Marion Marlowe's Escape, or, A Dangerous Mistake on the Road — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

, success, MY QUEEN. my way, or I'll throw you out of the win- dow !” He put his hand on the fellow’s shoulder and pushed him aside. He did not care to have any further words with him at present. Preston ground his teeth, but he had sense enough to remain docile. When he was left alone he tried to calm himself a little. “He can’t break that contract,” he mut- tered, as he made his way to the smoker; then he began thinking of Pearl Lee and what he felt sure was her treachery. How much had she told? Not all, surely. He must find a way to silence her at once, before she had proven, conclusively what the others were only vaguely surmising. The train was rushing on now and nearing Hudson. It was as dark as night and the rain was pouring in torrents. _ The fury of the elements seemed to calm him a little, so he made his way back through the car where the rest of the company were sitting, and, with only a glance toward Marion, went out on the platform. The other members of the cast did not give him a thought, apparently, only Pearl Lee paled slightty as he passed, and buried her face behind a paper. — Marion was laughing and chatting merrily and little Ruby was in her lap, gazing up into her face with open adiniration. The young girl was still thinking out her daring plan and was more than once on the verge of divulging it to Miss Allyn, but each time she attempted it, Ruby unknowingly in- terfered, so she laughed good-naturedly and awaited a better opportunity. “I do hope we will not have any ‘trage- dies,’ as Bert calls them,” she said to Dr. Brookes, laughingly. “A tragedy nearly al- Ways means dishonesty of some sort, and | have suffered so much from treachery and deceit! Oh, I don’t see why we should not have a delightful trip together!” “I expect we will,” said Alma Allyn, decid- edly. “Who in the world could help enjoy- ing such a lark, Marion! It would be vast- ly different, I fancy, if we had money invest- ed in the enterprise.” “Oh, but we are going to make a financial A of course,’ cried Marion, gayly. a “Why, we can’t aa drawing crowds when 19 they hear about us, Alma! All my personal exploits have been aired in the local papers, and while I don’t like it at all, still, 1 know it is necessary in the theatrical world to ad- vertise one’s self a little.” “Yes, you've got to ‘toot your own horn,” broke in Dr. Brookes, laughingly. “T’ve been trying to think if I have ever done anything that is worth recounting—anything that would brand me as a freak or a curio of any kind, and, to tell you the truth, I can’t think of a single thing !” “All of your great deeds have been done quietly,” said Marion, sweetly. “I know a few of them, dactor, but I am sure they are not the kind that would draw a crowd. Un- fortunately, no one enthuses over quiet phi- lanthropy in the slums of a great city.” Dr. Brookes looked pleased as she smiled at him sweetly. It was always pleasant to know that this lovely girl appreciated his labors. “Do you know,” she went on, “I am sure we will astonish the country! Why, such plays as ours ought to almost draw by them- selves, and then, just think, we have little Ruby, the greatest child actress on the stage at present.” She coddled the child as she spoke, and Mrs. Burnside looked happy. A word of praise from Marion seemed to make every one feel better. “Me is goin’ to be a gweat actwess some day, “ust like ’o0, Miss Marlowe,” lisped the little one, sweetly. “Me is goin’ to look pretty in a w ite dwess, wiv long curls and— and me is goin’ to pay wiv a little baby ’ust as OO pays wiv me, and den some nice, big man wiv a gwate gig mufstash is comin’ to niawwy me and be happy ever after.” A roar of amusement greeted the child’s announcement, and Miss Allyn picked her up and tossed her merrily. “So you have begun to think of ‘nice, big mians’ and marriage, already, have you?” asked. “Oh, well, it’s can't help it Ruby! to be born a woman!” she you! You That is what it means born in “Love and marriage seem unavoidable to most of us,” laughed Mrs. Burnside. “T ex- pect Miss Marlowe will be caught in the ECOnniclooolks (C@)