Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-08
CLARK, ALIAS CLARK
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.
per Syndicate


She had had two manuscripts re-
turned that morning from magazine
editors, and just a moment before she
had failed to get a seat for the farce
she wanted to see.
mot a seat in the house," the box
office man informed her.
Nina was disappointed. She glanced
through the casts of characters of sew
eral theaters as she passed them to
see If she could find out whether there
was anything else worth spending a
dollar on.
"Ohl" she CALCULATED softly, II Won
der if this is the Mr.. Clark I crossed
on the Lymric with?" She was
CHANGING through he cast of characters
for "a Night and a Day" pasted in
front of the Triangle theater and no.
ticed the name A. G. Clark. I'm sure
he must be Calvin Clark. Isn't that
lucky? I shall write and ask him to
tea in the studio"
Meanwhile Nina purchased a seat for
the Saturday matinee and felt slightly
less discouraged.
When she returned to her studio
Nina wrote a short note to Mr.. Clark
asking him to tea for the following
Sunday.
i, She waited impatiently for matinee
time on Saturday.
When A. G. Clark made his appear
ance Nina gasped. 1t was not the
Calvin Clark whom she knew, but n
compellingly different.
"Oh! And I've invited him to tea.
Isn't that perfectly awful?"
Now while Nina realized that she
had plenty of time to send a message
to this Mr.. Clark before Sunday morn
ing, she recognized no terrible sin in
not doing so.
On Sunday afternoon Nina dressed
a trife more becomingly than n
knew she would have to for Calvin
Clark.
Her heart fluttered a trif1e desper-
ately when she knew A. G. Clark had
dropped the copper knocker on her
door. If Nina was embarrassed with
her guilty conscience, she did not
show 1t.
The good-looking young actor did,
however, glance a bit n~ervously into
Nina's brown eyes when she opened
the door.
Her start of surprise was well as
sumed.
"Oh-h!" she bluffed naturally, "you
are not MY Mr.. Clark. I am so
sorry" she said, and cast a wonderful
glance into the actors eyes.
"Im sorry, too-very sory," laughed
A, G. Clark. 81 just came up to
tell you that I'm not YOUR Mr.. Clark"
he added, by way of ~prolonging the
interview. He remained standing hear
the door, hoping, however, that he
would not have to go right away.
81 have the kettle boiling and Eng
Iish crumpets-all ready for tea" Nina
said boldly while inwardly she quaked
at her own temerity, 'and no one to
eat them" With that she sent an
other glance into Mr.. Clark's eyes.
"If that's an invitation" laughed
Clark. 81 accept happily. l have been
desperately lonesome for someone just
like you.' He colored as he realized
how f1attering his speech seemed. Il
mean,' he added quickly, "that we ac-
tors don't often meet honey girls.
He had put down his hat and walking
stick and Nina motioned him to q cozy
seat beside her little tea wagon.
"You know" she said with brilliant
color flaming into her cheeks, that l
found out in plenty of time to have
let you know that you were not MY
Mr., Clark. IL saw the farce yester-
day and could have sent a message"
ST say" he laughed, you're a little
bit of all right as the Britons say.
Most girls would have bluffed this
thing out" He held out a friendly
hand, and Nina put her own in it.
"And most men would have bluffed
1t out, too. You could so easily have
thought you had met me- and all that
old game" she told him.
While consuming tea and toasted
crumpets, the young actor and Nina
found much in common to interest
them. She even told him of her dis
couragement regarding some of her
stories.
Later they seemed to lack pep" she
said, and a worried little line slanted
between the brown eyes.
'sIf you let me look them over" he
suggested, perhaps 1 can dust the
pepper pot over them. Many times
two minds work better than II on
certain types of stories."
When finally the moment of parting
came and Clark had Nina's promise
to ioin him Wednesday, for lunch Nina
said laughingly but with a tremor In
her voice. Though you are not MY
MI. Clark am very glad you came"
And while he still held her hand and
would have liked to make the re-
tort that his heart suggested he re-
Trained and said instead: