Army and Navy Weekly — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

1092 madam, for interrupting, but you entirely misconceive the nature of the enterprise which I am about to in- augurate. Miss Farleigh is a great card, one certain to diaw inimense houses. The English papers are teeming with favorable notices of her wonderful abilities, and everything English takes nowadays, you knov. Be- sides, a woman violinist is stillsomething of a novelty, so we have more than one string to our bow in respect to this ove artist «lone,*? and Colonel Starr laughed softly at the implied pun. ; ‘*Then—how much—that is, do you think I could he sure of making at least fifty dollars a week if I should decide to accept?’’ said Mrs. Hammersley. “*Hifty a week!’’? cried the colonel, with a rising in- flection, as if: to say that such a sum was not worth mentioning. ‘‘Whyv, just look at it for one moment ia this light. Weopen with a concert, say in Chickering Hall, at a dollar a seat. Suppose, merely suppose, that there are but three hundred people present—an absurd- ly low estimate of course but I wish to convince you fairly. Well, that means three hundred dollars gross receipts. I get two hundred and twenty-five, Miss Farleigh thirty-seven and a half, yourself the same. And this for one night only, remember, aid at a low basis, ridiculously low, of course, as Chickering Hall seats some 1,250 persons. Four nights of such business in seven would give you a weekly income of one hundred and fifty dollars.’ Certainly this was very alluring. Even Guy could find but one flaw in it; the strangeness of the fact that his mother, a singer without any reputation to speak of, should get as much as Miss Farleigh whose praises the colonel had sounded so highly. He deter- mined to speak about it. ‘*Colonel Starr,’’? he ventured to interpose, ‘‘as my mother has no oue but me to look to in financial mat- ters. I trust both you avd she will pardon me if I put one question.” “Certainly, my dear young sir,’’ returned the colo- pel, with unabated affability. ‘‘Kminently right and proper for you to do so. What is it you would like to know??? : ‘‘Why my mother should get as much as Miss Far- leigh, who you say is such a great drawing card.”’ Guy expected to see the colonel’s face fall at this evidence of penetration beneath the smooth, outer sur- Sr of his proposition. But nothing of the sort took place. ARMY AND NAVY The colone) gave a short laugh, and half turning in his chair, let his hand drop familiarly on Guy’s knee as he replied: ‘‘Ah, Mrs. Hammersley, there is no fear of your ever being duped by the designing knaves of whom our city has too large a supply. This boy of yours will be an all-sufficient protection, And now to explain, my dear Mr. Guy, why I offer Miss Farleigh the same terms as I do your mother, | have simply to say that Miss Farleigh is extremely young, barely eighteen, and of course cannot expect to command the prices of older and more experienced jerformers. In fact, she has nev'r yet appeared in public. Iam_ to have the bonor of bringing her out.’’ Guy’s heurt gave a leap. He had his man this time sure, he thought. ‘*But you told us a few moments ago,’’ he_ broke in, ‘‘that she had made a great sensation in England.’’ For oue instant Guy detected a peculiar glitter in Colonel Starr’s eye, but his voice was as soft as ever as he answerel: ‘¢Her appearances on the other side were entirely amateur. Admission was only by invitation. And now, Mrs. Hammersley what do you say? As I told ou, 1 cannot hold the offer open beyond to-morrow, and I skonld very much, like to have your answer to-night.’ At this moment Eliza appeared at the door and handed in a note addressed to Mrs. Florence King Hanimersley. Mrs. Hammersley started when she saw the hand- writing. , ‘‘Will you pardon me if I read this at once?’’ she said, turning to Colonel Starr. ‘‘I think it may be important.”’ ‘“Certainly, madarn,’’ responded the colonel, with a flourish of the hand tbat wore the mcst rings. And tearing open the envelope, the lady found her- self confronted with these lines: ‘Mrs. Florence King Hammersley: ‘¢Dear Madam—As you will remember, according to the terms of our arrangement, either party could ter minate at will the engagement you have as a member of our staff of instructors. We shall have no further need of your services from this date. “J. Stanley Sinclair, ‘‘Chairman of Committee.”’ [TO BE CONTINUED. | COnniclbooolks.c@®