The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-29
RO1IEO AND JULIET.

| Juliet sat on the clothes horse,
! ShiVering in her burial robes under a
muff and tippet
Tonight's rehearsal had been the
worst of all. Nobody seemed to take
| any interest or to enter into the spirit
/ OF 1t; the thing had dragged so long
the enthusiasm was all dissipated and
players went through their parts like
marionets, and the z4th was only three
days off; it looked as though the
whole affair would be a failure.
1t was out of the question TO give it
up now, however, for the members of
/ the club had pledged themselves for
\ $50 toward the fund, so there was
nothing to do but see the miserable
thing through to the bitter end, and
/ then give up the East End Amateur
Dramatic club for ever. Yes, indeed,
| for ever and ever.
When nobody else felt any RESPONSE
bility or tried to take himself seri-
ously, why should she? This decision
cost her more than any one guessed,
for it meant the death blow TO the
hope she had secretly cherished of
treading the professional boards.
AS the president of the club, she
mad selected the play, unselhshly re-
the use of her music room for the re-
hearsals, and worked very hard to
keep the other members satisfied with
their roles. and now, three days be-
rore the performance, the company
was no nearer perfection than it was
month ago. 1t did seem hard after
all she had done.
The nurse, who was just beginning
10 get a little meaning in her lines,
catches the influenza; the stupid car
penter sends up a balcony so high that
Juliet must needs stoop to keep her
head from being lost in the clouds
and Jack. the perfdious. has had the
impudence to tell her that her Juliet
would be a good GaIatea.
Although she did not know it, this
was the sole reason for her detection
h2lHnnV inf
irremediable, but her quarrel with Jack
in the light of her overwrought nerves,
certainly was. If he had been decently
civil and apologized afterward, she
would not have cared, but he had
aughed-laughed outright in her face
and before the whole company, as if he
had thought it good joke.
And she had been saying such nice
things about his Romeo. She had even
conhded to Tybalt that Jacks Romeo
was at times really inspiring, but of
course, that was all a mistake. for
Jacks acting could never have been
anything but abominable.
The energy with which she came to
this decision brought the clothes horse
and the historical leading lady to the
floor with a crash. Friar Laurence and
Lady Capulet, who had been dancing in
the hall, came running in to see what
was the matter, and the sneezing nurse
still full of her role, ran to Juliet with
something that sounded like:
What no, Ladybirdi Dow, what's the
matter with your" While the perfdious
Romeo sauntered in and coolly picked
Juliet up and deposited her on top of an
imprOvised tomb.
VIII you please just leave me al
lone. Mr.. Davis?'' sobbed the offended
Juliet, to her astOnished rescuer.
Why, what have I done?" exclaimed
Romeo. You didn't think meant what
1 said about Galatea, did you? Well,
anyway, I take it all back. You'd be
better Niobe now"
l. 70 ri rNf Il
cency, seemed to think he was witty,
and he laughed again.
When at last the troupe had dispersed
and the heartless Jack had called back
pened, Good night. little Niobe; hope
you'll feel better tomorrow" she drag
ged her bruised knees, that still bore
the impress of. the clothes horse, up
stairs, and crept into her little bed,
where, alone in the dark, the tragedy,
the tomb and the family bosses of the
real Juliet seemed as nothing com
pared with the sorrows she, Amy Har-
per. had to bear.
The following day Miss Amy was
kept a prisoner in her room and threat
ened with a rest cure when her absurd
theatricalS'' were over if she did not
take things more calmly; and the violetS
Jack sent up as a peace offering We're
promptly bestowed on the housemaid,
who was down with the measles.
That night a very redeyed, reproach-
to Speak again, bright angel!" But the
bright angels voice was shaken with
anger when, after having electrified her
audience of chairs with the lines that
led up to-'Tll frown and be perverse
and say"-the incorrigible Jack had
muttered so loud every one in the wings
could hear, Lord, no! Don't be any
more perveFse than you naturally are"
The night of the oath the company
assembled for the first time promptly
at the appointed hour. The stage car
penter, costumer, property man and
dresser were all Tuning and sQuabbling
over belated details, but the players
themselves were preternaturally calm,
nerved by a grim determination to do
or die. owing perhaps to a dose of
bromide Mrs. Harper had administered
to the actors as they entered the door.
Any'S fears that something might go
wrong that some one might forget his
lines, or be seized with stage fright,
were somewhat allayed when she saw
how the crucial test affected her.
She was perfectly composed, knew ev-
cry line forward and backward. and
felt serenity confident she was going to-
acquit serself as the president of the
East End Amateur Dramatic club
should.
She had, in fact, so far recovered from
the despair of few minutes before that
she had asked an out of town manager
to be present with a view to trying her
fortune on the stage.
The nervousness and anxiety of the
past few weeks had told somewhat on
her looks, but when she saw the rehec-
ton of Juliet in her ball gown, she be-
gan to feel there was after all some
out of life, although she was not on
speaking terms with Jack
The nurse was sufficiently recovered
to go through with her part, and she
certainly did do it creditably. and, as
for Romeo, a week ago she would have
said he was superb.