Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-09

how MANY others Terror grlpped her, bind
terror every instinct urging flight. But
this, she knew, was impossible. She stared
hard at the red curtain, and swallowed nerv-
ouslv, sure now that whatever the play re-
vealed She must sit until its end, giving no
sign OF the tumult that ragged within her
The eyes OF the audience burned into the
back OF her head, and She seemed to read
knowledge OF her secret III every careless
glance thrown in her direction. This was
vengeance worthy OF Olga-the refinement
of cruelty.
"What is it. Hernia, She heard Caroline
Anstell whispering. Are YOU i'll. Dear"
"Oh no, not al al. Why YOU ask? coolly.
Il thought you looked a little tired.
Il think its the heat said Hernia.
Ssh, Carrie. there goes the curtain.
IF Hernia had been startled a moment ago,
she now learned that she would have
need of all her courage. The curtain re-
vealed the market place of French town
on fete day. To the left row Of penny
shows, "man hedgehog, a "homme Sana-
age and an Albino lady who told fortunes;
to the right platform backed by a canvas
wall, st1rmounted by a sign in huge letters,
Theatre Tony Ricardo" thanked by rudely
painted representations OF the acts that We're
to be seen within The setting was admir-
able and brought forth immediate applause
from the audience, under which Hernia hid
her gasp Of dismay. There were even pic
lures like those which Philidor had painted,
of Cleofonte breaking chains, and OF the
child Stella flying in midair, and at one side
the legend "Aristide Bruant, painter of por-
traits at two francs fifty-soldiers ten sous.
Sure now of the scene that was to follow,
but outwardly quite composed, Hernia lis
+a,,aI nara1acc1y- RI 1a 1ialnoi1a the
acrobat appear, and the Lady Orchestra,
who was the guilty heroine of the piece, take
her place upon the platform beside him.
Here the resemblance to reality ceased; for
the heroine was dark and Aristide blond and
beardless, and vet this very discrimination
on Olga's part seemed to point more deli
nitely to Hernia even than if the character
ization had been truthfully followed
The actors were professionals who had
been well drilled in their parts, and the plot
developed quickly in the dialogue between
Madeleine, the erring wife, and ArlStlde, the
recreant husband, who had fled from fashion
able Paris, met upon the road, and joined
this troupe of caravaners that they might
taste life together in rural simplicity and
security. The dialogue was clever, if de
cadent, the situations amusing, the action
rapid, the first act ending with the appear
ance of the irate wife of Aristide, and the
disappearance of the guilty couple just in
time to avoid discovery.
During the entr 'acte, though the restless
- guests moved about, Hernia sat rooted
to her chair, fascinated with horror. Her
body seemed nerveless, and she feared that if
she rose her limbs would not support her, or If
they did support her she must fly like mad
thing from the house. And SO she sat, a
fixed smile frozen on her lips, greeting those
who approached her.
Beatrice Coddington left her seat, and
Trevvy Morehousc made haste to fill it. He
had never seemed SO welcome to Hernia as
at the present moment, and his patient
mien and quiet commonplaces did much to
restore her composure; 50 that when the
bell rang for the curtain of the second act
she was laughing with brave show of en-
joyrnent at Reggie and Phyllis, who seemed
at the point of severing their amatory rela-
tions. Hernia was prepared for anything
now. If her breach of the conventions had
found her out, there was no one, not even
Olga, who could look at her and say that
she was showing the white feather.
She could see the play to its end now; for
from Reggie's program she had learned that
the setting for the second act was the in
terror of shooting lodge in the forest, and
when the curtain rose she was not surprised
at the setting of the stage, which repre-
Sented as accurately as possible the house