Marion Marlowe in Cleveland, or, The Mystery of the Red Rose — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

* . b " ; CHAPTER IX. ANOTHER NOTE. For just a second Marion hesitated; then she went swiftly forward. iad “Let her go, Bert,” she said, decidedly. “Don’t try to hold her. Just take the brace- ~ let away from her, and put it in your pocket.” “Shall we let her go scot-free?’’ asked Bert, in astonishment. “f think so, yes,” said Marion, after a ‘minute. “We can easily replace her, and I don’t wish to make her any trouble.” - “But the girl is a thief,” said Bert, plainly, as he let go of the soubrette’s wrists. “You | “can see by her actions that she is guilty, - Marion.”’ ‘Miss Chester glared at them both, but did not speak. She was caught in a trap that she could not get out of. . ~ “T could perhaps forgive her for stealing _ the bracelet,” said Marion, Side ; “but her m3 in excusable. No right-minded woman could overlook her deception in that Hes ool _ “She wasn’t deceiving me any,” said Bert, in great amusement. “Thanks to my friend, Miss Ellis, I was on to her game, but I had a little one of my own to play.” . _ “Here comes Mr. Temple now,” said Mar- ion, as she heard the manager’s voice. was explaining the situation. ‘Mr. Temple looked at Miss Chester as arion talked. The girl was growing more defiant and ugly every instant. _ “T picked the thing up while the scuffle Was going on,” she said, carelessly; “and when I saw what it was, I kept it, of course. Miss Marlowe isn’t the only girl in the world _who is entitled to wear diamonds.” “Miss Marlowe would never have dreamed Of wearing them; not these, at any rate,’ said Mr. Temple, severely. “In the first Place, she is too much of a lady to accept gifts from strangers, and, further, there is no doubt in the world that these bracelets were a” _ “That’s why they wouldn’t take it at the Be Pe awnshop; they guessed as much,” went on a girl, recklessly. “Well, what are you Boing to do with me for keeping my find- ae MY QUEEN. . ple, ods for winning a man’s affection are _ The next moment she had called him and ° 19 ings? You'll have a beautiful job to get me punished !” “We don’t wish to punish you, Miss Ches- ter,” said Marion, gravely. “We shall be _perfectly satisfied when we are rid of your society.” “Yes; you can go at once,” said Mr. Tem- decidedly. ‘Miss Leslie can do your part and her own this evening. As for the ‘two-weeks’ clause in your contract, I will give you that much salary.” “Then I’m suited,” said the girl, with a disdainful glance at Bert. “I'll be as glad as you are to part company, I can tell you!” Mr. Temple waited until she was gone be- fore he went back to the front of the house; but after the news was once told, no one spoke further on the subject. Miss Ellis looked happy when she appeared in the wings, and Marion noticed with great pleas- ure that she and Bert seemed very friendly. The evening passed without any trouble, but with the audience as enthusiastic as ever over the genius of-the actors. Archie Ray and his sister were seated in a box, and Archie scanned the audience re- peatedly, on the lookout for the masher, but the curtain fell without a sign of his’ pres- ence. “I guess he’s given it up,” said Bert, as he removed his eye from the peep-hole in the curtain, through which he had been watching the dispersing audience. “Hello! There’s something up!” called out Orrin Olcott, as he took Bert’s place. “One of the ushers is having trouble with an ugly-looking fellow, and, yes, there’s going to be a scrap! Come on through the boxes: I’m going, Jackson!” He started on, with Bert at his heels: but before they reached the front of the house, the commotion was over. - Mr. Temple and two of the ushers, with a detective at their backs, were standing guard over their vanquished prisoner, a fellow who looked like anything from a_ red-handed rioter to a harmless peanut vender. “He was determined to speak to Miss Mar- lowe,” said one of the ushers. “Of course, he didn’t have on any red rose, so we didn’t arrest him. If he BOM DOOKSECOIN