Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-04-01
AN UNsCRUPULoUs AFFAIR

| AFTERNOON IN June ne awaited the dis
! tinguished pleasure of Rupert Sur
! face, the well-known actor manager.
| journalism was the crutch that sup
| ported the steps Of Jimmy in his
| search for daily bread; but such
| hours as could be spared from the
! exactng search We're devoted to the
! manufacture Of plays-unacted plays.
! And for long enough there had
! seemed every prospect that those
! plays would remain Enacted. until Nj.
! Surface, with Il vaguely promising
! letter had sent Jimmy almost into
| delirium Of mad nope. He had read
| Diana's Device ana had been rather
| struck by its Grade possibilities, but
| but
After that had followed interviews.
! Mr.. Surface would be encouraging,
! had drifted by, and now, perhaps, for
| the twelfth time Mr.. Singleton was
! waiting upon his patron
'Ahi dear boy, SO glad to see you.'
| was his greeting.
When the author ventured to bring
! forward the object of his visit, the
| great man grew almost peevish:
/ plays, dear boy I'm not thinking
Of plays. My doctor says | must give
my mind and body complete rest.
! He says that no brain can stand the
! strain impose continually upon
mine. He's sending me off to the
| wilds Of Ireland for a week OF so"
Can YOU not give me Il definite
answer about my play >"
! NO, ] can't possibly say anything
! now. Perhaps, when | come back
Jimmy Singleton made his way out
! of the august presence, and in his
! heart were curses black and deep
! against Rupert Surface. And that
! evening he wrote a letter to the girl
| xxybp n his shnpSG he had
| included in the wilder, more dainty
| hopes and dreams of his struggling
life,
! hope you are having a
great time at Achill," he wrote among
many trivialtes. Who do you think
| is going there, too, and to the same
| hotel? No less a person than Rupert
| Surface. the actor manager If you
/ should get a chance OF pushing the
| brute into the sea, darling, think Of
me and do not spare himl | saw him
yesterday and he vas rather more
brutally vague than ever. And II
| would mean such a lot to u.s."
The girl who read that letter above
a smokily fragrant peat fire had some-
| thing in her face that might inspire
| any man of courage. When she had
read it, Christine Danvcrs wandered
| to the window with compressed lips.
| An outside car had just driven up,
|
were descending. Christine saw the
! mans face under his soft hat, and
! recognized it vaguely from the photo
graphs of many magazines. But the
man himself was looking older and
more wrinkled than the kindly photo
graphs had allowed.
A marvelously rejuvenated Rupert
| Surface appeared at dinner that night
and made himself exceedingly agree
| able to the few occupants of the long
| table He sat near Christine ana her
brother and his wife. and even the
former was compelled to admit un-
willingly that the man was an admir-
able talker.
As a rule. Mr.. Surface was aVerse to
active exercise But the wind was
blowing softly. as ii blows only in Ire
land and il was scented marveluusly
with damp sweet hoggy grass and
with the very freshness of the sea.
The other visitors at the hotel had set
off after breakfast as usual, upon
some harebrained expedition, regard
less of the weather, and 50. without
| a companion of any sort, MIR. Surface
set himself to climb a Hill.
Mr. Surface had scarcely noticed
that veil of clmging pearly vapor. The
| going was somewhat heavy, but he
stuck to his task quite manfutly. But
suddenly it began to rain with steady
violence In a few minutes he had
entirely lost all sense of direction
Christine had parted from her rela-
tives after a moist picnic lunch and
had attempted an ascent of the hill
from the other side. She had gained
/ the catrn upon the crest without mis-
hap, and then the mist had swept
about her. Almost instantly she lost
the track hut she possessed cool
head and most useful sense of direc-
ton. She was cropping her way down
wards with steady caution, when she
was suddenly aware of mufiled. brok-
en- and almost fearful howls proceed
ing out ~ :he mist upon her right.
she turned toward the sound and
upon Mr.. Surface stretched upon the
| hoggy turf
Mr.. Surface explained that he had
sprained his ankle Where ar, the
rest of my party ." hc asked I must
get them To help me down somehow.
Il am sorry to say that / ann alone
| Christine answered. And have
more or less lost my way myself. Can
| | do anything for your ankle before I
go on The sooner get down the
; sooner | can send help To YOU
: But the idea Of being left utterly
alone shattered MIR. Surfaces nerves
$ once more. There We're actual tears
in his eyes as he said,
1T must beg You To stay with me.
-, | III am not tit to he left alone. This
| pam M my itHklt makes ne reel quite
| faint and sooner or later they viii
I send To look for both of MS
= And then an idea came to Christine,
10 with a sudden memory of Jimmy S
| letter
II don't want TO stay bit " She
{ said frankly. "Wiu YOU DO me % IA
vor II l stop?"
Rupert Surface forgot his pains and
terrors for a moment and looked ~
Christine rather suSpiCio0Slv.
Yes. of CourSC--anythinE in rea-
son, that is. he answered
p 1t seems queer time to speak OF
it, but J must" she began You are
considering a play OF Mr.. Singleton I
know that You like the p}ay--any sem
5 siblc man wuuld-hut YOU won't give
him an answer. ] want YOU tu--tc
Il say YOU will produce the play.
You amuze me-" he said. What