Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-27
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Tragedy.
lOriEinal.I

| Il have not received your card. sir"
she said in an offended tone. How
did you get up here without being an
nounced:"
Il need TO introduction, madam" re-
piled the man. Il come from your
Cousin Elizabeth. 1t is she who gives
me access to YOU
There was an unmistakable sign of
insanity about the man, Il glitter in
| the eye. She had once before encOun-
tered such Il person, who had been
much affected ut seeing her perform.
and she suspected this might be 4 sim
liar case.
You were 1T the theater last niGht?"
she asked cOolly.
Il was | saw on the mimic stage
| the semblance of reality. l came to
| enact the real
In what capacity?"
The principal part in the last act Of
the tragedy. the headsman."
The woman shuddered. 1t was evil
| dent that this dethroned reason had
been turned in the channel of murder.
But she controlled herself. Having
from the first realized her danger and
| having vague plan of saving herself
by humOring the man till she could
summon help. she had assumed the
tone OF Il queen.
The headsman! And what do you
in the chamber of your victim? Your
place is on the scaffOld."
The man looked about him. as if on
another scene. Was he on Tower hill,
the magnates of England seated close
ly about the scafTold, beyond the COM
mons, packet closely, with upturned
faces. or was he within the narrow
limits of a prison chamber? The wo-
man studied his face and knew from
his attitude that he was taking the
pose depicted in pictures of the heads
man of the sixteenth century.
I'VE stand ON the scafold.' he said, |
looking at the floor. land there" point !
irg to Il foot rest, sis the block. Stand |
up that 1 may cut off your locks"
1T is customary" the woman STAN |
mered. ION such occasions for Il war
rant to be issued signed by the royal |
hand. Is this a legal execution or Il |
judicial murder:'
The warrant. madam, is in the |
hands of the sheriff. Come. let US pro- !
coed. The people are becoming clam |
orous."
The actress was terror stricken. II |
she called for help it might precipitate |
matters. She could not escape because |
there was 10 other cgresS than that in |
which the man stood. Something must !
be done to turn the bent of his mind.
Presently: summOning all her resolu-
ton and assuming a bitter tone, she
spoke again:
Can it he that our liege lord, King
Henry. is minded TO bring rs. his true
and faithful wife. to the block?"
king Henry
Yes. man; King Henry. And 1 his
queen. Katherine" She rose and went
on with tragic fervor:
"A woman q dare say without vsinglory)
Never yet branded with suspicion?
Have ! with all my full affections
Still met the king? Loved him next heav-
en-? Obeyed him?
Been out of fondness superstitiOus to him?
Almost forgot my prayers to content him?
And am thus rewarded"
While she spoke she fixed her eye up
on that of the lunatic and threw all /
her soul into her part. her powers in
tensified by the knowledge that she
was playing not to n crowded house
for fame and money, but to a single
mailman for her life. The man stood
looking at her, Il shadow of perpleXity
gathering on his brow. The actress
continued:
Pray. do my service to his majesty.
He has my heart yet and shall have my
prayers
While I shall have my life
Madam" gasped the lunatic, ARE
you not the queen of Scots?"
Il am queen of England.
4" 80 dare not make myself so guilty.
To give up willingly that noble title
Your master wed me to. Nothing but
death
Shall e'er divorce my disnities."
The man saw before him Il woman
who was a queen and all Il queen. but
not the queen he wanted. In every
word, every gesture. every step, the
action impressed him. What was this
that was befuddlinG his poor brain?
He was there to behead the queen OF
Scots, and he was listening to the
plants of the queen of England.
Madam" he faltered. your suffer
ings have turned your brain. You are
not Katherine. queen of England, but
Mary. queen of Scots"
Seeing her advantage. she pressed it.
Standing for 4 moment. her eyes fixed
on his in silence. presently she adj
vanced a step. then another. pointing
her finger at him as some avenging
spirit coming to her destruction. Then
she spoke or rather Kissed:
Take heed. for heavens sake take heed
lest at once
The burden of my SORROWS fall at once
upon ye.'
There was the Quintessence of venge-
ance in the woman's look. The man
who had come TO behead her Quailed.
AS she advanced a step he retired a
step. All the while she held his eye
with hers. and when she passed an
electric button and, reaching back,
pressed il he did not see what she did.
She hoped that some one below would