The autobiography of Joseph Jefferson . d was very fond of quoting poetry ofthe morbid and romantic order. Byrons Cor-sair, Poes Raven, and Scotts Highland taleswere special favorites with him; but he had athorough contempt for Coopers novels, and putno faith in the existence of Boston Indians. One evening,— the last on earth for him, poorfellow!—just as the candles Mere lighted and thegames in the Grand Saloon were in full play,Wallace, without hat or coat and with his hairdisheveled, rushed wildly into the room. Heshouted to the crowd: Give me a knife or apistol, for Gods sake, quick, or I m
The autobiography of Joseph Jefferson . d was very fond of quoting poetry ofthe morbid and romantic order. Byrons Cor-sair, Poes Raven, and Scotts Highland taleswere special favorites with him; but he had athorough contempt for Coopers novels, and putno faith in the existence of Boston Indians. One evening,— the last on earth for him, poorfellow!—just as the candles Mere lighted and thegames in the Grand Saloon were in full play,Wallace, without hat or coat and with his hairdisheveled, rushed wildly into the room. Heshouted to the crowd: Give me a knife or apistol, for Gods sake, quick, or I m gone!Everybody started to his feet; the man was sowell known that the sound of his voice and hisdesperate appearance seemed to terrify the the midst of the confusion three dark-lookineMexicans rushed into the room and beean a furi-ous attack upon Wallace. He was unarmed, and,seizing a chair, he fought desperately for his felled the first man to the ground, but beforehe could turn he was stabbed to the heart by one. MRS. JAMES W. WALLACK, JR. OF JOSEPH JEFFERSON 11 of his other assailants and fell heavily to the floor;the assassins, brandishing their knives, cleared away through the crowd and escaped. This wasthe darkest tragedy I had yet seen, and thatnight, as I turned the matter over in my mind,I felt that, however congenial this atmospheremight be for a Texan ranger, it was no place fora legitimate comedian. So I proposed to Badgerthat we should at once hunt up some Mexicanhaving a commercial turn of mind and sell was easily done; the business was a thriv-ing one, and the death of poor Wallace seemedto have made the place more popular. So we soldthe good-will, divided our capital, and dissolved. I had to break the dreadful tidings to Mettathat I must go away. I do not think she caredhalf so much for me as I did for her; but whenshe realized the fact that I was about to va-moose she got up quite a little scene. Throughour interpreter I told her
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectjeffers, bookyear1890
