Marion Marlowe in Chicago, or, Trapped by a Lunatic — page 9: what you’re looking at

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6 MY QUEEN. answered Bert, “a good many thousands. That is one of those places where they put a live steer in a slide at one end of the build- ing and in five minutes the steer comes out ot four different slides at the other end.. One delivers cannéd corned beef, the next, porter- house steaks, the third, consommé and the fourth, rib-roasts. It’s a great invention, I tell you.” “You’ve forgotten something, Bert,” said Alma Allyn, as she turned toward him with a merry look in her bright eyes; “there are the bones and skin and the hoofs still to be accounted for.” “Oh, they come out in the canned corned beef, of course. Didn’t you ever eat any? You wouldn’t ask such a foolish question if you had,” retorted Bert. “Oh, Mifter Jackson, please lift me up so I can thee the pigth. Mamma says there’s thimply loads of them,” called out a childish voice, and little Ruby, the child actress, came running down the aisle and clambered up on Bert’s knee. “Yes,” said Bert, gravely, “that big build- ing is where they put a pig in one end of the machine and he comes out of the other end all made up into sausages and pork pies. Now, you can’t say I’ve forgotten anything this time, Alma!” “Bert’s information is varied enough to suit any palate, if not strictly accurate,’ said Dr. Brookes. “We will be at the station in the heart of the city of Chicago within a few minutes.” “So this is the metropolis of the West, 1s it?” Miss Ellis. ‘Well, awfully glad to get here; I'm sick and tired exclaimed I’m of looking at the endless prairie that I’ve seen every time I glanced out of the car window. Even stock-yards are an improve- ment on that!” “Well, we are hooked for a week here, so vow ll have a chance to see the whole town,” answered Bert, coming down the aisle and seating himself on the arm of her seat. “And if you'll promise to be good,” he con- tinued, “I’ll let you see it with me.” Miss Ellis smiled up in his face brightly. She saw a hidden meaning in his words and speedily forgot her jealousy of Miss Watson. “T shall be delighted, Bert,’ she mur- mured; “I hope we won’t have many re- hearsals, then there will be so much more time to go about.” _Just then the train began to slacken speed, and in a few minutes pulled into the long train-shed at the terminus. ‘“Flere’s where we set foot on the classic soil of Chicago,” cried Bert, as he swung off the step. “Now, where’s Temple, I veonder? He said he’d meet us at the sta- tion.” “He’s probably outside,” said Orrin Ol- cott, the “villain” of the company. . “Let's walk through the waiting-room and, if he isn’t there, the ladies can sit down while we look about the station for him. He may be in the baggage-room giving directions about the luggage.” “That’s so,” responded Bert. “Come on, girls, and we'll put you somewhere so you won't get lost. This is a big city for pretty girls like you to get lost in. You might fall * into the river and have to be dug out.” They all sauntered slowly through the station, chatting as they went, and then the men left their hand-bags with the ladies of the company and went out on the side- walk and looked about for their manager. “T’ll go into the baggage-room,” said Bert; “you chaps stay here, so I'll know where to find you if I get lost.” “There’s not much chance of that boy’s eetting lost,” said Olcott, as he left them. “No, indeed,” replied Dr. Brookes; “he not only can’t lose himself, but he found Miss Marlowe once when we were all at our wits’ Eomichbooks.com