Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-05-03
ut ia not the first time that Mau.


clair has fallen asleep in the theater.
I remember finding him, one evening,
snoring in his little recess, with his
snuff-box beside him."
rs that long ago." asked M.
Mifroid, carefully wiping his eye
glasses.
"No, not so very long ago.
Wait bit! 1t was the night
of course, yes 1t
was the night when Carlotta-you
know, Mr.. Commissary-gave her
famous 'co-ack!'"
Really? The night when Carlotta
gave her famous 'co-ack?"
And M. Mifroid, replacing his
cleaning glasses on his nose. fixed
the stage.manager with q contem'
piative stare.
so Mauclair takes snuff, does he?"
he asked carelessly.
Eyes, Mr.. Commissary. Look,
there is his snuff-box on that little
shelf. Oh, he's q great snuff
taker!"
$50 am l." said Mlfroid and put the
snuff-box in his pocket.
Raoul and the Persian. themselves
unobserved, watched the removal OF
the three bodies by a number OF scene
shifters, who were followed by the
commissary and all the people with
him. Their steps were heard for
few minutes on the stage above. When
they were alone the Persian made a
sign to Raoul to stand up. Raoul did
SO; but, as he did not lift his hand
in front of his eyes, ready to fire, the
Persian told him to resume that at
titude and to continue it, whatever
happened.
but 1t tires the hand unneces-
sarily," whispered Raoul. III l do
fire, I shan't be sure of my AIM
Then shift your pistol to the other
hand,' said the Persian.
Il can't shoot with my left hand"
Thereupon, the Persian made this
queer reply, which was certainly not
calculated to throw light into the
young mans furried brain:
Its not question Of shooting
with the right hand or the left; It's
a question of holding one OF your
hands as though you were going to
pull the trigger of a pistol with your
arm bent. AS for the pistol itself,
when all is said, you can put that In
your pocket" And he added, Let
this be clearly understood, or l will
answer for nothing. 1t is matter OF
life and death. And now, silence and
follow mel"
The cellars of the opera are enor'
nous and they are five in number.
Raoul followed the Persian and won.
dered what he would have done with
out his companion in that extraor-
binary labyrinth. They went down to
the third cellar; and their progress
was still lit by some distant lamp.
The lower they went, the more pre-
cautions the Persian seemed to take.
He kept on turning to Raoul to see II
he was holding his arm properly,
showing him how he himself carried
his hand as If always ready to fire,
though the pistol was in his pocket.
Suddenly, loud voice made them
stop. Some one above them shouted:
"All the door-shutters on the stage!
The commissary of police wants
them!"
Steps we're heard and shadows Gid.
ed through the darkness. The Per
sian drew Raoul behind set piece.
They saw passing before and above
them old men bent by age and the
past burden of opera-scenery. Some
could hardly drag themselves along;
others, from habit, with STOPPING
bodies and outstretched hands, looked
for doors to shut.
They were the door-shutters, the
old, WORKOUT scene-shifters, on whom
a charitable management had taken
pity. giving them the job OF shutting
doors above and below the stage.
They went about necessarily, from
top to bottom of the building, shut.
ting the doors; and they were also
called THE draft-expellers," at least
at that time, for have little doubt
that by now they are all dead. Drafts
are very bad for the voice, wherever
they may come from.
The Persian and Raoul welcomed
this incident, which relieved them of
announcement witnesses, for, some OF
those door-shutters. having nothing
else to do or nowhere to lay their
heads, stayed at the opera, from idle
ness or necessity, and spent the night
there. The two men might have stim.
bled over them, waking them up and
provoking a request for explanations.
For the moment, NJ Mifroid's inquiry
saved them from any such unpleas-
ant encounters.
But they were not left to enjoy
their solitude for long. Other shades
now came down by the same way by
which the door-shutters had gone up.
Each of these shades carried little
lantern and moved it about, above,
below and all around, as though lock.
ing for something or somebody.
Hang it," muttered the Persian.
II don't know what they are looking
for. but they might easily find us. Il
Let us get away, quick! Your
hand up. sir. ready to fire! "a. i
that's 1t! Hand at the level
of your eye, as though you were fight
ing a duel and waiting for the word
to fire! Oh. leave your pistol
in your pocket Quick, some along,
downstairs. Level of your eye! Cues.
ton of life or death! Here,
this way. these stairs!" They reached