Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-18
By BELLE k. MANIATES
Author Of "Amariily OF CIothes-Iine
Alley. "Mildew Manse." etc.

know and later, fifteen minutes, Miss
lamont of her CHEEKY response, Yes,
Parks and of her never hurrying or
being flustered by the fight Of time; Of
her giving me sticky kiss as the final
peremptory call came. Every one in
the company mothcred me. so was not
neglected received too much
attention. ] was a very nimble kidlet,
and at an early age the stage carpenter,
who had once been in a circus, taught
me to walk taut rope and to perform
acrobatic feats.
"In due course / played juvenile
I leads. When l attained the young and
tender grass age, l was sent away to
school. my mother having been a
shrewd manager and investor. The
school was equipped with a fine gym-l
nasium: riding and dancing academies
were attached. In all of these insti-
tutions / excelled.
"When was sixteen my mother died
and ] went on the stage. ! didn't in
herit her talent as an actress, having
only mediocre ability, but ! had car
rying voice, personality and could dance.s
so i soon left tho legitimate stage for
vaudeville, where l made something like
hit.
Bruce Hebler, who is notion
picture man. persuaded me to come into
film land, and if you didn't live at the
end of the trail and forgo all things
that make good cheer, you might have
recognized me from billboard pictures
and magazine pages as the star OF GER
| tain woolly West productions. 10 recos-
nized me at once as Bobbie Burr.
! This spring / was n bit under the
! weather, because we really have to
work like dogs and some of our daring
stunts-which are not always fakel-
do get on our nerves, you See. / had
| to have a vacation after which need
ed another. and was advised to seek
recuperation in your hills. My objec-
| tive point was 100 or more miles from
here at sort of little isolated inn.
En- route missed connections and, hav-
| ing no enthusiasm about my destina-
ton, / stayed over in the town nearest
Top HILL In local paper I read of
the arrest of hardened young Grim
inal.' | was curious to see what species
of my sex that might be, and followed
! nv impulse to visit her at the jail.
!
sion to visit the hardened young GRIM
| inal.' She was girl of my own age,
| size, and altogether what l or any girl
could easily have been had it not been
! for the accident of birth, conditions and
environment.
/ Fortunately. she was an admirer OF
| Bobbie Burr. and I won her confidence
| and story-AIarta's story, which you
already know. Things and people had
( made her put up bluff on being hard ,
ened, but there had come, as you
know. the newly awakened desire to
7 live straight-like folks who didn't get
caught.
'"ro use her own words, she wasn't
going to let grand man like him wish
himself on such as me- / felt, then,
/ that thief or no thief, she was the real
thing. | only knew one way to get
her release, and l was rather keen for
adventure. We exchanged dress skirts,
shoes. hats and coats. ] gave her some
money. the key to my hotel room, trunk
and suitcase, and told her to take the
next train out while the going was good,
and not to show up at the hotel until
the night clerk, who had not seen me,
came on. ! also gave her letter to
some good friends of mine in town
farther West. | knew they would be
kind to her. ask no questions and let
her stay until she was squared about. &
''Shc left the Jail in my outer clothes,
and ] stayed in her shabby garments.
Old Bender never suspected the trans
FER. 1t would have been very easy for
me with my agility gained in screen
stunts to have swung out from any part
of that old Jail. and still easier to have
given you the slip en- route to Top Hill,
but l wanted Marta to have plenty Of
time to get to a far cover before the
mistake was discovered.
CONTINUED TOMORROW