Marion Marlowe in Washington, or, Meeting the President — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

wre ~ / _erowded in ahead of her. _ back involuntarily, and then caught. her MY QUEEN. cry, for she knew that, in spite of his fun, Bert was genuinely worried. “Here I am, Bert!” she called out, in her musical voice. “I’d come if I could, but | can’t move a step. In fact, I have only one foot on the ground this minute!” “Ouch! You're in luck!” yelled some one a few feet behind her. on the ground and there’s fifteen people standing on them. Oh! won’t somebody please get an ambulance or something?” ‘Here we are, Marion!” cried Bert, as he suddenly reached over and touched her shoulder. “There ain’t much left of us and we've telescoped about four dozen inoffen- sive citizens! Couldn't let you stay out of my sight another minute, so get hold of my coat-tails; that is, if I have any! My own opinion is that they may have vanished!” “If they had, we’d have vanished with them,” cried Miss Ellis, over his shoulder. “I've held on like grim death, but I can’t hang on much longer! And to think that all we ve seen of the parade is a lot of plumes. Not a man have I seen below his hat brim!” “Oh, but the music is grand!” cried Mar- ion, as they all held on to each other, “and, now that I am found, I don’t mind anything else, but do tell me what is coming now, Alma!” Miss Allyn stood on tip toe and peered over the heads of the crowd. “It’s a line of carriages, I think, Marion! Oh, yes! I can see them now! Oh, but it’s the President!” There was a general craning of necks and a tremendous shout. Marion was carried along with the crowd close to the edge of the line of march, but this time her friends were close behind her. Another burst of music followed immediately, and then the enormous crowd went mad with patriotism, and the original three cheers were prolonged into a dozen, the whole seeming to Marion like a perfect pandemonium. She peered eagerly forward, trying to see all she could and had just caught a glimpse of the Chief .Executive when some one Marion drew breath with a gasp. The man who had pushed past her so rude- “T have both of mine’ 13 ly was the one she had seen twice betore, and, as her quick eyes scanned him from head to foot, she suddenly caught the gleam of a shining pistol barrel. For a second her heart seemed to stand still, for she was sure she knew his motive, then, as he wedged himself violently into the very thick of the crowd, the brave girl strug- gled after him with a sharp cry of warning. “Stop him! Stop him, somebody! He is going to shoot the President!” CHAPTER VIII. AN HOUR OF EXCITEMENT. Marion’s startled cry caused scores of per- sons to turn and, almost instantly, every one grasped the situation. The beautiful girl had thrown her arms around a coarse, brutal- looking fellow who was clutching in his hand a wicked-looking revolver. The fellow struggled in her grasp, but Marion held on. Her arms were strong from her days of toil on the farm, and, in her horror at the ruf- fian’s intention, they became like bands of iron, For a full minute no one moved to her aid. They seemed paralyzed with the horror of the situation, then, with a fiendish howl, the crowd pounced upon the fellow. If it had not been for the presence of the police a panic would have followed, but Bert roared out to the captain, who appeared on the scene at that moment with a half dozen men, and the crowd was driven back. all ex_ cept a dozen or so stalwart men who had sprung to Marion’s assistance. In the space of a second the fellow was taken into custody. The next minute Marion was caught up bodily and exhibited to the crowd as the brave young girl who had saved the President. Such a commotion as followed! The enormous throng of people cheered her brave act to the echo. The cavalcade passed without the Presj- dent even dreaming what had happened, but the admiring crowds would not lose sight of Marion for a minute. : Bert had just promised the captain of po- lice to bring her to appear against the fellow when a loud cry of horror issued from the COMMICOOOKS. CO