Under Lock and Key; or, Marion Marlowe's Last Role — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

24 they were whirled to her sister Dollie’s house, two blocks away, where a reception had been planned. Marion spoke not a word all the way—only clung to her husband’s hand. compose herself before the carriage stopped and their friends came hurrying up in other carriages. Such a reception as it was! Bert was everywhere and kept the com- pany in roars of laughter by his remarks and pranks. He openly declared that Marion had jilted him, and went on to give the full ac- count of her “perfidy,” as he called it. Marion, standing at Dr. Brookes’ side, was enjoying the festivities immensely, and yet now she was dying to talk to her husband alone. | Finally she slipped away from the doctor, only looking back as she passed through the door, to catch her husband’s eyes on her, beaming with admiration. | Shortly after, the doctor disappeared to change his dress suit for a frock coat. He was the first to return, and Marion came in shortly after in a most becoming traveling suit of brown cloth. Then followed good-bys, and the newly married couple started for their carriage. Bert was still up to his tricks, though, and they had no sooner reached the sidewalk than they were greeted with a perfect shower of rice from the windows of Dollie’s parlors. The doctor helped Marion into the carriage and owed as quickly as he eould. Once more the door snapped, the driver whipped up his horses and the carriage sped down the street, bound for the railroad sta- tion. Marion became strangely quiet the moment she entered the carriage. As it started up, however, she turned to- ward Dr. Brookes, and her eyes were full of love. . “My husband!” That was all she said, but oh, how sweet those two words sounded to her. And yet they sounded infinitely sweeter to the hand- some young man at her side. His arms were around her in an instant, and as‘she nestled her head on his breast, he kissed her lips fervently again and again. “My darling! My darling!” he whispered ; then his face became grave, as he said: “Oh, Marion, my dearest, my wife—I was never worthy of you!” ; But Marion only clung still closer to him, and at his last words she raised one hand and laid it on his lips. In fact, there was scarcely time to ° MY QUEEN. Dr. Brookes understood and kissed her hand rapturously. ae 3K * * x * * * A week later the investigation of the “Home Rest Sanitarium” was ordered by the authorities and the rascality of the sanita- rium doctors was exposed to the public. — Miss Thompson did what she could to help the good work along and testified on the stand to what she had seen in the building. Her words made a wonderful sensation in the court, for it is rarely that one lives to tell such a story as hers, and at the end of the trial both culprits were convicted. Steve Blakely had vanished like a breath of vapor, but Miss Kearney, Marion’s treach- erous nurse, was found a little later. She was haunting the dead lawyer’s office, trying to collect her five hundred dollars. But Marion quickly forgot her terrible ex- perience in the love and devotion of her hus- band. Both she and the doctor were Dliss- fully happy, for their love was deathless. Bert went to collége, as his father had planned, and remains true to his sweetheart, who has never wavered in her affection to- ward him, since that one time when she thought Bert in love with the treacherous Miss Fredericks. Mrs. Burnside, formerly in Marion’s com- pany, and her beautiful daughter, Ruby, who is®ast growing up, are frequent callers at the Brookes residence, as are Mr. and Mrs. Fairfax, the latter being Marion’s old chum, Alma Allyn. Marion met Mr. Temple, her old theatrical manager and admirer, once on the street. He was very cordial, but, although she invited him to call on Dr. Brookes and herself, he could never be induced to do so. He 1s still a theatrical manager, and the Brookes occa- sionally hear of him, and of Ida Inez and “her boy, Jackets, two other members of the com- pany, through Mrs. Burnside, who is touring with them. Mr. Canfield declared that his son’s fiancée was more than half his daughter-in-law already, and insisted that Miss Ellis should live at his home until Bert completed ‘his education. The old gentleman has taken a great fancy to her, and between Bert and Lena all his affections are wrapped up “in his children,” as he calls them. And now, with her heart full ot love, and the brightest of prospects before her, we will take leave, for the present, of beautiful Mar- ‘on Marlowe, ot Marion Marlowe Brookes, as she must henceforth be called. When we hear from her again—and who among the readers of “My Queen” does not wish to—we may be sure of finding her the % ; * * é + , Gomicbooks.com — at.