The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-07-07
The Lure of Luna
By n RAY BAKER


Of rcfey structures stood one more
p~rstsEtl0ua than the rest Iis pre-
t-sntiousess consisted IN is bignsss Ia
eonfrsu with the Others. M aTrhed
formation Of boughs at IL entrance
and . cluster Of three electric lights
In front
TIE pretsnuous building Was not
brilliantly lighted IA fact. the interior
aid not appear 10 be illuminated at all.
although those three lamps blAHed
beckoningly In front Yet there was
No Questioning the fact that every
ROCKY Riverite was there, including
Colonel westbrook. self-styled mayor,
the school teacher. the sheriff, the
towns Two lawyers and the justice OF
the peace.
IL would have been a propitibus time
for burglary. with the guardian of the
Law and ali his Official relations shut
up In the dark structure-only all the
bad men were there also.
IL was IL O'Clock when lights fiared
In the building and II began emptying
crowds into the street. Among them
were Fred Adams. miner, and his wife.
wasn't II grandT' she exclaimed.
radiating enthusiasm, as they walked
toward = building less ~pretenuous than
the rest AZ the south end Of the double
row Of rickety structures.
Yes. IL was all right" he responded;
not % enthusiastically.
Her hair was so black II blended
with the night. while her eyes. which
also were dark, danced with a Hight
that would have been yiyacious had
not Rocky River been a mining camp
and had there been an excuse TO be
~vivacioua.
His hair was red and freckles by the
multitude almost made themselves
sssn through the darkness. He was
lank. with q thin face in conformity.
He unlocked the door OF their dwell
ing and they went In. He found an
oil lamp and presently had a feeble
illumination spreading itself about the
plain but heat and cory apartment.
Lighting his pipe. Fred Adams seat
ed himself at q crude desk In a corner
Of the room and fondly handled five
little nuggets which he had produced
from q drawer. They represented all
the wealth he possessed, the product
OF ten weeks steady pan-washing In
the river.
His wife went to him and kissed
him and retired TO her bed in the next
room, to dream.
Fred Adams came of a long line OF
miners. all OF them real ~toilers, most
Of them unsuccessful. From his IA
Their he inherited sufficient funds for
Q college course: but one year there
satisfied him and he ven back TO the
family vocation and grubstaked him
self out Of the money that was left.
His wife was a waif. brought to
Rock River by a band OF pilgrims who
found her At Parsons Gulch. a hun-
fred miles away, just after the village
people laid her mother TO rest In the
cemetery.
There were stories that the mother
had been an actress, but they might
have been Just stories. The girl owed
her education TO the Rock River
sc~hoolteacher. a former instructor in
a seminary In the East, who had come
among the mountains 10 repair broken
health and with whom the waif lived
until Fred Adams came along.
The movie had invaded Rock River
only three months before. and now II
was a regular semi-weekly treat Twice
a week Fred Adams was dragged by
his wife 20 the pretentious structure
at the north end Of town. Not once
did be think OF refusing her the little
extravaganee: he loved her too much
for that, and he realized he had not
much 10 offer her in the way OF recre-
alton. But how Fred Adams did hate
the moviesi
He knew there must be a climax be
fore long. because he could see that his
wife was fast In the clutches Of the
nlma 80 TO speak. but he hardly was
prepared for her announcement:
Fred. I'm going TO be a movie star"
She had emerged from the bedroom
and vss standing beside him as he sat
Of the desk with his moody dreams.
what did you say, HelenT" he
asked. thinking he could not have
heard Alright
Il said I was going TO be a movie
star. I was asleep, and ! dreamed
that the man In the looked
through the window and opened his
huge mouth and said, You should go
In the nlms Your mother was an
actress and you have her talent You
can be a star had been thinking Of
Just that thing for a long time, and the
moon made me decide. So. Fred. I'm
going 10 be a movie Sar-if you don't
object
ohiectf OF course he couldn't do
that He could not object 10 anything
she suggested However, be did not
quite understand how II Was TO be
done
-Ifs simple she explained I've
been reading these two magazines left
By the travellers and they tell how.