Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-23
Miss Hitty's
Discovery
: A Story of the "Movies'
By CLARISSA r1ACKIE

many straitlaced persons. To visit
that town and become acquainted with
the inhabitants was like going back a
century, when the theater, playing
cards and all manner of amusements
were considered wicked. There Is a
story of a mar who paved the way for
the enjoyment of the game of billiards
In the God fearing town of Philadel-
phia during the early part of the last
century. he said that marbles were
not considered wicked-why billiards?
Marbles were stone, while billiard
balls were ivory. Marbles were shot
by the hand, billiard balls by a stick.
Marbles were played on the sidewalk
out of doors, while billiards were play
ed on a level be. In the house. Where
in lay the difference?
The good people Of the Quaker City,
whose children could not be prevented
from playing marbles, concluded after
this discovery had been made that bill
lizards were no more sinful and with
drew their opposition, and thereafter
billiards became fashionable.
1t was the fate Of Miss Kitty to
make a similar discovery Ia Edgewood.
Miss Kitty met Dick Hedges at a
church sociable. Had she not met him
at a church sociable she would prob
ably never have met him at all, for
dancing vas frowned upon in Edge
wood, and without dancing young peo-
pies parties are considered dull. The
consequence was that, no one caring to
go to the trouble of getting up a party
that was sure to be dull. parties were
not given.
But it would have made no differ.
ence where these two happened to
meet, for at once both recognized that
they were made for each other, and
after that they provided their own
places of meeting, and very soon they
were engaged. Unfortunately Hedges
was poor and but one opening appear
ed for him; that was a position In an
American tea house in China. Dick
availed himself of 1t and tore himself
away from his betrothed. Weeks,
months, even years, passed. and he did
not return.
When the Palace movie theater open
ed its doors in Edgewood the house
of entertainment was looked upon with
Tzsappf0val by the church members.
At first many of them declined to
even penetrate the mysteries beyond
the white painted doors and the many
posters outside, but gradually one by
one the villagers We're lured inside I'm.
til the venture promised to be a profit
able one. Even the ministers of the
different churches visited the theater
from time to time to censor the plays.
but on the whole it was decided that
it was a harmless diversion.
After Miss Kitty Morton made her
Palace theater to its heart.
Every one knew hat Kitty Morton
would have been married long ago If
Dick Hedges had ever returned from
his long voyage to China. But Dick
had never returned, and it was be-
lieved that he had died. One by one
his family had died or moved away
from Edgewood until there remained
only his old sweetheart, Hitty Morton.
who lived on Honeypot road, in a little
red cottage near the bay. Some people
whispered that Dick had been faithless
to Kitty.
The first time Hitty entered the walls
of the Palace she was bewildered by
the crowd Of silent people, the fash
ing pictures on the screen, the novelty
of it all, for she had never been in a
theater In all her simple life.
But the screen pictures laid their
magic spell upon her. and she became
a devotee of the movies. Twice a week
as regularly as the program was
changed Kitty Morton could be found
sitting in the same seat halfway down
the room, her bright eyes eagerly fol
lowing the stories told by the screen.
Deacon Peddie, who passed the col
lection plate in church, always scru-
tinized Hitty's contribution to detect
whether oil not she was enjoying the
s~emiweekly amusement at the expense
of the church, but invariably Hitty's
silver dime would drop into the plate.
Perhaps Hime Dayton, the butcher,
might have told another story-that
Kitty was skimping on her food. She
was eating meat only twice a week
now instead of three times.
One night in particular the posters
were more alluring than yer There
had been a change of program that
day, but there was a missionary meet
ing, and Kitty had postponed her going
to the following night. Now she paus-
ed In front of the brightly lighted en-
trance and studied the colored posters.
"All For Love-" That sounded thrill
ing, with a rescue at sea. Pictures of
the e always attracted her.
visits to Strange lands" Kitty
thrilled with anticipated pleasure. for
she dearly loved these travel pictures,
giving glimpses of strange lands and
strange people, perhaps the countries
that Dick Hedges had visited. He