Show IE ORDEAL Of JR A ACTOR PLAYED HIS PART WHILE HIS IDS WIFE WAS DYING D G Appeared Gay on the Stage Before a Delighted Audience Yet His Heart Was Bursting Chicago May 2 White hile his wife lay dying In a hospital Robert Wayne Wane leading man of f a 8 theatrical tl stock stoc c com corn company pany pliny now playing in this thin ity was compelled through unavoidable stress of business to play his role young lieutenant In the drama Dewey Devey the Hero of Manila Mantia The audience little suspected that the gaiety and spright sprightliness liners liness in his hi portrayal of the character of the romantic officer were but hut the mask of a grief that threatened to drive the U actors lines from his memory and disorganize the presentation of the first fl production prod t n of the play in Chicago I When Wayne entered ins his dressing i room and began making m king up for his part partin partin I in the Ute nights performance he took with him the knowledge e that that th there thre e was wae little ho nope e of his recovery since she had undergone a serious operation op Just before the curtain rang lip up p the word came that she would probably die before morning The actor un unnerved unnerved Unnerved nerved by the news was called upon to face the problem of o leaving and ruin ruining ing hg the performance there being no un up understudy ready read to take his is part I Between his appearances appearance on the I stage tage in the tIre melodrama m Wayne Wane was wasat wasat I at a telephone keeping in touch with the news from th the hospital pital of his I condition Several times the call boy bor i had to lead the excited and anxious an i actor back to the wings and fairly push him upon the stage At the conclusion of the performance Wayne W hardly stopped to alter his makeup before he be was speeding to the hospital He found his wife GO so I weak that she was unable to speak i and scarcely arcely recognized him At 4 I in the morning or about four hours h urs after Wayne had reached the hospital his wife died Mrs Wayne joined the company last fall faU ali She played the role of Neros wife iCe PoppeR in Quo Vadis radis |