Guy Hammersley; or, Clearing his Name — page 56: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GUY HAMMERSLEY. 4” ‘*All that now remains, Mrs. Hammersley,” the colonel concluded, ‘‘ is for you to give your consent to becoming the leading soprano of the Starr Concert Company. I have heard you sing, and I assure you that a veritable triumph awaits you on the concert stage. Indeed, so high a value do I set on your services that I will make you the same offer that I did to Miss Farleigh, one eighth of the gross receipts. ” ‘‘But—but, you are very good, Colonel Starr,” re- joined Mrs. Hammersley, ‘‘ butI think, seeing that I have no fortune to fall back on, it would be inadvisa- ble for me to throw up a salaried position.” Guy, sitting just behind his mother, felt like softly applauding. She was evidently not going to be deceived by the smooth spoken colonel after all. But the latter was ready with reinforcements. ‘*My dear madam,” he exclaimed, ‘‘ you mistake me. Iam offering you something much better than any salary could be. This is the way of it: the en- tire receipts will be counted every night, and three fourths set aside for expenses of hall, advertising, salaries of other artists and my own profits. Of the other fourth, one half goes to Miss Farleigh, the other to yourself. As our expenses will necessarily be heavy, you will thus be assured of receiving as much, and sometimes, a great deal more than myself. Could anything be more liberal, madam?” and Colonel Starr lay back in his chair with a sort of joyous sigh, as though ready to be martyred for his self-sacrifice in the cause of art. ‘‘Ves, Colonel Starr,” responded Mrs. Hammersley, ‘‘your proposition is indeed a most generous one, GEomicboo cS (E(@) m