Marion Marlowe's Escape, or, A Dangerous Mistake on the Road — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

i MY QUEEN. 9 ager, laughingly. “You can wait until we leave Cohoes after the performance to-night and then lure him out on the back platform and pitch him over.” | He said the words without once thinking how they sounded, or that there was the slightest danger of their being taken segri- ously. “That might do in the ‘wild and woolly West,’” said Preston in a curious voice; “such deeds are done frequently on the other side of the Rockies, but in the centre of civ- ilization”—here he laughed a trifle nervous- ly—‘‘why, the perpetrator would be caught, tried and railroaded to Sing Sing+before the train went back to recover the body.” “Unfortunately, justice is not so prompt in | our boasted civilization,’ said Mr. Temple, more seriously. openly in ‘New York as they do in any part of the country, and the strangest thing about it is that the more openly it is done the harder it is to trace it. My advice to a murderer would be, don’t try to conceal anything.” “I believe you are right,” said Preston, thoughtfully. care to take any chances. “Still, a man would hardly I’m a believer in luck, and luck has always been against me.” _“T’m not so sure.” The manager spoke softly. Percy. Preston was his friend, but it was a He had teasons just now for wishing to know him — friendship of short acquaintance. Detter—in fact, he would have been glad to have probed’ into his past a little. “What do you mean? Have I ever had a Stroke of what you could call luck since you have known me, Temple? I’ve had work, ~yes—lots of it: but what a time I have had trying to corral my remuneration!” “I didn’t know the last part of it,” said Mr. Temple, more interestedly. “I only knew “Men commit murder as - sunlight of an excellent reputation. Any- way, your star is in the ascendant now. You have a chance to take front rank as an actor, and, besides, you are free to win a beautiful woman; the field is. fair, and, so far, there has been no favor. Miss Marlowe is heart- whole and fancy free—of that I am certain.” Percy Preston listened intently, with his eyes fixed on the speaker. He was trying to determine if the words held a covert insinua- tion. But the manager’s face baffled him; he could not read it. “Then [ll take my chances,” he tried to say calmly; “and Heaven help the man who crosses my path! I'll take no chances with him, J tell you, Temple!’ * «, There was a silence of a minute, and then the manager changed the subject. “What do-you think of that notice of Le- madrid’s appearance in Cohoes?” he asked, suddenly. Preston calmed himself with wonderful rapidity. “It looks as if the villainess was still pur- “T hear that Lemadrid never forgave you for turning her suing you,” he said, promptly. down! As if any manager would not have done the same to get a star like Miss Mar- lowe!” “T don’t know what to think of it,” said the : manager, honestly. “There’s -only one theatre that I know of in Cohoes, and that’s the Oneida. Barton booked us two weeks ago, so there’s no chance for Lemadrid.” Percy Preston turned his head and glanced out of the window. “Unless your advance agent is tricky,” he suggested, indifferently. — Mr, Temple started. He had thought of something. He would have spoken his thoughts, but something interrupted. “T say, Mr. Temple,” called out the stage- () manager at that minute, “do you happen to Commichookskeonn