The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1915-01-23
CHAPTER XIV.
The Yellow Envelope.


3 More than one summer show" had
begun to blazon an alluring sign over
the door of a Broadway theater be-
fore The House of Esterbrook" closed
It's season. The fame of the play had
gone abroad through the country, and
night after night, long after the resi-
dence part of New York showed a
labyrinth OF boarded fronts, every seat
in the Gotham was sold before the
curtain went up. y.i fIrsizr. .F.tn ,t
The house was packed to the roof
on the night the play closed. 1t was
the middle OF June and the city had
grown uncomfortebly hot Wentworth
had spent a restless day. 1t seemed
to him AZ il the air was filed with an,
uclpatlon y-.Illyi f.I I'3 JI
Before the curtain fell on the last
act he strolled through the darkened
house and opened narrow door be-
hind the lower boxes. A few shad.
owed steps led to the stage. A man
stood inside with his fingers moving
over the buttons. which flooded the
stage,i,gith light or. shadow. Went
worth pushed past him and walked
swiftly behind the adrops until he
reached, a. corner which WAS campara
lively deserted He stood inside a
wing. watching the company take their
curtain calls. Last of all came Merry
alone. The insistent applause impor,
tuned speech. Wentworth smiled
grimly. Andrews one terror WAS q
speech. He saw the actor glance
about him appealingly then his eyes
signSied 1.-THE map who cott rolifd
quiet dellberation Merry pahsed for
moment. then be came back ''11 D..
Ladies and sentleinen.n he began.
y had hoped.rrs" ,4Ga .sln3H uf y5tss
WAiie Wentw orth stood listening he
wondergd why the descent OF the cur
tsfn did not stop. He turned and t~bis-
pered command to the stagehApd
Who stood beside him. The man q face
wac deathiy white. he looked para
lyzed with terrier: IN a second Enoch
realized that something in the ma.
chineryi had lost IT'S grip.fi The, house
had gr6xn }IstiiL while Merry stood
smiling and talking in his 'nonchalans
fashipp. "a ysupg oglap with a xleam
I iIig e4panses of -rsbirI, front rose, from
lower box 4ani, set his foot upon the
railing, preparing 70 climb eyer TO the
sta gee" 4 woman st5od Beside him
clasp1ng her HANDS and s.ai1rS At
Merry with horror-stricken eyes Her
face grew as white as the 'ace robe
she wore FiTBeh she shrieked, "a ALONG
shiysfangseryl Of terror Enoch sprane
toward thsn SootHghts with cnetfs%6fE
pssAo|diag, ,js, arm, over iAis, head
Tas iSgtei waSJ gofl shai heaYsg teurts ain,
which was still descendipg. He seized
Merry with desperate grip and
tossed the actor far back on the stage,
'theh he ,fsn lwitlp fhe bdndehbss y9ak
tain across, big inert body. Hi. closed
eyes were facing the glare Of the foot
lights. 'cIQi .e& dst
/, !. !. lorcas and Merry. In swift motor
reached pherWaverlyi Rlses hottie w.
fore the ambulan ce, aad 81 famous, ,aurc
,geon came close at their r,,htpef ,hpeflsy 1W..,hlsn
sthe operation was over they n laid
-Wehtworth upon his own BED ii re re
sur geon stood looking down pff }ke
unconscious face BI0Sa Hwas aeahnE
slowly from the wound on his fore
hsad and madeafUida sfsAi Aipon the
snowy hAndake. g0!Ehei man tuf6aEste
loof at 1Qrcas; ehe5 pake up ar ga9
Efh4dges upon her face and she wore
3di B.. 2ssyi,I L,snsO a.
sd' - M a oe:s "a a.
't1s ID ! oaY n 81
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