Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-04-18
BROADWAY JONES -
WITH PHOTOGRAPHS
FROM SCENES IN THE PLAY -, +

, the major domo to his side as soon as
| Bob had gone ami whispered to him
that all glasses must be filled. With
. the intense alacrity which the youthful
spendthrift's orders were everywhere
observed along Broadway. this was at
| tended to. and he rose to his feet
with all the dignity he could command.
Friends" he said. Il want to tell
you something ] want 10 tell you of
my luck"
is it hard luck story, Broadway"
someone asked.
/ "Er-yes." said he Il mean"
jackson" said soft voice tper-
haps Il little cracked close at his side
with something of reproach in it.
For the lady" he hastily corrected.
Hard luck for the lady. f'm-fm go
! ing to be married"
The men shoutt and there were
more than one among the ladies who
We're seriously agitated. their number
| being Co-equivalent TO the number who
! themselves at one time or another had
had hopes of winning Broadway and
| his millions for their very own.
Everywhere about him rose the
shout: who is she. Broadway? Name,
! Name"
lie sWayed there on his feet, a some
what sickly smile upon his face, his
hand deliberately spilling champagne
on his shirt front, fact of which he
/ in, v-h
noted for a time. 1t was Mrs. Gerard
who called attention to it by elabo-
rately dabbng at him with her hand
| kerchief
There were proprietary details even
| OF movement of her hands and some
shrewd wits suspected for an instant,
even though they put the wild idea
| from them as absurd before it gained
firm foothold in their minds.
Who is she, Broadway? Name!
Name! Name" the shouts insisted.
Guess" said Broadway strangely.
He felt less worry than he would
have felt before he had imbibed the
! last few glasses of champagne. He
had been drinking very busily since
the dreadful thought had been put into
! execution. He had been certain he
would need some artificial courage.
| 1t gathered in his soul and helped
him fashion an extraordinary smile
vacuous and tremulous, but none the
| less a smile.
Viola >" hazarded a reckless youth
across the table, and Viola (who was
present in the makeup which she had
| worn from the stage of near theater
where she had, that evening. acted
powerfully the part of a wronged and
innocent maidenhood) hoped wildly for
an instant. Perhaps Broadway, in his
cups, had decided on this most unusual
/ way of asking her the fateiul uues-
ton, She had had high hopes of him.
Perhaps"
NO" he answered thickly. Guess
] again. Three guesses. It's going to
take some brains. tell YOU that, In
tellect's the only thing'u do it. Who
ever guesses right gets a cigar"
There was only one among the
ladies present who was not favored
by some speculative mind, and that
| one was the right one.
Guesser after guesser named some
of the young and vivid creatures of
that almost wholly young and vivid
| feminine company, none guessed the
| only faded flower in the gay group
| Broadway, never dreaming of the ag-
ony which filled the faded flowers
| hncnroo &c 81 .o
omission of her name, feeling few emo
tons, really. other than the keen SEN
/ sstiCp Of relief from his financial wor-
ries, stood smiling somewhat vacantly,
but, on the whole, without much pain.
upon the puzzled party.
go on. guess with your brains" he
] genially suggested. It's mind, not
foot-work, that will win the prize"
But none guessed.
| Realizing that in this was something
| like reflection on her fitness for the
covetable position of consort to the
| youth, Mrs. Gerard attracted every
ones attention, presently. by a Won
derfully feigned embarrassment as she
rose and stood by Broadway's side
The party gasped. but rose to the oc-
casion as soon as it could get it's
breath again, II was incredible. and
there were those among the guests
who were so sure of this that they
believed joke was hidden somewhere
in the episode, but the majority were
so well trained to Broadway's genius
for producing mad extravaganza that
they simply charged this up as one of
| them.
A dancer who had been brought up
from the cabaret below after one
o'clock and closing time had come.
sprang lightly to a table. and. to the
destruction of the floral lobster and
some notably fine glassware, did a gay
pas-seul among the wrecks of sangHi-
nary shells and emptied bottles. The
head waiter smiled, knowing that