Marion Marlowe's Triumph, or, In Spite of Her Enemies — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

-— ‘led 10 MY QUEEN. on: Miss Lemadrid because she ad dared to talk too much to the manager. Miss Stanley, a handsome blonde, had been the last transgressor, and now, as Temple walked listlessly about the lobby of the the- atre he was racking his brains to think where to go, to replace her. True, she was only Miss but that was an im- portant part, for, were the star to be taken ill or meet with an accident, the play could Lemadrid’s understudy, not go on without, the assistance of such a person. As Gordon entered the lobby the manager turned to him eagerly. “Say, Gordon, where the deuce will I find a woman on short notice to fill Stanley’s placer Claire has made me discharge her, and left me in a hole. “lwon’t do to risk a night without an understudy.” ‘Have vou tried the theatrical bureaus?” asked Gordon, thoughtfully ; “ might hit upon some one through the Dra- or perhaps you matic Mirror.” There’s Miss Lemadrid’s She could squeeze through without talent, but not “I’ve looked over the whole list. not a name that | want. understudy has got to be handsome. without beauty.” “That is so,” asserited Gordon, with a puz- look; then, like a flash, he thought of lis beautiful fellow boarder. [or a moment two emotions strugeted valiantly within him. He would have given his all‘to have this girl play the opposite part to him for even one evening, but could he “suggest such a preposterous thing? It seemed like sacrilege to think of Marion behind the footlights. out, Gordon! You've “Come, speak thought of some one. I can see it by your For heaven's sake, help me out of my old fellow!" Kd Gordon almost choked as he tried to lace, hole, epeak, but he quickly recovered. young girl who “T was thinking of a oo” boards at our ranch,” he said, slowly. has talent. Of course, I have no idea whether | you car get her, Temple.” | “Ever been on the stage?” asked the man- ager, briefly. : ‘ “Not that I know of,” said Gordon. ‘She's a stranger to me, Temple. She’s a boarder i in the house; and our girls are all jealous of ad 9? her. “Why ?* asked the manager, with a twin- kle in his eye.” you, has she, Gordon? better keep her eye peeled for Vera.” “No, indeed! She’s not that kind! why I like her,”’ said Gordon, honestly ; “but, as I say, she’s a perfect beauty, and as pure as she is pretty. I was fool enough to say so, and—well, that precipitated the jealousy.” “So they've got it in for her now, poor thing!’ said the man, laughing. , “Well, I fancy she’s not the girl for me; there is jeal- ousy enough in the company at present.” The more he thought about the girl, the more he Gordon was bitterly disappointed. hoped Temple might engage her. “Well, he said, turning away. that’s the best I can do for you,” “T suppose there are lots of ‘em to be had, ‘but I don’t happen to know them.” He walked out of the lobby and around to the stage door. The first person he saw as he entered was. Vera - Villette. She was standing in the Scene room, talking to the prompter. “So Stanley had to go, did she?” he heard “Well, if | was in her place I'd Still, that isn’t saying that her say. square accounts. | blame Lemadrid.” “She shouldn't have poached upon Lema- drid’s preserves,” said her companion, laugh- ing. “Why, how would you have felt if she had flirted with Fd Gordon? Put the shoe on your own foot and see how it fits, Vera.” ” She's * as beautiful as a picture, and I am sure she — 4 “She hasn't been flirting with — If she has, she had © That's — ; Comilebooks.€o + ae {= ad -_ ‘ Rs _ s A a t -