The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-05-01
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Movie Morals.
BY JANE OSBORN
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure
N1nnnnnnnr GnrhinaknN

Newspaper Syndicate)
w IHEN the Moving Picture Palace
w first opened its doors In Branch.
w Vile 1t made quite stir In the
life of the residents of that suburb
who were for the most part commit
ers, commuters wives, commuters
children, commuters purveryors and
commuters domestics. The manage
ment had made 1t perfectly clear 10
the community on very large sign
painted in red letters and fastened
across the front Of the palace" when
1t was In process Of construction that
nothing but the most refined and
high class" productions would be CIV
en-.
Still, there fingered a prejudice in
the breasts Of the average commuters
and his wife in Branchyille-a pre-.
judice not against going to the movies,
but prejudice against having ones
neighbors see one there
cit makes 1t very nice for the ser
wants" commented Mrs Steven Jones
to her husband at breakfast the morn
ing of the open. They have 80 little
amusement"
"Qulte so, my dear" assented Stew.
en-. But of course, we would hardly
30 ourselves"
ooh, never!"
But one could really steal into the
palace" without being seen II one
went when the lights were out and
slipped out before they had gone on;
and, besides, since no one wanted to
be seen there, no one else could find
advantage in seeing others One was
protected by the very prejudice that
kept one from wanting to be seen
there.
One evening two weeks after the
opening Steven arrived home for din.
ner and waited half an hour before
his wife appeared. 1t was the third
time this had happened within two
weeks. 1t was most unusual Steven
wondered. And when his wife made
no explanation he decided to retalli'
ate by going out in the evening without
explaining where he was going.
He started out for a walk but when
he had gone as far as the palace" he
was halted by the lurid sign. There
was vampire creature holding hand
of whist, staring down at him from a
huge poster, and above it were the let
tiers that spelled THE Sin of the
Wife," Over 1t was pasted the inscrip.
ton, Now playing" Steven went in.
The picture he saw was the same
picture that had kept his wife from ar.
irving home in time for dinner, though
he did not know it. Similar pictures
had kept her out other afternoons,
but he did not know that either.
The pictures thrown on the screen
were not entirely original, but they
put thoughts into the mind of Steven
that had never been there before. The
vampire lady, who played the leading
role, was the wife Of fellow of about
the same stamp that Steven was him.
self-just Woodworking. home-lov-
Ing, regular man. He made moderate
income, gave his wife an allowance
and all she asked for besides, which
was Just about what Steven did AS
had been the case with Steven and his
wife, the marriage went smoothly
enough to begin with. Then the lady
began to go with women who played
bridge for money and the vampire
look began to creep into her eyes. She
began to acquire a taste for slinky
gowns with long trains and I1wtst
d bodices. Before that she had worn
simple muslins in the evening, just
as Stevens wife did.
She asked for more and more mon
ey and when her husband did not give
1t to her she asked other men for it.
When she could not get 1t that way,
she sold her iewelry. In the mean.
time, the husband was tempted to