Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-08-27

s In the first 16 shots 70 music. b,
missed Is straight, and ended By throw
ing his rife across the stage. Their
he essayed to shoot backwards at a
target by looking through a mirror
and missed again. This seemed to en-,
rage him beyond bounds, and he kept
up shooting at the thing until the man
ager had 10 whistle 10 him from the
wings, while the audience gave him
the laugh. Then the woman did her
turn, and hit everything before her,
and the audience, seeing how matters
stood, gave her three straight encores.
That aroused his jealousy and put a
point on his hate, and, Eerving him
self, be walked out, grabbed up a gun,
and emptied it at a flying target in
a truly wonderful manner. / was in
hopes that that would end the bust
ness, and that the woman would not
let him finish with the lInife-act, for
be was really in no condition, but she
seemed to either not fear him, or to
fear him worse off the stage than on
II, and she promptly placed herself
before the board while he gathered
an armful of knives and walked down
front and snarled at the house.
l noticed behind her, in the right
wing, Calbert was standing, his head
partly bowed and his eyes bent on
her as if he would look right through
her. saw him look at the man in
'front.' and then his fingers clutched
| into a fist and the veins on their
backs stood out, as when a fellow
gets ready 10 punch somebody lick.
As Athene gripped his first knife by
the point, whirled it around his head
and threw it into the air, / saw him
watch il hurtle past, like eat
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 skin in. |
playing with his victim. Once more
he turned and cast a knife, and this
time / caught my breath, for l saw
that il was aimed at the head and 4
would hit very close. 1t pinned a /
curl 20 the board and / saw shud- /
der 60 through her form as II she. |
too, had expected il to be her last. 1
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 a pistol and stepped back.
No one saw him, or seemed to notice
it, and l do not believe that Athene
knew he was posted where he was,
for when he turned for his third
cast ! am sure that from the CLEAN
in his eyes he was not thinking Of
anyone or anything but just the plot
in his dirty brain. His lips were
grinning, and l heard him softly
curse as he aimed a knife at the
woman before him. All at once il
flashed over me what he intended
doing. / don't know how it was, but
! felt / knew as well as II he had told
me. He was drunk. His hand was
shaky He had proven IL by his in
ability to shoot. He had gotten
$500 80 - 80 lf1A1F /
Across the way l could see Calbert
half crouching with the pistol raised
In his hand. Evidently he had no.
ticed it, and l caught myself wonder
ing il he would shoot the man be- {
fore IL was too late. He seemed !
about TO do it, when, with a final {
maudlin giggle, the thing whizzed
away, and / 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 a rattle,
and the knife fell broken at my feetl
Calbert with his gun had done it, I
Just as it seemed about TO enter her '
neck he had fired. and some Fate had I
guided his bulleti The woman must '
nave known it, for she had tainted I
md lay Imply against the board and
saw Calbert's face through a cloud
IF revolver smoke. Out in front, his
lrm still raised. Athene stood en-
RANGED, while from every run be-
.ween the scenes the shutters and !
company were peering and the audi .
nee had jumped upon its feet. The
lorror of it was in everybody's face,
md every heart had stood still. One
more and their would have 7
been a bedlam and the performance 5,
would have been ruined, had not Cal
'ert had the presence of mind TO save r
he situation. =
With his gun still in his hand, he
walked down front, smiled in his
most winning fashion, bowed.
topped to the side of the aston a
shed Athene, gripped him firmly by u
he wrist, bowed again to the audi
nee, whispered 20 the other to do 9
he same, and gradually backed into IN
he wings as if it had all been a pre-
neditated affair, and he had been
rafting for the shot Wonderful =,
N, but the effect was immense. I :,
ever saw a finale so thrilling. For
second or two the house could not =
ct over its scare, and they did not :.