The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-06-16
FOUND MISS WILDF|RE
BY cLARIssA MAckIE.

]
! agent for an eastern land company he
mad stopped for night at her fathers
ranch IN Montana. The girl had ap-
peared shyiy in the living room Of the
house and hex father had caught her
sunbroNned little hand and drawn her
affectic aately to him.
Come Bess, / want you to meet the
man from New York who wants to
build sky scrapers on the side of
Money Mountain"
Bess Delorme had laughed merrily
and placed her hand for an instant
In Churchilfs; with a few words of
encouragement concerning his venture
Bess had slipped away and he had
never seen her again
| But her face haunted him always
with its charm Of sweet expression
and the pretty curve of cheek and
/ chin. The thick dark lashes that
shaded her soft black eyes, and the
curling tendrils of her jetty hair, were
set in his memory like painted pic
/ ture.
! The next year he returned to find
her parents dead and the motherless
home broken up. Bess Delorme had
gone further west, someone said to rel
atives in California Ne one knew
| definitely.
So Churchill nursed his secret love
and looked always for the face of the
girl he haC seen but once. He became
a travelling salesman and his business
took him over much western territory.
In every town or city he visited his
first inquiry was for someone by the
name of Delorme, but so far he had
never found trace of her.
1t was cool sweet, night such ss
California knows often, and Churchill
fingered on the steps of his Los An
geles hotel wondering how to spend
the evening hours before bedtime.
He lighted cigar and wandered
| down the street until he came to an
open air moving picture theater. He
paused before the gay posters outside
the entrance, studying the pictures of
the western play Miss Wildfire."
Suddenly he bought ticket and went
inside
He sat patiently through several
reels until finally there was flashed on
the white screen the title Of the next
play: Miss Wildfire. a story of love
and hate on the plains"
Churchill settled back in his seat.
1t would be something to look on the
familiar country where Bess Delorme
lived
At the very first scene his interest
was aroused. Surely there was the
Delorme ranch house, and the girl
dressed in corduroy skirt and flannel
shirt with broad brimmed hat on her
dark curls was Bess Delorme herself.
The play proceeded; cowboys rode
madly hither and thither; rival lovers
appeared for the hand of the rancher's
daughter; the rancher was man who
was strange to Churchill and Bess
was the only familiar face among the
characters. The characters came and
went, made love, disagreed, hated each
other, fought and died-and Frank
Churchill saw only one face through
it all
When the play was over he went
dizzily around to the Office of the man
ager and asked questions
Miss Wildfire-why that part is
taken by Lillian Delorme, one of the
most popular players; let me see,
that's Goodenuf film. Miss Delorme
is one of the Goodenuf players, you
know Sorry, that's all I know about
it. Write to the film company in San
Francisco, they'll give you her ad-
dress"
Churchill thanked him and went
away only to return and view the
Miss Wildfire" film again.
When the doors were closed for the
night he went to his hotel and studied
the telephone directory.
The Goodenuf Film company could
not be expected to be doing business
at midnight, therefore his long dis
lance call to San Francisco was I'M
answered He went to bed stirred by
thousand hopes and fears
1T must be that I'm going to meet
her again somewhere or / wouldn't
have CHANGED on that film tonight
when my thoughts are full of her." he
told himself time and again during the
sleepless night.
At nine o'clock the next morning he
got the Goodenuf Film company by
telephone and to his chagrin learned
that Miss Delorme had left the com.
pany the week before and gone east
Her destination? Oh, New York, /
suppose, they all go there" sighed his
informant as the interview was closed.
East" was indefinite-New York
was a clew that Churchill chung to
as he finished his business in Los
Angeles and prepared to leave for
Chicago on his homeward trip.
And everywhere he went he kept his
eyes wide open for some glimpse of
his love and whenever he was in the
vicinity of a moving picture show he
dropped in hoping to see Miss Wild
fire once more. Again and again he
raw the play in different cities until
he knew 1t by heart He grew in
tensely jealous of the big cowboy hero
OF the play who made such romantic
love to the charming little western
girl and he would have slain the vii
lain singlehanded every night If he
had been flesh and blood
At last ne reached New York and
reported to the sales manager. Mr..
Robinson was very busy that morning
and he sent word out TO Churchill to
wait couple Of hours for him.
"Tn borrow a stenographer then
and dictate few letters" decided
Churchill and he spoke to the chief
clerk.
Five minutes afterwards he was
seated in a small Office his feet
elevated to table and his mind busy
over the correspondence that had
accumulated during his absence
Someone opened the door behind
him and slipped into a chair. He
turned his head slightly, saw dark,
curly head the outline of white clad
shoulder, and arm and slim brown
hand posing pencil over fresh
notebook.
Churchilrs feet came down from the
table and his hat few into a corner.
Good morning." he said crisply.
Are you ready?"
Yes" was the low-toned reply.
Please take this letter: The
Goodenuf Film Company, San Fran
cisco, California. Gentlemen Refer
ring to my several inquiries concern
ing the whereabouts of Miss Lillian
Delorme until recently a member of
your company of players, may l not
impose upon your courtesy a little
further and ask you to institute some
inquiry, in whatever direction you may
deem advisable, concerning the desti-
nation of Miss Delorme when she left
San Francisco. l am very anxious to
find her present whereabouts and"