The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-03-10
The Lure of Luna
BY r. RAY BAKER

At the north end of the double row
OF rickety structures stood one more
pretentious than the rest. Its pre-
tentiouness consisted In Its bigness In
contrast with the others. an arched
formation of boughs at Its entrance
and cluster of three electric lights
In front.
The pretentious building was not
brilliantly lighted; In fact, the Interior
did not appear TO be illuminated at all,
although those three lamps blazed
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 propltlous time
Tor burglary, with the guardian OF the
law and all his official relations shut
up In the dark structure-only all the
bad men were there also.
II was IL o'clock when lights flared
In the building and II begnn emptying
crowds into the street. Among them
were Fred Adams. miner, and his wife.
Wasn't 1t grand?" she exclaimed.
radlating enthusiasm. as they walked
toward building less pretentlous than
the rest AT the south end of the double
row OF rickety structures.
Yes, II was all right" he responded
not so enthusiastically.
with the night. while her eyes, which
also were dark, danced with a light
that would have been vivacious had
not Rocky River been a mining camp
and had there been an excuse to be
vivacious.
His hair was red ami freckles by the
multitude almost made themselves
seen through the darkness. He was
lank. with thin face in conformity.
He unlocked the door OF their dwell
Ing and they went In. He found an
oil lamp and presently had feeble
illumination spreading itself about the
plain but neat and cozy apartment.
Lighting his pipe, Fred Adams seat
ed himself at a crude desk In corner
Of the room and fondly handled five
little nuggets which he had produced
from u drawer. They represented all
the wealth he possessed, the product
OF ten weeks steady pan-wushing 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
ther he inherited sufficient funds for
college course; but one year there
satisfied him and he went back to the
family vocation and grubstaked him
self out OF the money that was left.
His wife was a walf brought TO
Rock River by a band of pilgrims who
found her at Pearson's Gulch. hun
dred 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
schoolteacher. former instructor I'm
seminary In the East, who had come
among the mountains to repair broken
health and with whom the walf lived
until Fred Adams came along.
The movie had invaded Rock River
only three months before, and now II
was regular semi-weekly treat. Twice
n week Fred Adams was dragged by
his wife to the preientious structure
at the north end of town. Not once
did he think OF refusing her the little
extravaganza; he loved her too much
for that, and he realized he had not
much to offer her In the way of recre-
alton. But how Fred Adams did hate
the movies.
He knew there must be q climax be-
fore long, because he could see that his
wife was fast In the clutches OF the
films, so TO speak. but he hardly was
prepared for her announcement:
Fred. I'm going to he movie star"
She had emerged from the bedroom
ard was standing beside him as he sat |
at the desk with his moody dreams.
'""t htu sou Sdy' IitltHG ne |
asked. thinking he could not have
heard Alright.
II said ] was going to be a movie |
star. ! was asleep. and ] dreamed
that the man In the moon looked
through the window and opened his
huge mouth and said. You should go
In the flms Your mother was an
actress and you have her talent. You
can be star had been thinking Of
Just that thing for long time. and the
moon made me decide. SO. Fred. I'm
going to be movie star--if you don't
object"
ObJect1 or course he couldn't do
that. He could not object to anything
she suggested. However. he did not
luite understand how It was to be
done.