Marion Marlowe's Peril, or, A Mystery Unveiled — page 5: what you’re looking at

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MY QUEEN. 3 “What, that magnificent creature!” cried Mr. Horton, wheeling around. “That beau- tiful, queenly girl, with a voice like a night- ingale! Is it possible she is willing to be a newspaper reporter?” | “Marion is willing to do anything that is honorable to earn her living,” said Miss Al- lyn, soberly. “She has several offers to sing again, but the shock of her first week’s ex- perience has made her a bit morbid. She dreads to go back to the life behind the scenes. She is just the soul of goodness and purity and honor!” “Wire her at once!’ said Mr. Horton, with decision; then as Miss Allyn turned away a smile crossed his features. “Here’s luck,” he thought, with a little chuckle. ““That girl impressed me in a won- She’s the most handsome creature that I ever saw— and then I hear that Howard Everett is half in love with her and—well—I'll not be sorry to make a little trouble for Everett.” derful manner the other night. The smile had deepened considerably now. It was plain to be seen that he bore no love for the critic. Meanwhile Miss Allyn had sent her mes- sage to her friend and was back at her desk, writing as busily as ever. An hour later Mr. Villard stopped at her desk to hand her some copy. “Oh, Mr. Villard,” said the young lady, quickly, ““what do you know of the artist, Vincent St. Clair?” There was no reply for the space of a When Miss Allyn looked up in some surprise she found Villard’s face a study. second. “Oh, you don’t like him,” she began, but he interrupted her. . “T hate him!” cried the young man, fiercely, then he calmed himself somewhat. “Excuse me, Miss Allyn, I will try to an- swer your question,” he said, politely. “I know St. Clair to be fairly clever; 1 know furthermore that he is an unscrupulous man _—he’d sacrifice his soul any day for his art. He is one of those people who are too ambitious to be honorable.” Miss Allyn frowned, and her eyes grew thoughtful. “Poor fellow! Perhaps the loss of that Well, I do cértainly hope that she will come back some beautiful wife has affected him! day,” she said, slowly; “I’d almost rather a person whom I loved would be dead than ‘missing ;’ there’s something about that word that gives me the shivers.” “Tt suggests dark plots and uncanny deeds, doesn’t it?” said Villard, with a shud- der. “Tt does, indeed!” was Miss Allyn’s an- swer, and at that instant she turned and saw Marion Marlowe just entering the depart- ment. | id CHAPTER I. A WARNING. As the beautiful young girl came suddenly before them, every person in the department stopped work and stared at her. Such a vision of loveliness was seldom seen in this sordid atmosphere of business life, and her coming seemed like a breath of spring—there was a freshness and fairness about her that was almost bewildering. A smail boy was escorting her carefully toward Mr. Horton’s desk, which was at one end of the room behind a high iron grating. Marion Marlowe was a little over seven- teen, but tall for her age, and her lithe, wil- lowy form was beautifully molded. Her skin was perfect and her lips like cher- ries, while the wealth of chestnut hair that adorned her queenly head was as soft and rippled as daintily as an infant’s. She walked with the free, springy step of COMICLOOOKS.GO