The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-04-03
CHAPTER VII,
At the Stage Entrance.

Az the stage Entrance.
Ruggles. from his stall, for the
fourth time saw the curtain go up
on "Mandalay" and heard the temple
bells ring One of the stage boxes
was not occupied until after the first
act and then the son of his friend
came In alone and sat far back out OF
sight of any eyes but the keenest,
and those eyes were Ruggles'. Lefty
Lane. delicious, fantastic, languishing,
sang to Dan; that was evident to Rug.
giles. He was a large man and filled
his stall comfortably. He sat through
the performance peacefully, his hands
In his pockets, his big face thought
full, his shirt front ruined. To look at
him, one must have wondered why he
had como to "Mandalay." He scarce
ly lost any Of the threads of his own
reflections. though when Miss Lane in
response to call from the house,
sang her cradle song three times, he
seemed moved. The tones Of her pure
voice, the grading in her arms of an
imaginary child. her apparent dove
like purity. her grace and sweetness,
and her cooling, gentle tone, to Judge
by the softening of the Westerner's
face. touched very much the big fel.
low who listened like a child. At the
end he drew his handkerchief slowly
across his eyes, but the tears, or
rather moisture, that rose there was
not all due to Miss Lanes song, for
Ruggles was extremely warm.
He could see that in his box the
boy sat transfixed and absorbed. Dan
went out in the second entr'acte and
was absent when the curtain went
down. Ruggles, as we'll, left before
the performance was over, to make
his way outside the theater to the
stage exit, where there was already
gathered little group looked after
by a couple Of policemen. Close to
the curb cleaning motor waited, the
footman at Its door. Ruggles but.
toned his coat up to his chin and took
his place close to the door, over which
the electric light showed the words
stage Entrance" A poor woman el-
bowed him, her shabby hat adorned
by a scraggly plume, gray shawl
wrapped round her shoulders. A girl
or two. who might have been flower
sellers in Piccadilly In the daytime, q
couple Of toughs. handful of other
vagrants smelling Of gin, a decent
man In working clothes, child in his
arms, formed the human hedge Lefty
Lane was to pass between-a angular
group OF people to spend an hour
hanging about the streets at the exit
OF theater well toward midnight. So
the naive Ruggles thought, and better
understood the appearance of the
young fellows in evening clothes who
hovered on the extreme edge of the
little crowd. Dan, however, was not
Of these.
Look sharp, Cissy." the working.
man spoke to his child, holding her
we'll up. when she comes hout she'll
pass close to yer, and you sing hout,
God bless yer
Yes, Dad. WILL" shrilled the child.
The woman In the gray shawl drew
1t close about her. law she's true
Idly. all right. amt she? | expect
you've had some kindness of her as
well?"
The man nodded over the child's
s4oulder. Used to be a scene shifter,
and Miss Lane found out about my lit
tie girl last year-not this lass, not
Cissy, Cissy's sister--and she sent 'er
to place where it costs the eyes out
OF yer head. She's gettin well fast,
and we, none Of us, has seen her or
spoken to Miss Lane She doesn't
know our names"
And the woman answered: "She
does lot like that She's got a heart
bigger'n her little body"
And big boy in the front row said
back TO the others: We'll. she makes
mint of money"
And the woman who had spoken be-
fore said. she gives II nearly all
to the poor"
CTO BE CONTINUED