Marion Marlowe in Chicago, or, Trapped by a Lunatic

This issue of My Queen, a weekly journal for young women, features the serial "Marion Marlowe in Chicago; or, Trapped by a Lunatic" by Grace Shirley. The narrative begins with two desperate men, Percy Preston and Bill Jones, plotting revenge against the theatrical producer Temple and his star actress Marion Marlowe, whom Preston attempted to murder by throwing her from a train. Having escaped from a lunatic asylum, Preston disguises himself as "Jack Hart" and plans to travel to Chicago to sabotage the Temple Theatrical Company and ruin Marion's reputation. The second chapter introduces Marion and her cheerful theatrical troupe traveling by rail toward Chicago, including the comedian Bert Jackson, the leading man Dr. Brookes (secretly in love with Marion), and various young women cast members. The installment captures the tension between the innocent company members and the sinister threat moving toward them.