The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-10-22

Sorry l forgot to bring a magnifying glass;" sneered Jacobus. "But, see here, I call this false pretenses. How are you going to play new part every night of the week, some of lem costoom ones, all out of grip no bigger than your pocket? You ought to have told me what you didn't have-if it wouIdn't have taken you too long"
 LoveIand wished that he had no heavier burden to carry than his bag. but he kept the thought to himself and trudged off with the arbiter of his destiny. The loungers, too far away to overhear the conversa ton, guessed that it was not altogether of a friend ly nature and transferred their quids of tobacco to their cheeks in order to discuss the situation with a new if deeting animation. As he passed them to descend the platform steps to the muddy country road Loveland caught the words "show folks"
 Show folks!' Yes, he was one Of the show folks.
 I4oveIand prfcl1ed all over as if with million stabs of tiny pins, but Ja- cobus only laughed and said that it was good advertisement
 He questioned. .LoyeIand sharply con- corning his theatrical experience, seem ing to incline toward distrust since the incident of the travelling bag. Very soon he found out, in all it's nakedness the truth which had been yelled in the letter dictated by Bill-that MT. Perce- val Gordon's experience had all been as an amateur and not very extensive at that However, as Bill had prophe- sled, he did not appear to think it mat tered much, though he sniffed and "hum'd" little by way of curbing the new mans self esteem. You've got a good stage presence and voice. said he, though I don't know what the folks here will think of that English accent of yours. Pity you can't talk United States"
 'sYou ought to have told me had to play a new part every night" satC Loveland. And the young man and the middle aged one, looking each ota- CT straight in the eyes. conceived for one another an intense dislike T waE given to understand by person of experience that should have enough to get on with until could buy some thing if necessary"
 'tWelI. that depends on how soon you buy,' returned Jacobus less bitterly.
 Ou klOW very well LaaL yOuO nave me on the leg once you got out here at this here little place with your ticket paid. Our show ain't made of money, especially the past two weeks. Heavensi What a frost! We've been living on our gleanings from last month, when we were going like smoke, and counting on the new juve- nile lead to help work up better busi- ness. That's why Pm so sore at your eheek, MT. Gordon, shooting yourself out west with what you stand up in. But as you are here we must make the best of a bad business. The girls may like you even with whiskers on your shirt cuffs, and I suppose among us we'll rig you up somehow out of our theater- trunks. That's what you were laying for, eh ?"
 ''Lcok here! If you're going to in- suit ne much more I shall turn round and go back if I have to walk,'' said Loveiand, cold, hungry, tired and mis- erable, but with just spirit enough left in him to be furious.
 Jacobus saw that he had gone too far if the juvenile lead were not to slip through his fingers. He did not want that to happen, though he al- ready had an uneasy jealousy of r. Gordon.
 "Pshawv' he exclaimed, laughing. Don't you know a joke from an in- suit in your part of the country? It give me q start to see you land with out wardrobe, and I have right to be mad. But I've just said we'd make the best of it and help you out all we can. What can we do more?''
 The actor-manager watched his new acquisition furtively and at last inter rupted himself in describing with some acerbity the absent members of the company tc remark suddenly, 'fYou look like a soldier.''
 ''I am a soldier,:' Loveland replied befofe be stopped to think.
 Gro be conttuhed.l