Marion Marlowe in Buffalo, or, Betrayed by a Rival Company — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

_plain, “Come in quick, doc- Mr. Temple will ex- head in the doorway. tor, and help us out! ager. 5 Dr. Brookes was a wealthy young man and a dear friend of Marion’s. He was on a va- cation from his duties, having left his prac- ~ tice in'the hands of one of his doctor friends, and, just for a lark, had joined the Temple Theatrical Con pany as Alma Allyn and Bert Jackson had done. In the brief three days that they had been on the road the young physician had: learned a great deal about professional life, and he was already installed as leading man in the company. The moment he glanced into the parlor he knew that something was wrong, but, in some way, he had overlooked the notice in the paper. Mr. Temple explained in a very few words, and then the doctor put on his thinking cap and started to rival Bert’s suggetsions. “You go and get your injunction as quick- ly as you can, Temple,” he said, promptly ; “and, meanwhile, Bert and I will hunt up a job printer. By noon we'll have this town fairly blooming with posters, and there won’t be any mistaking the fact that we are the at- traction !”’ There was a light cough behind them and Jones looked in at the door. He had an enormous poster in his hand, which he waved _ at Mr. Temple. “Didn't I tell you she’d gone over?” he began, and then caught sight of Marion. The next moment he turned the poster over so that every one could read it. “Oh, we've séen one of those already,” cried Bert, contemptuously ; the next second he was interrupted by Mr. Temple, who was _ €Xamining the poster. “By all the gods! It’s Barton again!” he cried, angrily. “My ex-advance agent, the one who played us that shabby trick at Co- hoes, has deliberately handed my own ad- vertising matter over to my enemies!” As he spoke he pointed to the word Palace on the flaring poster, and they all saw at once that it had only recently been printed in. _ The original name was Alhambra: it could still be seen indistinctly. MY QUEEN. she added, with a glance at the man- el Bert Jackson ground his teeth as this dis- covery was made. “T wonder if we'll ever get on that fellow’s track,” he said, hotly. “Oh, I'd like nothing better than to see him this minute!” “He’s got it in for us, all right,” said Mr. Temple, soberly; “and [| understand the whole condition of things now. It is Le- madrid who is making him do it! He hates me bitterly, and he is her slave at present.”’ “Well, we’ve got to outwit him—that is all there is about it,’ said Bert, decidedly. “They have the inside track at present, but. that will soon be altered.”’ “I’m not so sure! They’ve advertised their show, and they’ve done it well,” said Jones, with a guilty look at the young girl. “Why, every fence and ash barrehin town has got one of these on it. And, what is more, I’ve heard a dozen people say that they were going to the Palace to.see her.” “That must be stopped at once!” cried Mr. Temple, starting for the door. “Go on, Dr. Brookes, and put your plan into execution! And, oh, by the way, see what Barton did with all the lithographs I sent him, if you can. I haven’t seen one since I struck the place.”’ “By Jove! That’s so!” said Bert, as the manager disappeared. “That fellow Barton must have been a Jim Dandy! I'll bet he’s queered us the whole route from start to finish! Gee! Wouldn't I just like to get my hands on the fellow!” “I’m going to find Alma,” suddenly. “She’s awfully clever at a time like this. Perhaps she can think of some way to get the best of these people. It must be done! That is all there is about it!” Two young men sauntered-into the parlor just as Marion spoke, but the doctor and Bert were in a hurry to see the printer, so they did not notice them. Marion turned and smiled as her two friends said good-by, and then, as they hur- ried out, her glance fell upon Jones, who was standing near her. As she stood in the sunlight by the win- dow, she was just in time to see him wink sig nificantly at the two young men. The next instant there was a curious “click,” and then the young girl glanced at them curiously. CoOnnicooolks said Marion, COMA