Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1917-04-14
N THE N
DESTROYING
1 ANGEL. NJ
----------====== By - -
H LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
CHAPTER xx-continued.

cat on q stone DeuCh Win Acl ~ oiAV
- +be audience, her back to the right
Of the proscenium arch; so that she
,,,,,d not. without turning, have no
.cad fine entrance of Ember and her
bnsband. A shy. light, deathiessly
vontbful figure in pale and flowing
garments that nodded themselves flu
only to her sweet and girlish body,
3, posture of pensiye meditation:
sha was nothing less than adorable.
whitaker could not take his eyes from
her. for sheer wonder and delight.
He was only vaguely conscious that
Max. at length satisfied, barked word
n that effect to an unseen electrician
oq 10 the left, and waving his hand
with a gesture indelibly associated
with his personality, dragged a light
eone-seated chair to the left of the
nroscepium and sat himself down.
IAN ready" he demanded in a sharp
and irritable voice.
The woman on the marble step nod
del imperceptibly.
SEQ ahead" snapped the manager.
An actor advanced from the wings,
rsq>ad and addressed the seated
woman. Els lines were brief. She
lifted her head with a startled air,
listening. He ceased TO speak, and
her voice of golden velvet filled the
house with the flowing beauty of it's
g1forgpttably sweet modulatiOns. Be
y7ad the footlights a handful of So
pbisticated and skeptical habitues of
thp theater forgot for the moment
their ingrained incredulity and thrilled
in sympathy with the wonderful rap
tgre of that voice of eternal Youth.
Whitaker himself for the time forgot
that he was the husband of this wOm-
40 and her lover; she moved before
his vision in the guise of some divine
creature, dIyinely unattainable, Il
dream woman divorced utterly from
any semblance of reality.
That opening scene was one perhaps
unique in the history of the stage
Composed by Max in some mad, poet
seal moment of inspired plagiarism, it
rot only owned a poignant and en-
TRAILING beauty of imagery, but it
moved with an almost Grecian certi-
tgae with significance extraordina-
ally direct and devoid of circumMcu-
zion, seeming to lay bare the living
tissue Of immortal drama.
But with the appearance Of other
haracters there came a change: the
rare atmosphere Of the opening began
80 dissipate perceptibly. The action
c.ouied and grew vague. The auditors
began to feel the flutterings of uncer-
ta-Dty In the air. Something was fall
ing 10 cross the footlights. The sweep
iog and assured gesture of the accom-
uii>hed playwright faltered. q clumsy
bit of construction was damningly ex-
posed; faults Of Characterization mul-
ap..ed dopressingly. Sara Law her
self lost an indednable proportion Of
her rare and provoking charm; the
>rangeness Of failing to hold her au-
dehee in an ineluctable grasp seemed
at once to nettle aud distress her.
Max himself seemed suddenly to wake
10 the amazing fact that there was
something enormously and irremedi-
ao-y"rong; he began with exasperating
frequency to halt the action, 20 inter
flpt scenes with advice and demands
l9g repetition. He found it Impossible
70 oe still, to keep his seat or contro.
A.S faSping, irritable voice. Subordi-
nate characters on the stage lost their
heaQs and either forgot to act or
0'eacted. And then-intolerabl eli
max of sudden somebody in the
orchestra chairs laughed in outright
0erIsion in the middle of a passage
meant to be tenderly emotional.
Tie voice of Sara Law broke and
fe'- She stood trembling and I'M
Strung. Max, without a word, turned
ea bis heel and swung out Of sight into
the wings. Four other actors on the
sAse aside from Sara Law, he5itated
ana drew together in doubt and be-
#"-frinent. And then, abruptly. with
no warming whatever, the illusion of
-''A In the auditorium and moonlight
~ tie poStscenium was rent away DIV
'.'e glare of the full complement of
electric lights installed in the house.
thought later, while still all were
.-aAlng and gasping with surprise.
-4a4 strobe into view just behind the
''',Ishts. Hating. he swept the ar
my ~ auditors with an ominous and
Ulca'ent stare.
no quickly was this startling change
eoAsammated that Whitaker had no
"Te than time to realize the reap
ts-aoce Of the manager before he
caught hrs wrathful and venomous
t.~aee fixed TO his own bewlldered
ace And something in the light that
"..aared wildly behind Max's eyes re-
minded him 20 strongly of similar
VAiFesSion he haL remarked in the
es N Drummond. the night the lat
- aai been captured by Ember and
A Fat that in alarm he half rose
G"r his seat.
taneously he saw Max spring
FRI the box, with a distorted and
i-as countenaace. He wes tug
S'- III something in his pocket. 1t
"-7ed in the shape Of a heary
es