Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-27


| the last closing of the door, rushed out
of Woodford's as if eager to escape.
A match scraped. Its flame f1ickered
on Mikes wrinkled face. which wore
of positive Discrimination. The proper
| ty man stopped. fumbled within the
doorway and found a candle, to which
he applied the match.
Better not let the fire department
catch you at that" McHugh warned.
Quaile wondered if the manager no.
ticed the shaking of the candle in the
knotted hand.
Get in there" McHugh directed,
and switch on your kitchen border.
so we won't break our necks Place
smells like one-night stand
Quaile's eyes became a little accus-
toned to the darkness. He could see
that a neubulous reflection from the
street entered the alley. 1t reached
him with a sense of companionship.
Then light flashed in the cavern. illu-
came:
"All right. Mr.. McHugh"
And they entered those spaces. and,
oppressed by their emptiness, stood for
some time. ill at asset. attentived.
The Single row of lights depending
| from the flies gave scarcely more than
a suggestion of form to the auditorium
and the two galleries. The seats,
shrouded with gray cloths. impressed
Quaile with fancy of standing i'm a
huge improvised mortuary.
| The stage was brighter. He could
see the dingy walls, the circular stair
cases mounting to dressing-rooms and
! fly galleries, a small door which al
most certainly led to the auditorium.
Don't build stages like this nova
days." the manager said, with admira-
ton. Gould give a three-ring circus
here. Tommy. you've got the lists. You
and Mike run over to the storehouse in
the morning and chase that furniture
in. Company's called for o'clock Mr..
Quaile's going to read the script to
'em right on the stage, just like Old
Woodford done. This engagements 60
ing to be ALTERED artistic
| His sudden blatant laugh set Quaile's
nerves on edge. 1t jeered at the empty
belong here. Nor did McHugh persist
in it. He found another cigar and in
serted it between his lips. His keen
glance took in everything.
| Come through here, Quaile. Let's
have a peep at the auditorium.
He walked to the little door which
Quaile had noticed, and opened it.
Quaile saw Mike and Tommy start to-
ward the stage entrance.
He understood, but McHugh pretend
ed not to.
| Where you and Mike going. Tom
my?" 4
| BY the stage door, sir. It's pretty
damp in here"
All right" McHugh said, but 1 want
you within call"
| Quaile followed the manager into the
passage. A certain amount of light en-
I tered with them, andNa little more. diff
fused from the auditorium, showed at
the other end. The passage was sur
prisingly CONSTRUCTED. 1t was necessary
to walk single file. He gathered from
paces-that it ran behind the boxes.
| Wouldn't be much use, he COM
mented, as an exit by way of the stage
in case of fire"
| His voice was magnified in the mea-
ger space.
Building meets the fire laws" Nc
Hugh. always practical, answered.
| They reached the auditorium. whose
| boundaries appeared to recede before
them. After a glance at the farther
shadows. in fact. McHugh contented
himself with a causal inspection of the
woodwork and the draperies near at
I hand
| Agents didn't lie" he said with sat
isfaction. and my own men gave me
the right DOPE
He walked down the aisle. thrust
aside one of the gray cloths and sat in
| Not bad he grunted.
| Quaile Joined him.
Funny" McHugh went on. how
| little gold dust thrown in peoples
eyes will make them see millions. The
place was fixed up five years ago. Now
a few new hangings and little tinsel
on the box fronts-its a cinch. Why
you so talkative, Quaile?"
| Quaile glanced at the manager He
saw nothing to be gained by denial.
The emptiness and the pervading des
/ olation of Woodford's had affected him
profoundly.
He had never seen theater in this
| condition before. its machinery hid
den or removed. He had a feeling of
! hlt-s Io -I,1 -. H.,
dead. quite beyond resurrection. The
sepulchral dampness gave the final i'm
petus to his bad humor
| Frankly. Ntzhugh, he said. Il begin
stories start. Such an atmosphere as
this has things to say to the ignorant
and the superstitious l hope I'm
neither, but it does get on my nerves
stand why Tommy and Mike prefer the
alley entrance"
They'll have to get over it. Place
| feels all Digit to me-
| McHugh's voice rose in a gigantic
! "woodford's ghost. A fine chance for
| a ghost around my theater."
| To Quaile it was almost as if chal
| lenge had been accepted-as if the shad-
| ows had suddenly gathered strength to
smother the row of cleaning lights
| Without warning they expired. He
could feel the pitlike blackness rush
| upon him.
| McHugh's hand touched his arm, then
| was snatched back The mana gers
| voice rose angrily:
What the devil? Mike. Mike. Get
| in to the switchboard. Switch some
| thing on. Don't bother about your
| candle
| AS If the darkness had opposed a bar
rier, Tommy's exclamation and Mikes
response reached them family. They
| heard the old man start on the stage.
| What followed seemed to Quaile at the
! moment inevitable. Through the black
| and heavy air Mikes cry arose. hoarse.
difficult, half strangled by an irrational
| fear. 1t gathered itself into three
words, almost unintelligible:
MY God, Woodford,
| Quaile shrank back. Just across the
blind footlights, almost within hands
reach, he heard dragging footsteps and
curious. stealthy padding.
| He bent forward, staring impotently
at the solid wall of blackness. The talk
he had heard. the misgivings he had
witnessed. threw upon that wall, as
upon a screen for his imagination, an
unthinkable picture. For the dragging
footsteps continued to stray across the
stage-the footsteps of one who limped:
and in the interval of their painful
progress came a furtive pattering, like
the almost noiseless pursuit of a cat.
Quaile remained rigid. He was aware
of McHugh's GREATNESS tensity beside
him.
Then. abruptly as they had start
ed. the footsteps ceased: and from the
wipvs whore Mike had cried ont his