Marion Marlowe in Columbus, or, Accused of a Crime — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

2 ily ever since the company left Cleveland, had finally let up for awhile, although the clouds seemed in no mood to break away. “We've got a sneak and a traitor among us, that is very evident,’ was the young man’s answer. “Whoever dropped that pa- per has been carrying it since last evening. What I want to know is, why didn’t he serve it in Cleveland?” Mr. Temple folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “Keep mum about this, Jackson, until we find the culprit! is the ‘original instrument,’ as the lawyers It has never been returned and the Whoever he is, he has no duplicates in his pocket!” Say. time is up to-morrow. “So if you keep it safely and neither of us say anything about it, it doesn’t get “Well, that’s good luck, too, but who’d have thought that of Miss Chester? I knew she was tricky, but I didn’t think she’d be so spiteful.” “She evidently blames Miss Marlowe for her discharge,” said Mr. Temple, thought- fully, “although the facts of the case are that our star begged me to be merciful. I discharged Chester for stealing—there was ” served,” said Bert, gayly. no other reason | “Well, I’ll play old sleuth for the balance of the day, you can bet,” said Bert, between his teeth, “and if I ever catch the scoun- drel that had this in his pocket, [’ll—well, I won’t go into details about what I’ll do to him! I’ll wait and see how I feel when I get a look at him.” 4 “T suppose he went back with the train,” said Mr. Temple, slowly. “It doesn’t seem possible it can be any one in the company. None of my actors or hands are process servers that I know of. What puzzles me is why he didn’t serve it before; perhaps his conscience troubled him, Jackson. I can't think of any other reason.” MY QUEEN. Thank fortune, this paper” “I hope it did, the scalawag,” said Bert, — still angry, “but there go Hinton and Gray out to look at the wash-out. Vll begin my ~ detective work right away by going over and . joining them.” “And I'll go and have a chat with the la- | dies,” said Mr. Temple, still frowning?’ “Ex-- perience has taught me to watch the female © members of my company very closely when there is any treachery about; still I can © hardly believe that there is a traitor among them at present; they are all lovely girls ; and all devoted to Miss Marlowe.” “T’m off,” said Bert, starting over to the wash-out. - “Go easy, Jackson! This thing will be a serious matter!” warned the manager. He started back toward the side-tracked ‘ cars, where he could hear peals of laughter | and merry voices, while Bert strolled across the track leisurely and joined the two men at the wash-out. - “This looks promising, I must confess! Here we are, side-tracked in a wilderness and liable to stay here—Heaven only knows how long, and all because of a ditch that any able-bodied cow could jump over! I call it disgusting! Are those your Senti- ments, Hinton?” Phil Gray, the property man of the Tem- ple Theatrical Company, uttered the words just as Bert Jackson came up. “Tf I expressed an opinion it would not be fit for publication, Gray,” was Hinton the calcium man’s honest answer. “The idea of our being stuck out in this forsaken hole! Why, the desolation of the place is enough , ‘ i to drive one to drink, but the deuce of it — is there’s nothing to drink but brook water!” — “Well, there’s lots of that, boys! We won't go dry, at any rate, although the prospects are now that we may go hungry,” chimed in Bert, very naturally. “And I’m as hungry as a bear,” laughed EOmichoo SS com i. : |