The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-06-14
WHITFIELD'S PLAY.

! When Billy Whitfield came to Chicago
| he went straight to the Office of his brother
| Tom. 1t was the first time they had met
since Toms wedding and Billy had come
to spend a week with the young married
couple. When they had exchanged all the
news and spent an hour together over
restaurant dinner table, Tom began to
fdget and finally said:
Now, Billy, I'll tell you what you do
| this afternoon. It's Saturday and Marie
is going to the matinee. You go with her.
She'll be tickled to have you and you'll find
her the dearest little sister-in-law in the
world. You see, I'll be busy till five o'clock
and I'll feel more comfortable if | know
she has you with her at the show. You
can't sit round the office all afternoon, and
I'm sure you'll like Marie"
That's just the trick Tom," said Billy,
looking at his watch, still give me good
chance to get acquainted with her and I'm
sure III like her.
So they went back to the Office and in
| few minutes Toms young wife came in.
! She was pretty as a picture, dressed IN blue
with big gray boa and gray ostrich plumes
in her hat and before Billy was through
bowling he wondered if her sister was any.
where near as good to look at.
by George" thought he, tom is lucky
| dog"
Marie was vivacious to the point of giddi.
ness, but she didn't pay much attention to
| Billy and kept her eyes on her husbands
face whenever he spoke. When she and
| her brother-in-law started for the theater,
| however, she turned her conversation bat
teries on him, and the best he could do was
to listen, listen, listen She had something
| to say about everything and never waited
for reply, and Billy was so delighted with
her talk that he soon gave up any effort to
wedge in a word and let her chatter.
When they got to the entrance of the
playhouse he asked her if she had the tick
| cts She looked at him for moment as he
repeated:
'Are you sure you've got two tickets?"
care you broker" she asked, looking puz-
zled, but smiling.
mo. What makes you think 500"
She blushed violently and said:
81 intended to ask Tom for money, but
forgot all about it. But | can lend you
dollar.
Billy looked bit scared at this talk, but
she pulled out dollar bill and handed it
to him.
Although thoroughly mystifed by Marie's
behavior, he took the dollar and half.
guessed that she wanted him to buy the tick.
cts and intended to pay for one of them
with the dollar. But when he went to the
box office to buy she grabbed him by the
arm and said she had two tickets.
tom buys me two every week at this
house." she said, laughing. Her escort tried
to get in word again, but she ratified on
merrily and led the way down the aisle.
They were both silent during the first act,
but when the curtain fell and the lights
rose he whispered to her:
Marie, when am 1 to get chance OF
meeting your little sister,"
cts pretty poor show she replied,
looking closely at him.
"Why, what's the matter"' he gasped;
shave [ offended you? Have l acted
badly"
eff l don't like the first act 1 don't like
any," she continued, and would have said
more, but he interrupted her.
"For heavens sake, Marie, what's the
matter? 1 wouldn't offend you for the
world. I"
81 guess it's a pretty poor play, Billy"
she concluded, as the curtain went up for
the second act. Billy tried to think where
he had made ''the bad play" and sat
wretched. She watched the stage so intent.
ly and with such evident delight that he
decided to say no more till she addressed
him. But she was strangely silent during
the next interval and Billy decided to haz.
ard question:
"How do you feel, Marie?"
She looked at him askance for moment
and then said. quite seriously
"Idiotic, insane, about bad as posi-.
ble" Then she laughed gayly and added:
81 don't think | can stand it much longer"
That was enough for Billy. His worst
fears We're realized.
Slipping quietly out into the foyer, he
called a messenger boy and sent to his
brother the following note:
Dear Tom: Come quick. Marie is i'll.
Bring carriage. I'll meet you at the door
of the theater. BILLY"
This astonishing message brought Tom
Whitfield galloping in carriage. He
found Billy, pale and trembling, at the
door,
"Brace up, Tom, old man, she'll be all
right, l guess"
"But what's the NATTER bawled Tom;
"has she fainted?"
"No, it isn't that. Here's my seat check.
You call her out, Tom
So the scared husband stamped down the
aisle white as sheet and beokoned his wife.
IL
but scrambled out.
whats the matter?"
"That's what | want to know"
81 don't know anything, only Billy left me
about ten minutes ago and hasn't come
back. Did you see him."
BY this time they had assembled in the
foyer and were looking from one to another
in silly establishment.
''She seems to be all right, Billy"
care you all right Billy?' asked Marie.
whats got it into your head that she
was ill.," Tom looked at his brother as if
he suspected him of being intoxicated.
''Why, when | asked her if she had tick.
cts, she insisted on loaning me a dollar"
said Billy, sheepishly; when | asked her
how she felt, she said she was insane"
/ "What is he saying9" asked Marie, look
ing closely at Toms lips.
Then a great light dawned upon the
brothers, but it was Tom who'frst spoke:
"By George forgot to tell you that she's
deaf. Marie, why didn't you tell him you
are deaf"