Marion Marlowe Entrapped, or, The Victim of Professional Jealousy — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

* 22 - stick and a lisp.. Oh, I know what they look like! There’s lots of ’em loafing around in my class in society. The girls both screamed at Bert’s allusion to society, although the boy had only made the remark jestingly. “Well, why shouldn’t you be in society?” asked Marion, after a pause. “You have plenty of money, and that seems to be nearly all that is needed.” “Oh, you ought to have a pedigree like a trotter to be real, dead swell,” said Bert, quickly, “and I’m only an oe brought up on a poor farm! - “This society business just makes me sick! I’ve been in it a mons and I’m ready to graduate any minute.” “They are not all bad, thank: Heaven!” said Marion, soberly. “I suppose the per- centage of goodness is about the same in all classes. But tell me, Bert, what are your pians for the future? You know, Dollie and I are your sisters, and we shall always be interested.”’ “Look here, Marion!” said Bert, jumping up and facing her. “I don’t object to calling Dollie any old thing you like, but you can’t play the sister racket on me, for I’m fully determined to marry you some day!” “Oh, Bert! How ridiculous you are!” said - the fair girl, laughing. “Promise me that you will not say ‘yes’ to anybody for a year. Do promiee Marion. It will make me perfectly happy.” Marion looked at him sharply to see if he was in earnest. Just at that minute Dollie came to the rescue. “Why, Bert, how foolish of you!” she ex- claimed, with great wisdom. “If sister cares for you she does not need to promise, and if she doesn’t, why, of course, you don’t want her to promise.” “T guess that’s right,” said the lad, ine thoughtful. ‘They say love is, like light- ning—it goes where if that’s the case, there’s no use in my trying to con- trol it.” There was a fing at the bell, and Marion was glad of the interruption. For the first time in his life Bert was growing too seri- gTOw- ‘tis sent—so, ous. “Oh, Dollie!’ she cried, as she tore open 4 note that had come to her by a messenger = MY QUEEN. boy, “Miss Lindsay is very ill, and wishes me to come to her at seven oclock, if I pos- sibly can. I must go, of course, but Mr. Ray is coming to call. Still, perhaps, I can return early; it’s not a very great distance.” “Try to,” said Dollie, “for, of course, Adele will be with him. Oh, I am so glad they are coming! | have not seen them since my wed- ding.” Bert went away soon, and the two girls busied themselves in tidying up the flat; and at about a quarter of seven Marion started to visit Miss Lindsay. Little did she dream when she said good-bye to Dollie that an- other trap had been laid for her unsuspecting feet and that she was going deliberately to her own destruction. She smiled happily at her sister as she tripped down the steps, and her sweet face was so radiant with joy and health that nearly every one she passed turned at once and looked after her. y “What an awful neighborhood,’ she thought, as she reached Miss Lindsay’s block at last. It was farther from Dollie’s than she had anticipated. | When she’saw the number she was seeking on the door of a dilapidated tenement-house, she breathed a sigh of ios for little Miss Lindsay. “T did not dream she was so ae she murmured, and then, lifting her skirts care- fully, she picked her way through a swarm of dirty-faced children and boldly mounted the rickety steps of the dingy tenement. Up, up she went, and still no signs of Miss Lindsay. but not half of the women whom she asked understood her, for they were mostly ig- norant foreigners who did not know a word of English. At last, at the very top of the house, she saw a half-open door, and almost as she touched it she came face to face with Miss Lindsay. : “Oh, signorita!” cried the girl, in a half- whisper, as she saw her, Then, without an- other word, she burst into violent weeping. “Don’t ery, dear,” said Marion, as she put her arms around the girl. “T understand: you are ill, and poor, and unhappy, but I will Eomicbooks She inquired on each landing, — aa