposed, the baron
breaks into hysterical weeping, which
presently modulates into fierce anger.
Seiznga glass, he attempts to hurl it at her
head. But the storm subsidies; and soon
they are all drinking and shouting. You
feel as II you had been viewing the scene
from a hidden window. so realistic il the
performance by the troupe OF the Kleines
Theatre.
The climax is attained in the third act.
row is precipitated during which the
lodging house keeper is killed. Who struck
the blow? Loudly his widow denounces
Wusjkd He Is the murderer of her hus-
band, no the thief who threatened 30 often
the life OF her good man. In the con-
fusion the police rush in, Wasjkd Ia man
acled; but so is the woman, for Natdscho
bears witness that she overheard her sister
plotting the death Of her husband with