The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-06-02
A LOST
MANUSCRIPT
BY JOHN Y. LARNED
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation. 1911.


lesson that made me change my habits.
One day l left the theater and had
entered a cab just about to start away
when girls face appeared at the
window.
beg pardon for stopping you" she
said. Are you Mr. Closer, the man
agerP"
II am"
"Would you be SO kind as to read a
play for me"
/ had more plays than l could put
on the boards for two years, but the
girl had such winning smile that
consented. / took roll of manuscript
from her; told her to call at my office
in 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 another
week."
Certainly. Pm in no great hurry"
"Well. come on this day week."
l went to my rooms and ransacked
every corner for that manuscript. 1t
was nowhere to be found. | 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
was Young and prided 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 OIL
by offering her two excellent seats Tor
the evenings performance. She said
thew 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 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 l
protested to have read. l regretted
doing so, however, because she asked
me lot of questions about it which l
couldn't answer. l got all mixed up
over it and was obliged to tell her
that l thought had got hold or the
wrong manuscript. When left her l
told her that three days should not
elapse before l had read the play, and
l would be sure that it was her play
and not some other authors play.
l 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
week passed without my seeing her
found myself like a topper without his
glass of grog.
One day the girl came into my Office
p and told me that she had given the
scenario of her play dts skeleton) to
rival manager, and he had assured hel
that if the dialogue was filed in effec
lively he would put it on the boards a
once. When l tried to put her OF
some more a beautiful bright tea
stood in her eye.
E When q man is fitting between in
difference and love for woman IL
NAV be easily unbalanced on the sid
of love by one of those little globules
At any rate. | lost my balance. l con
fessed to have lost her manuscript
hut told her not to mind little thini
like that since l loved her and hat
quite enough for both of us. If sh
would marry me it would be all right
I kissed away the tear and her smil
= was like the sun peeping from tn
other side of an April CLOUDY
From that moment l heard no NOR
= of the missing manuscript. After
- few months engagement we were maj
ried and after a brief wedding tri
= settled down to the humdrum OF llf'
a One evening when | went home IN
- wife told me that she had receive
. first night tickets to a new pla
- that was to be put on the boards an
- asked me to go with her to see th
y performance. tried to beg off, sayin
\ that was needed at my own theate
- but she insisted, and l yielded.
, Our seats were a proscenium box
= a level with the stage. My wife pulle
- a curtain before her so that she coul
=, not be seen except from the stag
Ia The play opened so well that e.
8 claimed, by Jove, why didn't g
a hold Of this?" AS the performance pr
ceeded it was evident that a hit Wa
being made. ground my teeth
yexation at having missed getting G
- what promised to be a money make
At the climax in the third act IL
audience came down in a thunder
- applause. Calls were made for II
Il author, but the author did not appea
The manager came before the curta1
and announced that he would appei
at the end Of the play. This satishe
them, and the performance went on.
When the curtain went down on II
=, last act not one of the audience roS
to go. The manager came to our DC
and, offering his hand to my wife, a
sisted her on to the stage and place
, her before the footlights, where 81
~ stood bowling tilt the applause su
a sided, when she made a very gracef
little speech.
"a What the dickens is the meaning
- all this?" asked when she returned.
+, "Oh. this is the play you lost. Yt
"A left the manuscript in the cab, and, n
n address being on 1t, the finder kind
sent It to me the next day"
"Well, I'll be hanged"
Organization Formed.
10 A. a meeting held in Tampa !