The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1909-10-08
CHAPTER xL.


CHAPTER xL.
Behind the Curtain.
Az the curtain fell a storm of ap
plause had broken from the excited
audience, moved from stalls to gal
lery by the scene just ended and the
intensity OF dramatic power revealed
BY this unknown actress who, in 9
night, had stepped into amazing sue
cess.
From beyond the proscenium the
continuous applause came in deafen
ing waves. If the audience had been
puzzled by two OF the lines spoken by
the actress-lines that seemed to have
no relation to the scene-they had at
least no suspicion that anything unre.
hearsed had occurred-was occurring
at that moment-on the stage. Why
was not the curtain raised, that they
might give this actress an ovation?
On the stage Olive stood needless
Of the applause that shook the house.
That was a personal triumph. Her
manner was wild-almost hysterical.
Her eyes glittered feverishly.
Don't let that man escape-he is
the murderer of Philip Hume!" she
cried fierce'S, confronting the shrink
ing figure. Il know now how 1t came
to be your revolver that the police
found-that revolver from which the
shot was fired; for it was your face
saw that night at the scene of the
crime; it all comes back so clearly to
me now! You murdered Philip
Hume!"
Bonholt Hume's condition was pitia-
BILE. He stood ashen-white, his knees
hardly supporting him-an over
whelming guilty fear written in every
line of his Quivering face.
At first no one spoke, no one inter-
fered: everyone was too mu III startled
by the strange scene to move or speak
the carpenters hurrying on in their
felt slippers the moment the curtain
had fallen to change the scene, the
actor who had played the part of the
murdered lover, the manager, An
thony Strangways; the little knot of
onlookers stood amazed and utterly
taken aback, staring at the two fig
ures in this unrehearsed bit of drama.
Strangways looked at the white
haired, elderly man who stood there
with all the pleasant benevolent gent
atty stripped from his face, quivering
in abject terror, trying to speak, to
defend himself from these accusa-
tioRs. and finding no words or power
TO frame them. There was a rush of
queer thoughts in Anthony's mind as
he looked hack in the light of this
woman's f1ercely spoken accusations.
II the man were not guilty, why did
he meet this charge now as a guilty
man might have met 1t? Would a
sen-possessed man of the world like
Hume, If he we're consciously inno-
cent, meet such an accusation, start
ling and unexpected though 1t was, in
tongue-tied confusion and fear?
Then almost at once Strangways re-
covered from his bewilderment, was
the first to intervene. 1t was vital
above everything that this important
night should not be disorganized by
such scene as this. He ran up to
the trembling, excited woman.
"Hush!" he cried, insistently. "This
troll yourself. You must take your
call-can't you hear the audience?
You must take your CALL"
She caught at his arm excitedly.
TITS true; before Heaven, it's true!
It was his revolver that killed Philip
the police know that, all Wildfell
knows that! He said it had been
stolen from him, but it was lie. He
murdered Philip saw him there on
the night"
flush, hush! You must try to con-
troll yourself, Miss Vanstone." he cried
soothingly. realizing that he had a
woman half beside herself with hys-
terical excitement to deal with.
leave me to manage this, Grafton"
he added hurriedly to the manager,
Who had rushed up in state of splut-
tering incoherency and was interrupt
ing excitedly. "Get that man away
Mr.. Hume-let him go to your room.
Miss Vanstone is going to take her
call"
The clamor from behind the cur
tain was growing louder and more i'm
patient; the audience had no intention
OF being cheated out of having Olive
before the footlights.
you've got to take your CALL" An.
thony Strangways said again to Olive,
who was trembling with excitement
''There'll be the deuce to pay IL you
disappoint EN- II this charge you
make is welkgrounded. you need have
no fear that the man will escape jus
dee" he added. to humour her.
Bonholt Hume had walked INSTEAD
ny to the managers room, supported
b. the manager. He could not have
walked alone.
Core. make an effort and pull your
elf together: you've got plenty. d
D1ock urged strsngways again. Yol
B 0We II to Ill Of u you've made i bil
~ and you've got 70 show yourself
s2 - No. aasdianee vshafhor vf,ss fool. "A,