Marion Marlowe's Escape, or, A Dangerous Mistake on the Road — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

ag" e) “aR nobodies compared with her! MY QUEEN. rj “Bernhardt and Modjeska are positively Oh, you put your foot in it that time, Jackson! Better be more careful how you express your opin- ions !” It was the manager himself who made the last remark, so Bert took off his hat and apologized profusely. “Really, my ignorance is pitiful,” he said, “No doubt the facts in the case are that I don’t know good acting when very humbly. I see it, There’s a scene in one of our plays where two ‘supes’ bring lobster and cham- pagne to the banquet room, and every time I see them I fairly tremble with delight, but when Preston goes ranting all over the stage 9 trying to find ‘me lady who is lost,’ | “Well, what do you do?” It was Preston who spoke. He had turned with flashing eyes, and was confronting the speaker. Bert Jackson put his hands in his pockets and looked him squarely in the eye. “For one thing, I keep my eye on him to see what he is going to do next,” he said, quietly; “and the second thing I do is to swear a vow of vengeance if he doesn’t treat ker right after he finds her. I am here as a gentleman, and I mean to protect every lady in the company!” | As he finished speaking, he moved his slance from Preston’s face and turned it de- liberately upon a young girl with flaxen hair and almost ink-black eyes, who was sitting in the last chair, and who, so far on the ride, had not spoken a syllable. The eyes of every member in the com- pany followed his glance, and in an instant the girl’s lids fell and her face paled slightly. Looking back at Preston, they knew in- stinctively that there was something behind Bert’s extraordinary words, for the leading man’s face was almost crimson and his wa- vering eyes looked undeniably guilty. Marion Marlowe paled as she took in the situation, but she rose in a second and put her hand on Bert’s shoulder. “That is right, Bert! the ladies, and begin right away, please, by Always champion ordering some supper! I'll starve in ten minutes, so tell the porter to hurry!’ CHAPTER III. A HIDEOUS SUGGESTION. As the train slowed up at Pe@kskill, Mr. Temple rose from his chair. “Let’s get off here a minute and stretch our legs, Preston,” he said, as he laid his hand on his leading man’s shoulder. As the two passed her chair Marion glanced up at them. Percy Preston was looking at her sharply, as though he was trying to read her thoughts to see what impression Bert’s words had made upon her. “Did you know Preston before he joined the company, Miss Leer” asked Miss Ellis of her striking-looking companion, and lower- ing her voice, carefully. Miss Ellis, the ingenue, was full of curi- osity, but her interest was always on the harmless order. “IT played with him one season in the West,.’ was the hesitating answer. ‘That was five years ago, long before he reached the dignity of leading man. At that time he was exactly what Mr. Jackson just mentioned, a ‘barn-stormer, or ‘ham-fatter,’ as we used to call them.” “Have you been on the stage long?” was the ingenue’s next question. Miss Lee pointed to little Ruby, who was still talking to the owner of the whiskers. “Since I was her age,” she said, wearily: “and I am twenty now. That’s long enough to make me a professional, isn’t it?” “Oh, you are thinking of what Bert just said,” laughed Miss Ellis. “Why, that boy COMICOOOXS.COnn