Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-12
DAILY SHORT STORY
COUNTER CURRENTS.
tOriginal.l

1 1t WIS J1e lstSI performance 1fI6e
Green Monster and the company
would break up as soon as it was over.
Harold Gray. leading gentleman. was
to take n midnight train to join new
company and Marian Treyille. was to
do likewise. their engagements being in
cities thousand miles apart Miss
| Treville was playing heavy woman
| interfering with Mr.. Grays love affair
| with Cynthia King, leading lady. There
| was real romance going on inning
counter to the fictitious one. Grayrhad
been falling in love with the very, wo-
man by whose villainies he had fbeen
| thwarteI in his fictitious love To
make matters worse. Miss King, hero
inc. had been telling stories about
Miss Treville
The real denoument had come out as
| the actors in the double drama were
going on the stage. This made Gray's
| role extremely difficult. He was oblig-
ed to heap anathemas on the head of
| Miss Treville whom he had just dis
covered had been maligned by Miss
King. He was obliged to make love to
Miss King. who had caused all the mis-
chief between him and the woman he
really loved. The first opportunityshe
had TO speak his real mind was in the
third act, when having spoken his lines
he retired with Miss King, II. C., amid
thunder reverberating from sheet iron
behind the scenes. His concludingain
were:
Fair girl, the blacker this ,fiendzhas
painted you, the deeper my love- for
you"
While both We're dazed by flashes
of lightning and frightful crashes of
thunder. he added loud enough only for
her to hear:
What did you want to put up job
OH another woman for?'
Il didn't. That yarn came from q
chorus girl
At the end of the scene he took the |
girl in his arms, she wept and nobIy |
forgave her slanderer While the lights |
were being turned down TO slow music |
Gray growled:
Its lucky this is the last night. |
You've kicked up muss the company
wouldn't get over in a hurry The next
time you try 10 backen a woman's
reputation I'd advise you TO take
high kicking ballet girl"
Stop making a guy of yourself or
III go off the stage and tell the old
man | won't finish with you"
The threat had the desired effect, |
and the kiss that came at the end of
the scene was very realistic to the au-
dience. though the mans lips, being
nearer the wOman'S ear than her
mouth. whispered. or, rather. said for
what Is said on the stage in an ordina- |
ry voice can't be heard by an audience:
The only damage you've done you've
done yourself
The scene which had evoked univer-
sal cOmmendation for hundred and
ninety nine nights fell fiat on this the
two hundredth. and the curtain went
Town without the clapping of single
pair of hands. The manager was furi-
)us. Calling the leading actors togeth-
,r. he declared that he would withhold
helr salaries If they did not put aside
he company quarrel and do their parts
His threat served to make
hings go more easily, but all natural
less had gone out of the performance
md could not be forced back In the
leXt act the hero meets Miss TrevilIe.
Who Tin the play) had slandered his
owe. Unfortunately for good rendi-
ion he had really learned that il was
he who had been slandered. His lines =
an:
~ our sex protects you. / will not
peak an accusing word 10 or of a wo-
nan. In this you are safer than mar
ltrenched. / hold woman so sacred |
hat | cannot deny her even proper
eference." Bows very low.
Retiring amid applause. he found op-
to say:
THAT eat came pretty near making
hot for you, didn't she? Lucky we
OF onto her tracks"
But you believed her"
His part came on again, and he said ]
Z
GO. TO say that you have nv for !
veness is nothing. but when | say (
,u have the forgiveness of the woman !
)u have slandered il but expresses her
,bility" Z
Mr.. Gray did not get another on 4,
'rtunity 10 converse with Miss IRE +
lie till near the close. 1t CALLED him +
at he must spend the little remaining +
ne making love to the woman who Z
Id caused all the trouble when he 3
lshed To offer himself to the woman L
e had injured. A few minutes be- !.
re the curtain fell Miss TrevilIe ap- l
cached him TO fire a parting shot at Z.
r stage rival. =
Go with Your simpering sickly !
aid +
Refrain! DO not goad me ~ what
all be sorry for :
All the characters were now on the =
age and Gray took oceasion TO get
ar the woman he was supposed to Z
spise. She stood behind a fat wo- {
IN He whispered: