The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-22
The LITTLE BLACKBlRD
BY Viggo Toepfer.

Copyright, 1904, by w. r. Hearst.)
We had been busy arranging "A new
Christmas play for Theatre DIES Varieties,
and the parts had all been given out cX-
cept the Blackbird III The Dance of the
Birds" For this part l wanted Il young
girl with large, dark eyes, dark hair and
delicate features, slender and graceful.
Many had aspired, but | had not found
any girl who suited NE.
The day after the first rehearsal the
stage manager came to me and said that
he had found just the girl ! wanted.
She is very young, has the most beau
tiful eyes, a pure Roman profile and aris-
tocratic hands and feet. She comes from
Warsaw and speaks French with just the
least little bit of an accent. She lives III
an attic in Quarter Latin"
The next afternoon ! knocked at her
door, having climbed five steep flights of
stairs. A servant opened, and l entered
a scantily furnished room, where l saw a
very young girl lying on a sofa.
! told her that | had written a play for
he Theater des Varieties and wanted her
TO take one of the parts. She was de-
lighted at the prospect, and we were soon
talking together like old friends.
From the next room came the sound Of
a piano, and when she stopped to listen
l pointed to a stethoscope lying on the
manteipiece and asked what it was and II
she could play on it.
She smiled and said: Yes, it does look
like a musical Instrument; but it is used
to count the beats of my heart. II belongs
to NJ. Nillars, a medical student, who is
very good to me-"
Are you often sick"
Yes. there are days when my ches
hurts me so that | can hardly breathe, and
NJ. Nillars says l must be very careful
do you follow his advice"
She smiled sadly and looked thoughtful
ly at the dying embers in the fireplace.
LAS far as | can. But it is the old story
about wine and eggs and chicken broth,
when you are lucky to be able to have u
crust of bread"
] felt ashamed, knowing that l had come
to offer her - francs a week.
| thought she was going to tell me the
history of her life, but she only told me
that she was an orphan, her parents hay
ing both died with consumption soon after
coming to Paris, that her name was Made
line, and that she made i living making
line embroideries.
The music in the next room continued.
weird. sad and melancholy tunes which
made Il strange impression upon me.
She saw that l was listening. and said:
'Oh, that is Kowoski, a countryman of
mine. We call him the ghost because he
Is so terribly thin, and he is as poor as a
/ lolSc l. away li8SS ii7 W
compositions when he isl
The door opened and a tall, bony figure
entered. He was indeed so thin that he
was nearly transparent. and his once black
Prince Albert coat WIS rusty, patched and
threadbare.
When he saw me he turned to leave. but
Madeline called him back to ask him to
look after her fire, as she was going out,
and would be back. He nodded his assent,
and a minute after we heard him laying
again.
He never has any fire, so I always ask
him to look after mine when l go out
Madeline said, With an indescribable eX-
preston of kindness in her beautiful eyes.
For two weeks Madeline was at the re-
hearsals every day. and 1 soon discovered
that she was a born actress, a genius who
would have the world before her feet if
her physical strength would allow her to
continue on the stage. l began writing d
play for her in which she would conquer
Paris.
one day she did not come to rehearsal
and a few lines from NJ. Nillars told me
that she was dangerously i'll. l went to
him the next morning and he told me
there was no hope.
she is crazy for the theater, and the
idea that her part now Will go to another
worries her terribly. You must so and tell
her that you Will wait for her and that
no one else will play the blackbird.'
We went into her room. She was sleep
ing, but she looked as if she We're dead.
kowoski sat at her bed and hot tears
were rolling down his poor, wrinkled
checks. I slipped d hundred fracs bill into
his hand and whispered to him to see that
she had the best of care, and left the room
80 as not to wake her up.
The next day I brought her a sketch in
water colors of her costume in the play,
and her face beamed with JOY while she
looked at it. She called Kowoski to her
bed and said:
See. Sascha. how l am to look in the
play-cap with black feathers. velvet waist
with lace, shoes with heels of steel, and
toes hat look like claws
He tackled the sketch upon the wall over
ler bed where she could see it, and I told
ner that we We're waiting for her to get
we'll, as we could not do without her.
a few days after I brought her the cos
tune, which made her radiantly happy.
She sat up In bed and could not get tired
looking at the little satin shoes with steel
heels and claws.
oh, how I have longed to see all this.
You have made me SO happy that feel l
must give you q kiss
I bent down to kiss her forehead when
| she suddenly sighed and fell back on the
pillow.
Wowoski hurried out for Nj. Villars, who
| came rushing in. a minute afterward.
Bring the lamp over here and take
kowOSki away. He must not see her.
But poor old Kowoski had already seen
| enough. He stood leaning against the wall
looking at the blood which had dyed the
iheets crimson, but which now had ceased
lowing.
She is dead he sobbed. And he was
tight. My poor little blacllbird was no
llore.
g..