The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 239: what you’re looking at

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

IN THE LAND OF ILLUSION. Tillinghast, greatly confused by his horrible blunder, was asking a thou- sand pardons. Finally he looked up and remarked: “ But I thought you said Miss Hartworth hadn't spoken to you for days?” “Three days it’s been,’ answered Keller with a smile. “ But I under- stand her silence now. She wouldn’t let me call for fear I’d notice she had lost my ring.. She didn’t have any idea I knew it all the time. Everything will be all right now.” 225 “Kell,” said Tillinghast, reaching out his hand, ‘“ I’m awfully sorry I’ve made a fool of myself. Can you ever forgive me?” “Well,” smiled the other, “ it’s taught me a lesson. I’m going to cut out these little practical jokes in the future, and then nobody will have cause to suspect me.” ‘Good idea,” answered Tillinghast ; “Dut I swear I never thought you had the slightest claim to that ring, and here it was yours all the time.” fa the land of Ilkasion “@ NOTHER stage story!” you éx- claim in disgust. I can hear you now sniffing, with provo- cation, too, for there has been such a lot written about the stage, and the air with which you throw this tale aside indicates the quality of those other tales; but, you see, this 1s different. I have been on the stage. I know some things about it; I think so many things that I am emboldened to attempt to impart some of my dearly bought local-color. I use the words “ dearly bought ” ad- visedly; for you must know that stage- folk don’t get the salaries they swear they do, nor do they always get half of what they are promised; and when one C Charles G. Darney, Je. is fortunate enough to land a seventy- five dollar a week contract, it is doubtless only for twenty weeks, and during the remaining thirty-two the ‘artist’ 1s going the weary rounds of agencies, attempting to get booked on any old thing, anywhere. Strange as it may seem, one of the complaints always registered against my stage tales is that they are too un- real. Would you like to know why? Just because, having played the game myself, I am not able to tell of it as it 1s supposed to be; and the way it is makes such different reading from what one expects and that which the editors are sure is the thing the public wants. CO = A lDOOKS C©