[106] joke. At length the critical moment arrived, and advancing in her theatrical costume to the foot lights, our heroine, goblet in hand, gave, in a clear, ringing voice, the following toast:
Here's to Jeff. Davis and the Southern Confederacy. May the South always maintain her honor and her rights!Miss Cushman had prepared herself for a fearful outbreak of popular opinion, but for a moment even the hearts of the audience seemed to stop beating. Then, however, it burst forth, and such a scene followed as beggars description. The good Union portion of the audience had set, at first, spell-bound and horrified by the fearful treason thus outspoken, while the “secesh” were frozen with the audacity of the act, though conscious that it was to occur. But then came the mingled storm of applause and condemnation. Fierce and tumultuous it raged, until it seemed as though it would never stop. Nor was the scene behind the scenes less intense. The manager, rushing up to our heroine, demanded, in his most tragic tone, “what she meant by such conduct;” while the rest of the professional gentlemen and ladies avoided her as though she had suddenly been stricken with some fearfully contagious disease. The brave girl, however, had her cue, and boldly avowed that she “wasn't afraid of the whole Yankee crew, and would do it again.” In short, she carried out her part so well, that no one doubted for a moment that she was a most virulent secessionist. Before she had left the theatre, the guards arrived to arrest her; but-out of respect to Mr. Wood, the proprietor of the theatre — they were deterred from actually executing their errand,
