Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-04-19
A LOST
MANUSCRIPT
By JOHN Y. LARNED
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

L was sui very young. was not at
I'll systematic and was consequently
- always in trouble. l finally received
lesson that made me change my habits.
One day | left the theater and had
entered cab just about to start away
when a girls face appeared at the |
window.
BEG pardon for stopping you" she
said. Are you Mr.. Closer, the man
ager?"
II ann
Would you be so kind as to read
play for meT'
| had more plays than I could put
on the boards for two years, but the
girl had such a winning smile that
consented. l took roll of manuscript
from her; told her to call at my office
in a week and l would give her an
answer.
In week she called.
Have you read my play?" she asked,
with that same winning smile l had
seen before.
mo: | have been very busy. I'm
sorry. Could you give me announcer
week?'
OcEldluly LII III liz SiSo' hN'AJ'
well. come on this day week"
went to my rooms and ransacked
every corner for that manuscript 1t
was nowhere to be found. l must
have left it in the cab. But | had
picked the cab up on the street ana
couldn't possibly know it from other
cabs. should have admitted the loss
and taken the consequences But
was young and prded myself on my
ability to get out of such scrapes.
would first win the girls good Will,
then confess and compromise the mat
ter as best l could.
When she called again l put her of
by offering her two excellent seats for
the evenings performance. She said
they would be of no use to her since
she had no escort. She smiled at me
so sweetly when she said this that
told her l would escort her myself.
not only did so, but said several nice
things to her about the opening OF
her play, a few passages of which l
professed to have read. l regretted
doing so, however, because she asked
me a lot of questions about it which
couldn't answer. | got all mixed UP
over it and was obliged to tell hel
that | thought | had got hold of the
wrong manuscript. When left her
told her that three days should not
elapse before l had read the play. and
would be sure that it was her play
and not some other authors play.
| put the poor girl off for three
months. She was very nice to m'
about it all this time. but the further
l proceeded with my deception thu
further sank in the mire. The wors
part of the matter was that when ;
week passed without my seeing her
found myself like a topper without hi
glass of grOg.
One day the girl came into my offic
and told me that she had given TIN
scenario Of her play Gts skeetom to
rival manager. and he had assured he
that if the dialogue was filled in effec
lively he would put it on the boards
once When | tried to put her OF
some more a beautiful bright tea
stood in her eye.
When a man is fitting between in
difference and love for woman h
may be easily unbalanced on the sid
of love by one of those little gObules
At any rate, lost my balance. l cor
fessed 10 have lost her manuscript
but told her not to mind a little thin
like that since | loved her and ha
quite enough for both of us. If sh
would marry me it would be all RICH
I kissed away the tear, and her sni
was like the sun peeping from tf
other side Of an April cloud.
From that moment | heard no MOI
of the missing manuscript. After
few months engagement we were ma
ricd and after brief wedding tr
settled down to the humdrum of lf
One evening when | went home II
wife told me that she had receive
first night" tickets to new pl;
that was 10 be put on the boards al
asked me to go with her to see t
performance tried to beg off, sayi
that ! was needed at my own theat'
but she insisted. and | Yielded
Our seats were Il prOScenium box
level with the stage. My wife pull
a curtain before her so that she cot
not he seen except from the sta
The play onened so well that {
claimed. by Jove. why didn't | ,
hold Of this?" AS the performance p
reeded it was evident that hit "
being made. | ground my teeth
vexation at having missed getting
what promised to be money max
At the climax in the third act
Judience came down in thunder
applause. Calls were made for
nuthor. but the author did not appe
The manager came before the curt
and announced that he would app
at the end of the play. This satls1
them. and the performance went OF
When the curtain went down on
last act not one of the audience r