The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-10-31
THE HELPING HAND
BY GEORGE ELMER COBB.
) 8 : : : . sSss . 3 . sSSsssssss

"What does it mean?" breathed
Grace Burton, and she stared in a lost,
bewildered way at her practical-faced
Iandlady alone for the first time In her
life in the heart Of great city.
'It means, my dear" spoke Mrs.
Denham gently, but with a clarity of
expression that struck dread chill to
the soul of her auditor, that you are
like many another who has trusted "
the lure Of ambition and false prom
ises--stranded !"
4 Hopelessly Grace sat weaving her
small white trembling hands in and
out, her frightened eyes fixed upon tho
face of the londlady in pleading hopd
and despair.
"Tell me your story, dear" insisted
the other, hut sighed secretly, for an
this, while pathetic, was dreadfully
commonplace in a long experience that
had not hardened her heart, although
st had brought the settled conviction
that the seamy side of life came to
( all--good, bad, honest or tricky.
A simple story had Grace TO tell.
! She had lived her life in a quiet little
Quaker community. It had been bliss
full enough until her only relative. an
aged aunt, had died, leaving her PEN
niless.
There had come along a handsome,
flashing young fellow calling himself
Brant Dnrward. He was a musical
director, he told Grace. He professed
| TO be interested at once in her welfare.
Something in her novel environment,
in the rare purity and beauty OF her
face really struck this natural-born
speculator in the field of exploiting
dramatic possibilities. He averred
that, Just as she stepped out of the
simple framework Of novel, unique
environment and appealed to his sense
of the artistic, so he could take
her to the city, give her training and
make Of her star in the great mimic
armament. He did not make love to
her, vet he limited at success. fame
and mutual benefit. He gave her an
/ address, the dramatic boarding house
where Grace had been waiting for him
vainly for q week with implicit faith
in his promises.
And he had not come her little stock
of money was depleted and--disillu-
slonmenti She had met an incongru-
GUS group Of men, girls and women,
most Of them tawdry, superficial, each
and all imbued with rare self-apprecia-
ton of their gifts Of genius and dream
ing of vast future.
She shrank from them, somehow.
When one day she got into the conf
dence of an unknown like herself, just
starting in at the dreary treadmill OF
study and training. her heart grew
sick within her.
"My dear" pronounced the sympa-
thetic landlady, 81 am glad of one thing
that you haven't foolishly rested
YOUR heart on the love OF Brant Dur
ward, who is unworthy Of you. He
is an enthusiast, and do not doubt
the genuineness { { his belief that he
could make something of yon in dra-
matte way but he is attracted by every
new face he sees.
"The fact is, he has been arrested and
is in Jail for misrepresenting one OF
his dramatic schemes to an investor
and has simply forgotten you
"But what am l to do?" choked mp
Grace in direful distress. "Mr. Dur
ward spoke of a half-brother, Mr.
Edgar Braham, who had great infiu-
ence in helping forward the untried
and struggling in the line ] hoped to
succeed in"
"Give me time to think" murmured
Mrs. Denham, deeply Interested In this
forlorn walf who had drifted so help
lessly into her life. Then, after a
pause: "NIr Edgar Braham is. In
deed, power in his line, an advanced
one in the moving picture field. But
he considers his half-brother scamp,
has backed him at 4 loss and will have
nothing more to do with him Yes, my
dear, it is best that you should go aud
see Bir Braham Tell him your sim
pie story aud abide by what he says, for
he is good man. He Is producer
Of the better type of movie picture
specialtes with a moral lesson at the
rnd of them, aud his sister Harriet
Braham, writes the scenarios. They
! live an ideal life together"
Never did Grace Burton forget that
cventful morning when she was
ushered into the presence of Edgar
Braham at his Office in his mansion
home. She had to await her turn. and
after gay, chatting actors and actresses
had come and gone, she found herself
facing a serlous-eyed young man who
listened to her story with great earnest
| attention.
"Sister Harriet" he said, "here is. q
little stray bird lost in the storm. See
what we can do to make her restful,
and safe. and happy"
What a life opened up to Grace Bur
ton among these simple, noble chill
1ren of the heart! With what delight
and ardor did she cooperate with FIar-
I ret Braham In furnishing the coloring
for a true. simple. heartsome screen
story of the old Quaker community,
[ evolving a drama that appealed later
! 10 the souls of thousands,
One day, about six months later.
,lex >,