The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-05-01
A Tragedy In
"A Csreelnoom
sss,s4 ss. -
BY r. afoWNsEND SMITH
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation. iyll.


erty articles were scattered ainnt :
cosmetics wigs, daegers. indeed every
variety of waterial for sham purposes.
He had t.'cn playing IN a drama af
the French revolution and attracting
great attention. For 81 hundred nights
he had held audiences sleIbouHd in
the character of i)anton, while n
young actress VS. setting the pubic
wild Us tlir representation " Char
lotte ca day Two men met ~ The
street, and each remarked "a the 9th
Danton and Edith Kent rs Charlottef'
Two Indies drinking tea fell 10 talk
ing about he wonderful impefsonn
tion, the one In admiration ~ the
actor, the other OF the actress, ana
quarreled. Nothing was discussed eS
ccpt the great play, the grent actor
and the great actress.
Ry far the larger number considered
Miss Kent the greater genius OF the
two TO those thu advocates OF 0rmn
declared that she Ind II far better op-
portunlty than he for display OF
genius; that nanton. like other reve'
utionary lenders WAS simply Yielding
to the cry Of the people for hlnoa,
while Charlotte t'orday was an Ell
| thusinst who offered herself IA II
martyr Some even maintained that
/ the real Charlotte Of history had
been mnddened by the events ~
the revolution These ayerred TINT
4 the genius If Miss Kpnt's iInper
sonatIon consisted In throwing int"
4 her acting felgned suspicion OF In
sanity. II was noticed that night after
night she dweIt more on this feature.
thereby working to u greater degree
unnn the feelings OF the audience. III.
deed. so intense her emotions had be.
come. so deeply did she feel herself 10
be the real Charlotte. that Orne M
times began 10 fear Tint she woulfi
stab him instend OF pretending to do
so
One night before a performance the
making up when he heard the door
open Turning. he was surprised 10
SEQ Altss Kent
"Why. Miss Kent" he exclaimed IN
establishment that she shomld come to
his room But one glance nj her eyr
told him that what he hNd been fear.
ing. what the public had called genius
Ind come pass Miss Kent displayed
@unmIstakabie signs Of insanity. In
stead Of showing any shame NJ visiting
4 man In his room. she turned the key
in the door andftlung the key behind y
lot of property articles
prepare for death.."
The words sounded like kneli IS
the actor Shut M In a room with n
mad woman. who had killed him on
the lyric stage for q hundred nights
In succession and who now conceived
herself to be the real Charlotte, he saw
no way Of escape. His only hope was
TINT he could see no weapon In her
possession Looking her full in the
eye. he apade an effort to stay her. by
talkineewi,b her u.
T "Wliatf MEANS this yislty he asked.
II have come 10 sacrifice tyrant
E He hasRloiig been drinking the peoples
blood. a,it is time that the people drank
his hlood,'s
Whom do you take me to beT' 4
"Citizen Danton. whose right hand
is the guillotine.
''You nre mistaken am the Marquis
de Lafayette have Just returned
from America, where have helped Ia
make people free"
''You are not he Marquis de Lain
yette. You afe Danton. drunken witt
the blood Of the French people. an
f, Charlotte Corday."
7 Il Orme listened for n sound without
hoping that some one might call foI
him or that the actress might b'
missed aud would he hunted for
\ though no one would think Of lookup
for her liz his dressing room A clocl
licked on the wall before him. III
glanced at II and saw that II was bu
few minutes before he would b.
called to go on the stage, Rut that few
minutes might be enough to end hi
earthly career
A dagger was lying on n cabine
among other property articles. Thu
girl seized II ana advanced toward tn
tragedan He was Watching her eager
~. As Soon rs ne saw her tnke up III
weapon a crafty look came into hi
own eyes. without looking away iron
her he reached back and placed hi
\. hand over - small bowl
III Inanother moment Miss Kent spran
at him and brought the knife down o.
his breast. Orme grnsped the dagger
! and red blood spurted on his slayer
clothes. He fell on his face and Ia
still. e
There was a hurried footstep and
knock on tho door. No answer The
came nnother. saying "Orme. your
, called; times mp" Stlli no answe
, Muttered sounds without. then a crusl
. and the door flies open
| The stage manager mud several ott
ers stood looking In at Miss Kent pac
ing back aud forth With blood on lie
dress. mhttering TO herself. Will
! Orme lay on the floor The situatio
) was evident, Two supers led the aC
tress out. while the stage manager al
tempted to raise the trueedian. 5r1
uITnc sha gnua 81 yvhtSnapad Hpr,a,