Middletown transcript., 1906-06-16
The Mysterious Theatre Tickets

upon the table, and extracted
therefrom couple Of theatre
tickets. They represented seats
for a fashionable West-End play
house. No message accompan-
led the seats, and Miss Dover
Barton uttered q slight cry OF
amazement.
I wonder who can have sent
me the tickets? /? she observed to
her mother.
Lady ver-Barton smiled
languidly.
Perhaps the theatre people,
she suggested. Everybody is
anxious to have you since you
created so much interest at the
Court ball.
MY dear mother, theatrical
managers are not in the habit OF
sending people free seats with
out calling attention to the fact
by means of a communication of
some kind.
Your cousin Hartopp may have
sent them, limited her ladyship
after a moments thought.
Hartopp invariably writes me
a six page letter when he makes
me gift of any kind, replied the
girl, laughing. He does good
openly, and would blush with
annoyance if it did not bring him
fame.
Well, well, snapped Lady Do
ver-Barton after a pause, see
no reason why you should trouble
to probe the mystery. The seats
are there, and you had better use
them.
Of course. l have been look
ing forward to seeing "The .Chry-
santhemum, and | shall proba-
bly, take Dick
A week passed, and then, much
to the girls astonishment, she
received further tickets.
This is growing highly myster.
ious, she observed to her brother
Dick.
Strikes me that there is some
thing behind. the business, OBJ
served the young man. ] shall
just run down to the theatre and
see if I can ascertain anything.
He took his way to the Colossus
Theatre that morning, and inter
viewed the box Office clerk.
Er-my sister received these
tickets to-day, he observed as he
extended them toward the clerk.
What of that, sir ?
l want to know if you could
give me any idea of the individ-
ual who purchased the seats.
The youth consulted ledger.
Row B, Nos. and 8, he mur-
INJURED. Purchased the day be-
fore yesterday.
He pondered for moment, and
then said:
Curiously enough, sir, I am
able to recall the person who
bought the 'seats. She was
tall, solemn-loolzing lady, and she
wore spectacles.
A tall, solemn-lo looking lady with
spectacles, echoed Dick, and then
murmured to himself /:
Don't think Ianthe knows any
body answering to that descrip-
tion.
He thanked the box office clerk,
and returned to Park Lane, whore
he found his sister in a fever of
suspense.
Well, well, she cried, have you
discovered anything about my
mysterious benefactor
Well, apparently, it is not a
benefactor at all, but benefac-
tress, he replied.
A woman
Yes. Tall, solemn, specialized.
Now rack your brain, o sister,
and see whether you can identify
the unknown seatgiyer.
The girl sat down and began to
think.
Now, let me see. she murmur-
ed. There is Mrs. Graham who
wears spectacles, but she is short
and dumpy. Miss VINCENT is
also addicted to glasses, but she
is anything but solePn-lo
and can scarcely open her mouth
without a laugh. Old Lady Hum
phrys wears blue glasses, and 4
terrible fright she looks in them
too, but she never stirs from her
house, and would hardly hang
about the box Office Of theatre. /
Anybody else ? inquired Dick.
No. Stay, though There is
Clara James. It is just possible
that it might be her, though |
should hardly describe her as