The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-10
Copyright. 1903. by Daily Story Pub
fishing Company.

Copyright, 1903, by Daily Story PuD-
fishing Company.
If Paul Comstock had not been an
unusually sober minded and earnest
young man he never would have be-
come involved in the affair with the
actress. Had he been inclined to
sporty ideas and hankerings 1or
"green-room escapades" and 'af1alrs
with bellies on the stage, such as al
fiict so many otherwise normal young
fellows. he never would have become
entangled with Viola Markham, and
certainly never would have given
Podgers Corners such a shock as ne
did. rb
Paul grew up very commonplace
sort of boy. He was steady. INDUS
trious and saving. Everybody about
Podgers Corners agreed that he was
a model boy--oniy some insisted ne
was not overly bright. But others
said it was only lack OF imaginatloii'
OF that you may judge later.
He accomplished a great deal in his
slow, methodical manner, however,
and by the time he was in the early
twenties had cleared the cumbersome
indebtedness from the farm left by his
father when he and his sister were
mere children, and improved the prop
erty until it was one of the model
farms III the ViCl1llIy. WHch Aio s'i0
ter married he divided the farm so
as to leave the homestead in her part
and after that he lived with her and
began to add to his own acres.
He never had felt a desire to live
in the city" nor even to go there
He moved contentedly in his little
sphere, his only extravaganza being
books. and he grew to be stalwart,
hard handed, sun-burned son of the
SOIL
When 1t became necessary for him
to go to the city to fix up some dis
puted matters with the firm to which
he sold large part of his produce,
he regarded the event with dread.
: 1t was largely because of his Sis
ters repeated admonitions that Paul
determined to visit a theater. He had
only partially completed his business
and had to stay over another day, any
way So he found himself facing the
footlights from a balcony seat, and
mentally clubbing himself for wasting
rs cents in so scandalous a manner.
Just then the curtain went up and a
moment later Paul Comstock was
plunged into a new world. He had
never seen a play before and the
scene before him was as real as life.
He sat, leaning forward, with half
parted lips, drinking in the panorama
before him. 1t was all so new, so al
together wonderful. that he rubbed his
| eyes to see If it were not a dream.
His interest quickly centered in the
vivacious soubrette who played the
| ingenue. The was a merry little
| blonde and had a very good part as a
| sweet and guileless maiden who solved
| everybodys troubles and circumvented
| the burly, black-mustached villain.
| despite the most alluring temptations.
Paul Comstock thought she was the
most beautiful creature in the world.
| Never in his widest dreams had he
| imagined such human perfection. AS
| a matter OF fact. he had thought lit
| tie about women. Romance had thus
| far had no place in his life or mind.
| He had seen only the plain. simple
] girls of his neighborhood with only
| their rural attire and taste to enhance
| their natural charms. He knew moth
| ing of tibet art of stage makeup ("
and to him this glorious creature be-
| hind the footlights was just what she
appeared-both in appearance and
| character.
When the curtain went down on the
| first act he sought out her name on
| the programme. 1t was Viola Mark
nam. Each succeeding act added to
his enhancement. When the end came
| he sighed deeply and stumbled from
/ the IHedLer.
He went home next day bearing in
| his innermost heart the vision of a
| golden haired, blue-eyed divinity. all
smiles and grace-a ray of sunshine
which thereafter warmed and slim
ulated his lonesome life. He built air
I! castles. of which she was part, by
1 day and dreamed of her by night
/ He lived on his lonely life very much
| the same as of old. but a new ele-
ment had come into it. He had built
a shrine and placed therein mem
| cry.
| A year or more later he saw a par
| agraph in a newspaper which startled
! him as he had never been startled be-
| fore. 1t read:
"a benefit performance will be given
! Saturday afternoon at the Lyceum for
Viola Markham. who has been doing
| ingenue parts in well known compa-
MES for some years. and who has been
| seriously i'll. Miss Markham does not
| improve as rapidly as hoped, and the
| physicians say 1t is absolutely neces-
| sary for her to give up all thought of
/ work and seek absolute rest and quiet
and country air for q long season.
Her friends hope to realize enough by