Rockingham post-dispatch., 1922-11-02
The Third
Act
By ANTHONY REIMERT

20, 1922. Western Newspaper uuiohS
Two men were seated at a cafe I'M
johannesburg. watching the singer
She was a beautiful woman Of about
thirty years, and she sang divinely.
There was q cry Of "encore!"
The elder clutched the younger by
the arm. do you know herT he
asked.
The other studied the programme,
"Madame Elise he read.
"Yes, Elsie Roxbury, the famous
English beauty! Good heavens, why
did she come here? You know her
story"
"Somethlng about that man Saun-
derson, the government official who
disappeared, isn't itf"
Yes. There were two acts to that
drama. Saunderson was a well-known
man in London. He was engaged to
charming girl, Lord Elforth's daugh-
ter. He had everything in life to look
| forward to-well-born, rich, talented.
"Then he met Elise Roxbury, and
| for a while their lives were paradise.
That was act one. Lord Elforth's
daughter broke off the engagement.
| That gave him his chance to hold up
| his head. And nobody cared what the
| relationship between him and Elise
| was. People are tolerant.
| "Then-there was a very ugly scan
da Ne seems to have done some
| thing queer about money. Elise had
extravagant tastes. Ii was hushed up,
! bur if broke aim He had to leave
the government service. He had to
resign from his clubs. Doors that had
! been Cpen to him were slammed in his
| face. That was bad enough, but a
J second man appeared upon the scene,
a rich man. Elise threw Saunderson
over.
"If ever a man was broken by a
woman, he was by Elise Roxbury. Act
two saw him a dlssraccd, dlscredited
| fugitive over the face of the earth,
pennless. Eventually Saunderson
came out here, got a position with b
mining company. retrieved himself.
Yes this is the Land Of Second
Chances.
Elise Roxbury, Of course, went the
way of all such women. She disap-
peared from sight. l had forgotten
about her until | saw her twenty
minutes ago. Yes, that's she. She
always could sing. But"
His grip tightened on the others
arm.
eve mustn't let her meet Saunder
son. He told her that she shoult
:; never ruin another mans life rs sht
had ruined his. TIe went to her apart
ment in London with a revolver before
he left England. He ared at her
wounded her, believe. That scanda
6 was hushed up too.
"But if Saunderson sees Elise ROS
bury here, he'll kill her. l know n
! willard he comes in here genernl!
in the evenings. Now-wbots to b
done?"
The singers voice rang out in til
! song from II Trovatore:
, An, l nave lOnSeu 10 rest INC
| Deep in the quiet grave.
Have lonSed to rest me
The elder mans face whitenct
| "Saunderson he whispered.
= A man had just entered by sid
= entrance, and was making his wa
slowly down the aisle. He was abo,
thirty-ave years of age, prenlGturel
s gray. His stern face was set rigid!
there was movement of the tngel
in his coat pocket.
t The younger of the pair saw th
n the singer was staring at the ma
+ coming down the aisle. She had ju
- finished her song. plaudits filled Il
IL cafe.
| There was no stage, no footlighi
Elise Roxbury was singing in the sms
open space by the piano at the upr
end If the cafe. There was no eN
e there. 1t was impossible to flee, ev'
ia ii she wished to fee. And Saunders
was coming on ineXorably. .
= "Too late !" muttered the older ma
1t was far too late. A few ste
sc more and the two would stand face
face. No one in the Audience had
j. yet noticed anything queer. But t
ID two men at the table saw that t
n singer seemed to have turned to stol
She was staring at the man approa'
ing her as If fascinated, helpless.
q She had never appeared so beat
full. The plaudts had hardly ceas
There went up ringing cries again
"encore"
DO The singer paid no attention
q them. But 1t seemed to the two n
at the table across the cafe as II {
made an insignificant gesture, invit
the revolver, as If her lips cur'
proudly.
ev Then Elise Roxbury and the n
she had broken were standing fl
to face.
:. For an instant they confronted ei
i'e other; then of a sudden he took
by the hand. She placed her q
ite through his, smiling up into his fs
EFT The two men at the cafe saw
;on leading ner down the aisle The n,