Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-04-15
written TO his mother. and she is fair
ly prostrated. So here / am"

You may have been too careful"
suggested. THE boy should know the
facts. He'll know them some day
Let's go and see him now together"
ITS too late" said Crawford. Hes
gone to the theater. I'm to meet him
afterward. Suppose we have a look
at the play"
together for little while we strolled
over TO the theater.
The play was sort of sentimental
comedy by an English dramatist, a
very good piece of work. it seemed to
me. | had heard of it. but had never
seen it performed and was ignorant
of the story which it presented. Its
leading idea was that a very good fel-
low upon his deathbed had put his
mOtherless boy into the care of his
best friend. who had accepted the trust
with the highest resolve to execute it
faithfully. Three other men who had
known and loved the father were col
leagues in this great and difficult task
lis which might beset him up to no.
BILE and honorable manhood.
AT the rise of the curtain the youth Is
supposed to have attained his twenty-first
birthday, and the story of his guardian
ship Is disclosed to the audience in the
first act, together with the facts that the
four protectors have led gay life In their
time and that the boy shows signs of a
tendency to do likewise.
Wally Ford played the part of the
youngster, and l thought that his work
was really excellent. Indeed, the whole
company was surprisingly good, especially
the young woman who Din real life not in
the play) had ensnared Wally's affections.
Upon the stage she had the role of an in
nocent girl to whom the four guardians
have betrothed the boy.
she's rather pretty. Don't you think
sop said to Ford.
Yes. confound it," he replied, "she is
with her makeup on
There's no makeup that is equal to the
self delusion of young fellow in love"
said |. This gi-l never painted her own
face as Wally's fancy paints it,"
Its queer thing" said Crawford a
moment later that there's splendid girl
in this company. Mrs. Ford told me about
her-good family irreproachable character
with her he'd have had the maternal
blessing. Mrs. Ford has no prejudice
against actresses She's broad minded
woman She knows that there are lots of
nice girls on the stage. and she believes in
the work If a person really feels called to
1t. She put no obstacle in Wallys way
when he expressed a wish to be an actor,
and think she's right. 1t is an honorable
work. Now. this play, for instance is full
nfa An md
You'll see"
(which is the nice girl-the one whom
Mrs. Ford likes?" l asked.
"You won't see her till the third act" he
said. "She plays the adventuress.'
1.-THE deuce she does!' said |.
1t Is the plot of the piece that this ad-
ventures Is led to believe that the youth
has a lot of money, and she therefore
agrees to marry him-if he will settle 1t
all upon her. In reality he hasn't anything
except what his guardians give him. The
adventures is connected with the dra-
matte profession In very lurid capacity.
and she Is spoken of as having seen "a
great deal of the world"
The youth in the play Is totally blind
and deaf so far as the adventures is con-
cerned. He won't hear word said against
her. He asserts his own judgment with
the explosive confidence appropriate to his
the older and wiser men who have reared
him for his fathers sake and would make
any sacrifice to shield him from disaster.
I beheld this plot unfolding before me
with a slowly growing wonder at the
amazing coincidence which was involved.
"How long" I whispered to Crawford
has Wally been playing this part?'
'All the season. he replied.
"A hundred times, at least said !. "A
hn ha hp15 i'm
icry of folly to the eyes of the multitude,
and, by the living lingo, he has never seen
1t himself
'It does At his own case to the life,
doesn't it?' said Crawford
The curtain had fallen upon the second
act, at the close of which the chief trustee
of the boy decides to buy the adventures
outright for the small sum Of G1,000 as the
only way of rescuing the youthful prey
from her clutches. We could speak more
at our ease between the acts.
How is 1t possible said l. that he can
play this part over and over again and in
his private life enact the very folly which
he holds up to the public for a lesson?"
II don't know" said Crawford. "Doesn' t
look reasonable that a man could do that;
upon my word 1t doesn't. Loves a queer
thing"
"Do you think that the fellow on the
adventures?
mo" said he; mot really"
"Well, neither Is Wally in love with this
girl He Is suffering from a species of
| self hypnosis He is under the influence
of delusion. We must wake him up"
"I'll have another try at him after the
| show" said Crawford 1.-THE company
| doesn't leave town ttll tomorrow He is
| coming to my room at the hotel. Well
| both do our best. It's a serious matter.
| my friend Wally may marry the girl any
| day" ,.
We saw the remainder of the play and
| then walked back to the hotel. Half an
| hour later there was an unnecessarily loud
rap at the door, and Wally Ford strobe
| in tall, handsome and strong. / observed
| an excess of dignity, an effort to seem
| older than his years-in fact, very much
| the same demeanor that he uses on the
stage when he says, '"There comes time
| in every mans life when his own judg-
ment Is of far more use to him than any
| other PERSONS.
The reply in the play is, perhaps this
| is not one of those times
But the Internal difficulty Is to beat
such conviction into the head of an OBJ
| stinate boy.
Wally started at the sight of me, and
there was an added defiance in his manner
when he returned my greeting. l hastened
to assure him that my presence in the
city was entirely accidental. and he said
with whitening glance at Crawford, thai
| he was glad to hear 1t.
There is really no use In setting dowr
here what we said to him that night. II
would have been just the same If we hat
read to him out of the city directory. MY
statement that the very part he played
should teach him prudence and respect fol
| the Judgment of his elders nearly procured
me some broken bones, Did l venture tt
compare Miss Harrington with the woman
of the drama? Oh, dear, no: not for thu
world. Still there was a faint basis fol
comparison in the fact that she was flv'
years older than himself.
Miss Harrington is but twenty-six.
said he. "She Is two years older than