Evening star., 1911-08-15
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Marooned.

After consultation in the room OF the
star. it appeared that the funds Of the
deserted six amounted to exactly six dol
lars. or, If equally divided. one dollar
apiece.
Lille, who had been-more or less regu-
larly-in the enjoyment of thirteen dollars
a week. was in the habit Of sending all
she could spare out OF her salary to
bedridden sister in a semi-charitabIe in
stitution. Pa and Mrs. Winter were sus-
pected of having something up their
sleeves" but they produced only two dol
lars to match Lilies two-and after all,
their joint earnings were but ten dollars
q week AS for Ed Binney. he supported
parents, one Of whom was almost blind,
the other nearly crippled with rheuma-
tism. Besides this regular call upon his
purse, he was obliged reluctantly. from
time to time, to buy a tonic which might
Keep his delicate chest in working order.
Miss st. Claire was chronically penniless;
and everybody knew that Gordon had re-
ceived no salary yet.
The landlord, disappointed at finding
very little of value in the rooms OF the
actors with whom II was q cautious
habit to safeguard their most cherished
possessions in their theater trunks), had
threatened in the first outburst of anger
to turn them all into the street: but Love-
land and Lille de Lisle argued that he
or two. until matters had been discussed
and something of advantage to every
body. perhaps. arranged.
But at the end Of long and gloomy
talk. nobody had found anything brilliant
to suggest. There was too little money
to be Of any use. said Pa Winter, who
was by nature a pessimist: and for his
part he didn't see what was to become
OF them ALL unless they went to the
poorhouse ard waited for something to
turn UP. or induced the town authorities
to organize a subscription
II won't go to the poorhouse and l
won't be an object of charity" exclaimed
Lille. pluckily. i've been in bad scrapes
before and got out of 'em somehow. and
bet we all have. unless it's Gordon
So I guess, We can again"
Relieved by Mr.. Jacobus' treachery OF
his obligation to be silent, Val repeated
his conversation with Mrs. Jacobus yes
terday. adding that he had been very far
from suspecting her real intention.
That's because you're an amatoor.
dear boy" said Binney, coughing harsh
ly. IF they'd let out as much to one of
us-but they'd have had too much gump-
ton. II only you could have put US wise
we'd o. been on the watch: but don't
You did the straight thing. accordin' TO
your lights Full Moon was always green
Jealous of Miss de Lsle, but after you
Joined the show, IL she'd been cat with
four legs instead of two. shed o spit and
scratched. AS it was. she did the next
best thing-tried to take you away under
her arm and spite Lille. For the rest of
us she didn't care tinkerS dasn. one
way or another. Then, when you turned
on her. and blurted out just what you
thought OF her and her schemes. and how
YOU meant to stand by Miss de Lisle. she
was as sour on you as she had been
sweet / bet she's chucklin' this minute.
thinkin' of our plight. It'll be nuts to
her.
Cant we get at them and punish them
somehow" Loveland wanted to know.
"Takes money to do that sort OF thing.
even IL we could. 1t would cost the boss
Of the hotel more than Jacobus owes him
for US all to SO to law now theyv We
vamoosed, out of the state. too. AS for
us, we're not in it-except the soup. They
had plenty Of money. too, the beasts. for
Full Moons q regular oof bird, with most
a thousand dollars of her own over and
above what J. j. has 'blowed. and the
Ashyille business has been jolly good. Il
don't care how they tried to stun you
up They must have lit out with pretty
penny-to say nothing OF all the COM
pany's scenery. paper and MS. plays
We're stripped clear OF everything but
our theater trunks, and they'd nave taken
them II they'd dared"
But Loveland had not even q theater
trunk.
..If we could get up some kind Of a
benefit performance, those that are left
of u.s. he suggested. after thinking very
hard for a few heavy minutes. I'VE might
make enough to go-somewhere."
Good idea, il we had play" said
Eddy But we-no. by Jinks. we have
got one!''
what one?'' asked Lille de Lisle.
clasping her hands.
Sidney Cremer's Lord Bob Old J. j.
gave me the MS. to copy into parts only
three days ago, and l was too seedy to
hustle much with II. He said IL the parts
we're ready to distribute Monday It would
do. and / was going to finish By then,
sure. suppose he dasn't ask mo for the
Ms. back, for fear I'd smell Q rat-0r