The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1911-06-15
Copyright by American Press Asso.
li cfatiOns 1871.


49, X~sN JVu We ~ AAAO ID " CSdV y
play for me?'~~ssglx8aapakpsE
! had more plays than could put
2a the boards for two years, but the
GIRL had such winning smile that I
consented. took q roll Of manuscript
from her; told her to call at my office
II e week and l would give her an
answer. 70 '".--s 49,
! In q week she called.
+, "Haye you read my play7" she asked,
with that same winning smile I had
Is s Ss1 ! have been very busy. I'm
sorry. Gould YOU giye me another
week 2. 4, a .4s ss'a'
Certainly. I'm in no great hurry"
swell. come on this day week."
I went to my rooms and ransacked
every corner for that manuscript. It
was nowhere to be found. I must
have left it in the cab. But had
picked the cab up on the street and
couldn't possibly know it from other
cabs. should have admitted the loss
and taken the consequences. But I
was young and prided myself on my
ability to get out Of such scrapes. I
would first win the girls good will,
then confess and compromise the mat
ter as best l could.
When she called again I put her of
by Offering her two excellent seats for
the evenings performance. She said
they would be of no use to her since
m hn
80 sweetly when she said this that I
told her I would escort her myself.
I not only did so. but said several nice
things to her about the opening of
her play, a few passages of which I
professed to have read. l regretted
doing so, however, because she asked
me a lot Of questions about it which I
couldn't answer. got all mixed up
over 1t and was obliged to tell her
that l thought had got hold Of the
wrong. manuscript. When left her I
told her that three days, should not
elapse before had read the play, and
] would be sure that it was her play
and not some other authors play.
I put the poor girl off for three
months. She was very nice to me
about it all this time, but the further
proceeded with my deception the
further ] sank in the mire. The worst
part Of the matter was that when Q
week passed without my seeing her I
found myself like a topper without his
glass Of grog.
One day the girl came into my Office
and told me that she had given the
scenario Of her play dts skeleton) to a
rival manager, and he had assured her
that II the dialogue was filed in effec-
lively he would put 1t on the boards at
once. When l tried to put her Of
some more a beautiful bright tear
stood in her eye.
When man is fitting between in
difference and love for a woman he
may be easily unbalanced on the side
Of love by one Of those little globules.
At any rate, I lost my balance. con-
feseed TO have lost her manuscript,
but told her not to mind a little thing
IKE that since loved her and had
Quite enough for both Of US. II she
would marry me 1t would be all right
] kisssd away the tear, and her smile
was like the sun peeping from the
other side Of an April cloud.
1858 From that moment I heard no moro
Of the missing manuscript After
few months, engagement we were mar
r1ed and after brief wedding trip
settled down to the humdrum Of life.
One evening when I went home my
wife told me that she had received
"Arst night" tickets to a new play
that was to be put on the boards and
asked me to 60 with her to see the
performance. tried to beg OF. saying
that was needed at my own theater.
but she insisted. and I yielded.
Our seats were proscenium box on
q level with the stage. My wife pulled
a curtain before her so that she could
not be seen except from the stage.
The play opened SO well that ex-
"By Jove, why didn't get
hold Of this?" AS the performance pro.
ceeded it was evident that a hit was
being made. l ground my teeth in
vexation at having missed getting OH
what promised to be money maker.
At the climax in the third act the
audience came down in thunder of
applause. Calls were made for the
author. but the author did not appear.
The manager came before the curtain
and announced that he would appear
1t the end Of the play. This satisfied
them, and the performance went on.
When the curtain went down on the
last act not, one Of the. audience rose
10 60. The manager came to our box
ma, Offering his hand to my wife. a.
listed her On to the stage and placed
her before the footlights. where she
stood Blowing till the applause sub.
Iided, when she made a very graceful !
little speech. ai. ~ iaaa
"What the dickens is the meaning OF
III thisT asked when she returned.
"Oh, this - the play you lost. You |
eft the manuscript in the cab, and, my