Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-08-21
Az the STAGE Door.

At the Stage Door
Courtlandt sat perfectly straight;
his ample shoulders did not touch the
back of his chair; and his arms we're.
folded tightly across his chest The
characteristic of his attitude was
tenseness The nostrils we're we'll de-
fined, as in one who sets the upper
Jaw hard upon the neither. His brown
eyes-their gaze directed toward the
stage whence came the voice of the
prima donna-epitomize the tension.
expressed the whole as in word.
Just now the voice was pathetically
subdued, yet reached every part of the
auditorium, kindling the ear with It's
singularly mellowing sweetness. To
Courtlandt It resembled, as no other
sound the note of mufiied Burmese
gong, struck in the dim incensed cav
,ern of a temple. "A Burmese gong;
briefly and magically the stage, the
audience, the amazing CLEAN and scin-
tillation of the Opera, faded. He
heard only the voice and saw only
the purple shadows In the temple at
Rangoon, the oriental sunset splash
ing the golden dome. the wavering
lights of the dripping candles, the dead
flowers, the kneeling devoteee. the
ysllow-robed priests, the tatters OF
,gold-leaf, fresh and old. upon the rows
of placid grinning Buddhas. The
French horns blared and the timpani
crashed. The curtain sank slowly.
The audience rustled, stood up. sought
it's wraps, and passed toward the ex-
1ts and the grand staircase. II was
all over.
Courtlandt took his leave in leisure
Here and there he saw familiar faces,
but these, after the finding glance. he
studiously avoided. He wanted to be
alone Outside he lighted cigar, not
because at that moment he possessed
a craving for nicotine. but because like
all inveterate smokers he believed that
tobacco conduced to clarity of thought.
And mayhap 1t did. At least, there
presently followed mental calm that
expelled all this confusion. The goal
waxed and waned as he gazed down
the great avenue with its precise rows
OF lamps. Far away he could discern
the outline of the brooding Louvre.
There was not the least hope in the
world for him to proceed toward his
goal this night. He realized this clear.
ly, now that he was face to face with
actualities. wild desire seized him
to make night OF it-Maxim's, the
cabarets; riot and wine. Who cared
But the desire burnt itself out between
two puffs of his cigar. Ten years
ago, perhaps. THE brand of amuse
ment might have urged him success
fully. But not now; he was done with
tomfool nights. Indeed. his dissipa
tons had been whimsical rather thar
brutal; and retrospection never
aroused furtive sense OF shame.
He was young, but not so young as
an idle glance might conjecture IL
passing To such casual reckoning
he appeared to be in the early TWEEN
ties: but scrutiny, more or less infal
lible, noting a line here or an angl,
there, was disposed to add ten year.
TO the score. There was in the nos
and chin a certain decisivenees whicl
in true youth is rarely developed. Thi
characteristic arrives only with man
hood. manhood that has been trie'
and perhaps buffeted and perchanc
little disillusioned.
What was one to do who had bot
money and leisure linked to an IRE
sistible desire to leave behind on
place or thing in pursuit OF another
unfortunately? The inherent amb
ton was to make money; but recof
nizing the absurdity OF adding to hi
income, which even In his extravt
gance he could not spend, he CAV
himself over into the hands OF gras]
ing railroad and steamship companies
or their agencies, and became for
time the slave Of guide and dragoma
and carrier. And then the wanderlus
descended to him from the blood {
his rowing Dutch ancestors, which ha
lain dormant In the several gener1
tons following. eprang into active Iii
again. He became known In ever
port of call He became known ais
in the wildernesses.
Whatever had for the moment a
pealed to his fancy, that he had don
He was alone, absolute master OF h
millions. Mammals with marriageab
daughters declared that he was impo
sible; the manageable daughte
never had chance to decide one wa
or the other; and men called him
fool He had promoted elephant hgh
which had stirred the Indian princ'
out OF their melancholy indifference
and tiger hunts, which had. by the
duration and magpiAcence. threaten,
to disrupt the efficiency OF the Britil
military service-whimstca excesse
not understandable by his intimate q