The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-24

dying scene. that she can't bring herself to
stop acting. But the impartial account
must tell that the odd innovation is theat-
rically impressive. Armand holds her on
his breast Her voice is almost gone and
feebly she whispers a desire to pray. He
carries her to a prie-dieu and there she
kneels, her head buried low in her arms
before tall cross. From a church across
the way comes the solemn chanting of a
New Years hymn. Armand stands near
her with his tender eyes fixed on her hard
ly animate body and her head sinking hum
bly, in the plea to heaven. Thus they re-
main silent for a minute that seems five in
its Intensity of silence. Then he touches
her arm, ever so gently, yet with a living
hand that sends the lifeless body backward
TO the floor. With a cry he bends over
her and kisses the soulless lips of the first
Camille have ever seen die on her knees.
Margaret Anglin's Camille dies in bed.
The apartment is not so poor as the former
ly prosperous courtesan is usually brought
down to in her last extremity. The bedstead,
which stands with it's foot toward the
audience, has a canopy of silk and pillows
of lace. The light is dim at first and we
back. She turns uneasily. means piteously,
and aWakens III pain. The watching Gas
ton gives medicines TO her. tells her that
Iporning has come ara opens "lndoW h TO
as her nightrobe and the bedclothes, is
brightly illumined. That is a new. strange
and awful moving picture. And ii is hardly
more than a pantOmime with signs, gaSpS
and feeble outcries, but scarcely any articu-
late speech. This Camille has no cought.
nor has Miss Harmed. No symptoms Of pull
monary consumption apparent in either
case. The disease might be any other of a
wasting nature. That is the single de-
parture from precedent that both actresses
agree in. Miss Harneds debilitation is
palpably assumed. for you can see the full
blooded health that ii thlnly overlays with
a pretense OF illness and she lets out her
voice in way that bellies her assertion of
weakness. That is preferable, however 10
one phase of the enervation which Miss
Anglins more delicate physique enables
her to simulate. Even before the death
scene Miss Anglin has kept her voice
low and faint that have had to call on
our memories to tell what she was saying.
Now she alters the wording to make IL fit
her changes In the action, besides weaken
ing her tones still more to indicate deadly
feebleness, and she might just well
be SpeechleSs.
Miss Angln's Camille doesn't die hard.
but she is reluctant and very. very slow.
She hugs Armand all over the bed till the
coverlid and the pillows tumbled. her
hair and nightdress are rumpled and there
is a suggestion of a wrestling match pro-
tracted by the inability of either contestant
10 force the others shoulders and hips to
the ground all at once and thus get the
referees decision under the rule. Still, L
am bound TO say that there is nothing TO
ridicule II is true, also, that neither o.
the new Candles causes much shedding OF
tears In the one case her SORROWS are
too theatrcally expressed and in the other
not theatrcally enough. One is over
demonstratve and the other is wearisomely
monotonous: We could foretell Miss Har-
neds vim, but the Intellectual quietude OF
Miss Anglin was a surprise believe she
would have got through Triumphant
however, II. she had placed herself under
the controI'of some wise director. Never
theess when the end comes. which is
about midnight, she expires quite as orig
inally as her rival does a quarter of an hour
earlier at another theater Her body re-
lakes In Armands embrace, her arms drop
limp, her head says forward on his shout
der and know that her broken heart
is at rest.
Henry Miller is the Armand to the Ca
mile OF Miss Anglin. He. too strikes out
for unconventionality. William Courtenay
serves Miss Harmed in that capacity and his
performance, while singularly intense In a
manly avoidance of the customary mawk-