The Lamar register., 1916-01-12

/ could say nothing to that.
She left me, sir There was an
actor chap-John Howe. You saw
MN. He always plays with her. She
used to bring him to our house-or
rather our landlords house, a little
cheap two-family house in the sub
urban district. I could see the sneer
in his heart as he looked at me. Six
months ago she began bringing him
home. In three months saw now
the land lay She was tired OF me,
tired OF forty-dollar husband.
gave her her choice. 1t was Howe or
me. She-she cried. sir"
| could make no answer to that,
either.
u drove her away was too proud.
She said If ever sent for her she'd
come back to me But of course that
was Just talk And then l resolved
tnat If there was anything between
her and that Howe fellow. I'D kill him.
That's what I'm here for
Il told you it was reading between
the lines. didn't /? Naturally, these
actor folk don't talk about the play
all the time they're acting. ! take it
that it becomes a sort of second ma
ture to them They can be killing
each other, and breaking Jail. and
making love and all the while they're
telling each other what a fine dinner
that was last night. and will the roads
be good for autoing next week.
Il have a brother in the education
business. He has charge of an insti-
tuition for deaf and dumb children. I
went to him and asked him to teach
me the deafand-dumb language. He
didn't know why | wanted it. but he
taught 1t to me-"
Finger language?" I asked
mo, sir Progressive institutions
don't teach that any more. It's lip
reading. | took a Job there as porter.
| knew | could always get a forty-dol-
lar Job when | wanted it. I'm a spe-
cialist in wool goods. and there's al
ways an opening for a low-priced man.
took job as porter in the institution
and worked there six weeks At the
end Of that time ! could read lip Ian
guage. Then l began watching the
films"
He turned on me hercely and
grasped me by the arm.
I've been watching her every night
since then" he said I've heard every
thing she's said to Howe. When she
had first left me of course they were
Just friends. After a couple of months
the new plays we're coming on. and
she looked kind OF sad. Once I heard
him tell her to cheer up. Well. she
looked grateful. sir-he was chasing
her round the block then, and she
looked grateful Just for a second, when
he had her by the hair. That started
me thinking.
After that he began making love to
her. Never one instant did he stop
And she didn't say much. Just kept
quiet and went on with her work"
'Hush-shl" exclaimed the audience
The forty-dollar man whispered:
This Is a later play than the last
The minute | hear her tell him she
loves him I'm going to find him and
kill him"
The screen was working success
sion Of figures passed and repassed
Jur1a Rome and Iohn Howe occupied
the center most OF the time. And now
the fascination Of the game had begun
to take hold of me instead of watch
Ing the play / s. yatched the lips OF the
characters Tho words they spoke
and discovered for the first time that
they really spoke-seemed quite di
vorced from the parts that they were
playing But strive as hard as I
might, | could not understand word
The man at my side suddenly seized
me by the arm again.
Did you hear? Did you heart" he
whispered. Hes telling her that he
loves her. He's asking her to get a
divorce from me-"
l stared at tho screen. John Howe
was in the midst Of a furious alterca.
tion with Julia Rome. who, posing as
his abandoned wife. was clinging to
him. begging him to take her back for
the sake OF the children. He thrust
her from him and sent her staggering
across the room.
He's saying that her love for me is
dead and that he has loved her since
the first day they met" whispered my
companion, never relaxing his fierce
grasp upon my arm.
The pictures changed. / turned
and, though could hardly see the face
of the forty-doliar man | knew that