The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-09-02
THE MASTER READS
MAETERLINCK

dimness prevailed--dimness feebly
pierced by the glow of oriental lamps
and Of small candles behind strange
looking shields.
"Ah," sighed guest as she barely
saved herself from falling after col
liding with chair. How mystically
beautiful! How exquisitely mystic!
How Marvellous
Yes" the Master replied softly as
he stood within the portal clad in
Roman toga and wearing ring whose
brilliancy threatened to light that part
of the room in spite of him, Il love the
shadows. 1t Is my pleasure to make
much of them. The common herd are
so disposed to do away with Them to
prefer the ordinary garishness OF the
light of day."
The guests mostly sat still in the
mystic dimness. A few conversed in
whispers. accentuating the things they
could see by introducing them into
their conversation, and leaving out
those they couldn't see.
"Ah," sighed one They all sighed
Ali" Perhaps because it was SO
mystic dim; who knows? THE Mas
ter will read us Maeterlinck tonight.
The Master will read us Maeterlinck!"
1.-THE Master will read MS Maeter-
linck tonight" repeated another.
Maeterlinckly.
do you know what it Is of Maeter-
linck that he will read?" asked third,
in white, who sat like wrath on a
crimson settee with crimson back,
above which shone dull red shield.
"He will read Norma Wanna, an
swered the first, whose crushed rasp-
berry gown would have blended poorly
with the deep rich crimson of her sur
roundings except for the mystic lights.
All" sighed the second. Then he
will read 'MoEna Vanna?'
Yes, Norma Wanna" came sigh
ingly from the rest,
The guests arrived. The dim, deep,
dark rooms filed.
The guests stumbled slightly as
they entered, righted themselves. then
formed groups In mystic corners, all
facing the throne, which was sur
rounded by mirrors and great candle
sticks of dull brass,
Meantime, from out some hidden
recess there advanced into the mystic
dimness a procession
A marvellous procession this was OF
six white clad youths, youths in flow
ing robes and bearing in their white
hands each a lamp fashioned of
wrought glass or brass or delicate
enamel In these lamps the beautiful
youths had caused to be paced or per
haps had placed themselves small can
dies that fiickered SO delicately as
they passed that once more the de-
voices of mysticism whispered in an
ecstatic way
"Ah!"
These beautiful lamps the beautiful
youths placed softly about, thus illum-
mating the pathway for the Master
when he should have cleared his voice
sufficiently for the reading of the mys-
tic Maeterlinck They also illumined
some pictures on the walls, long, mar
row strange pictures of bodiless men
and women, some with candles in
front of their faces and some without.
Presently all along this pathway left
for the Master there came the sub
dued sound of clapping OF hands, so
subdued, indeed, that it had rather the
sound of the echo of clapping, and the
Master came from somewhere or other
and walked along the pathway, his
great ring flashing In his Roman toga
came he, and mounted even to the
throne and sat thereon, facing his au-
dence, in one hand a book, on the
other the ring.
The clapping ceased when he opened
his mouth and began forthwith to
read Norma Wanna"
"Monna Vanna," went softly whis-
pered here, there and about
"Monna Vanna!" returned the echo.
Then there was silence save for the
fash Of the ring.
All through the first act of the play
the Master swayed his dimly lighted
audience. On crimson draped divans,
on high backed carved chairs, on low
backless stools, they sat feasting their
eyes upon the beauty of him, high in
his great throne chair in the light OF
his ring, reading.
There came a longdrawn sigh when
the first act was finished and he gave
them five minutes to rest in. Hardy
was the FIVE minutes at an end before
he once more mounted the throne and
once more read.
My children" he said, pausing at
the end of the second act and lsyir z
down his book, Il will let you read the
last act for yourselves"
For the first time that evening there
went up a loud and strenuous sound
of hand claps. one could hardly tell
why.
II one supposes this to be the end
of the mystic evening, one is mistaken.
At a signal from the Master once
more the beautiful youths emerged
| from their retreat. this time bearing
not lamps but long wonderful glasses
of rare make. bought in the Far East
perhaps in the Bowery. These glasses
the youths distributed gently among
the waiting and somewhat thirsty
| guests