Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-06
CHAPTER xv-cent,.ued.

SV0s uiiiu. fOf TWO acts yOu have
been asked to focus your attention
upon the increasing brutality Of the
marquis. Remember that. won't your"
mot likely to forget It," John re-
Piled "How well they all actw
There wns a quarter of an hours
Interval before the curtain rose again.
Humors concerning the last act had
been floating about for weeks. and the
house was almost tense with excite
ment as the curtain went up. The
scene was the country chateau of the
marquis de Guy" who brought n
noisy crowd Of companions from Paris
without any warning. His wife showed
signs Of dismay ut his coming. He
had brought with him women whom
ehe declined to receive.
The great scene between her hus-
band and herself took place In the
square hall Of the chateau, on the first
floor. Louise reaf1irms her intention
Of leaving the house. Her huooand
laughs at her. Her position is hope
less.
"What cur you dol" ne mocks.
She shrugs her shoulders and passes
Into her room. The marquis sinks upon
. settee. and presently Is Joined by
one Of the ladies' who have Travelled
with him from Paris. He talks 10 her
Of the pictures upon the wall. .She Is
impatient to meet the Marquise de
Guy.
The marquis knocks Mt his wife's
door. IIer voice Is heard clearly, after
q moments pause.
"In n few minutes I" she replies.
The marquis resumes his Irritation.
His companion becomes Impatient
the marquis has pledged his word thai
she should be received by his wife. An
ancient enmlty against the Mar4nise
de Guy prompts her to insist.
The marquis shruss his shoulders
and knocks more loudly than ever nj
his wife's door. She cat dressed
Tor travel and Is met by Faraday, who
suddenly appears.
"You asked me what | could do"
she says, pointing to her lover. You
see now!'
There was n moments breathless 81
fence through the house. The scene In
itself was a little beyond anything that
the audience had expected. Sophy,
who had been leaning ov"r the edge of
the box, turned around in no little
aUrt,$, Chn V,nrJ IA. l.,ar ctnp,
John had disappeared!
He left the theater with only his Int
In his hand, turning up his Goa by In
stinct as he passed through the driving
rntn. All his senses seemed tingling
With somo nnmeless horror. The bril-
lance of the language, the subtlety Of
the situation, seemed like som evil
trail drawn across that one horr.hle
climax. 1t was Louise who had co!nr
from that room and pointed to Fara.
day.
He reached his rooms-hc scarcely
knew how-nnd walked upstairs. There
he threw off somc Of his dripping gar,
ments, opened the window wide, and
stood there.
He looked out over the Thames, and
there was n red flare before his eyes.
Stephen was right, he told himself.
There was nothing but evil to be found
here, nothing but bitter disappoint-
ment. nothing but the pain which deep.
ems into anguish. Better to remain
like Stephen, ~unloylng and unloved, to
draw nearer to the mountains, 10 find
Joy In the crops and the rain and the
sunshine, to listen stonily to the cry
OF human beings as II to some voice
from an unknown world.
He leaned a little further from the
window, and gazed into the court at n
dizzy depth below. He had cut himself
sdrift from the peace which might have
been his. He would never know again
the Joys Of his earlier life. 1t was for
this that he had fought so mnny bat
ties. chung so tightly to one ideal--for
Louise, who could show herself to any.
one who cared to pay his shilling o,
bis half-grknea, glorylng In her dis
honor; worse than glorying In it--fnd
Ing some subtle humor In the little ges
ture with which she had pointed, I'm
ashamed, to her lover.
John bent a little lower from tn,
window. A sudden dizziness SCENE,
to have come over him. Then he wa
forced to turn around. His door ha,
been quickly opened and shut. 1t wa
Sophy who was crossing toward hin
the rain streaming from her RUNE
opera cloak.
John" she cried. "Oh, John I"
She led him back to his chair nm
knelt by his side. She held his hand
tightly.
"You mustn't feel like this" al
sobbed; you mustn't, John, really
You don't understand. It's all a pla
Louise wouldn't really do anything III
thatw
He sllvered. Nevertheless,
clutched her hands and drew her clos
TO him.
sDo, please, listen to me-" s,
begged. Its all over. Louise IL he
self again--Louise Maurel. The Nh
Quise dc Guy never lived except III,
those boards. It Is simply a wonderf
creation. Any mi Of the great d
trssses would plny that part and glo
u 1.-THE very greatest. John. Oh,
% hard to make you understand | L.
~ u waiting for you. They are
waiting At the supper party. You q
egpectod. You must 80 sud tell b
~ you think Il was wonderfulw
H rose slowly to his feet and cNul
c Aes hands roughly.
sGnunosine I won't gof' he WI