Marion Marlowe in Salt Lake City — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

MY QUEEN. AW CHAPTER V. "A DANGEROUS INVITATION. “What in the world is the matter, Marion?” called out Miss Allyn’s voice at the door. The next moment she stood upon the threshold staring at her friend in utter wonder. “Oh, Alma! Come in, quick, and shut the door!’’’cried Marion. “I have some ex-~ traordinary information to impart to you. I am doomed to be the plural wife of a Mor- mon elder!’ Miss Allyn got her breath, and then she, too, dropped upon a chair. ¢ “Been consulting another fortune-teller, have you?” she asked, quickly. “No, not a bit of it! I had a ‘revelation, as the Mormons say,” answered Marion, al- most hysterically. “Only my revelation came. in the shape of a sad-faced woman, the plural wife of a man who expects to double his plurals or triple them or quadruple them—I don’t know which, exactly.” Miss Allyn got up and went over to Marion and put her hand on her forehead. “Mental aberration, girlie, I can’t call it _-anything else,” she said, shaking her head soberly. “Now which had I better do, [ wonder—put on an ice pack at once or call the doctor.” Marion had another laughing spell before she was able to talk seriously, then she told her friend of her early morning visitor. “Who in the name of all the ‘Latter Day Saints’ was she, anyhow?” asked Alma, when she finished. Marion shook her head with a aankatal sigh. “IT was too upset to ask her,’ she said, dolefully, “but I did feel so sorry for that poor creature at first, and oh, Alma, that makes me think of what happened last night; did you think Mr. Temple and I had fe after the performance ?” Miss Allyn’s face grew sober, and she put one hand on Marion’s shoulder as she re- plied: “No, dearie, but I+did feel anxious about when IT learned where you had gone. " You see, I have heard a little something about Mr. Artemas V. Canton!’ Marion glanced at her sharply, and a wor- ried look crept into her eyes. “He is a very influential man in Salt Lake City, Mr. Temple says, and he got the the- atre for us this week,’’ explained Marion, quickly, ‘‘and his wife was with him, so it was all right, Alma.” “Which one?” asked Miss Allyn, with a sarcastic tone in her voice. Marion drew away so that she could look at her, squarely. “Oh, Alma, you don’t mean to say that he es : Miss Allyn broke in upon her in a de- ' cidedly snappish manner. “T mean that Mr. Temple is all right as a manager, and that he is a very nice man, but he should not let his business policy in- terfere with his honor as a gentleman, and, in my opinion, he did last night when he introduced you to a man who has three liv- ing wives and who calls two-thirds of his poor children ‘misdemeanors!’ ” Miss Allyn delivered her statement in a way that left no misunderstanding. She was as angry at Mr. Temple as was possible with her nature. “You ought to have seen Dr. Brookes when he heard of it,” she went on. “Why, that calm and placid young man nearly frothed at the mouth, and, as for Bert, well, he did a two-step in full war-paint and feath- ers! Oh, I don’t envy our manager when he meets his company this morning!” Marion glanced at her watch with a cry as Alma spoke, then sank back again upon her chair, her lovely face flushing crimson. “I was to go to the Tabernacle and En- dowment House with Mr. Canton this morn- ing,” she said, very slowly. “He was to have come at ten o’clock, and’ now it is eleven. Something must have happened to prevent him, and I am heartily glad of it.” “Number one may have heard of it and « - e ° detained him for a curtain lecture,’ mut- tered Alma, savagely, “or, perhaps, number two wants a new bonnet or something, and he is putting in the time trying to argue her out of it! Oh, I just envy these old sin- CoOmicoooks.c©