Marion Marlowe Entrapped, or, The Victim of Professional Jealousy — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

2 novelists say—I want to know where you _ discovered that American Beauty.” “Well, you want to know too much,” was Graham’s answer; “but, seeing it is you, I suppose I’ll have to forgive you. But here’s her story, as much as I know of it—and that, as I said, is mighty little. She came here from the country about six months ago: Was poor as poverty, and had not a friend in the city. Well, one might Vandergrift—you know him, the manager of the Fern Gar- den—heard her singing on the street in be- ~ Her course, he half of, one of those preacher fellows. voice was wonderful, and, of ~ stopped to listen. It was just before his open- ing afid he needed a singer, inasmuch as my present prima donna, ‘Carlotta,’ was engaged to sing at the opening of the Olio, the rival garden just across the street from his place. Well, to make a long story short, he made terms with this girl at once—offered her a big price for one night, thinking that the offer would dazzle her so that she would feel too grateful and all that sort of thing to lis- ten to any future offers.. Well, he billed her * that night as ‘Ila de Parloa,’ and her song Was great; she was the hit of the evening. ‘The very next morning, what do you think she did? Took her money and bolted, and Vandergrift lost track of her entirely.” “What, didn’t she go over to the Olio « or to some other concert hall?” “Nit! address behind, after politely informing Van- dergrift that his place wasn’t respectable.” She just, disappeared, leaving no “But didn’t she know that before she sang there 2” asked the critic, in amazement. “She She thought she was “Tt seems not,’ was the answer. was as green as grass. to Sunday-school concert or something of that sort, I fancy.” sing in some Clayton Graham chuckled over what he thought was a eood joke, but his face looked somewhat serious, in spite of his laughter. before I talked to her,” woman would kill her, MY QUEEN. “I made-her sit in front and see my show he added, shrewdly, “ond the little Puritan told me, gravely, that she quite approved of it, and was willing to sing for me a week on trial.” “But where in the world has she been hid-~ ing since that night at the Fern Garden? If her voice is so wonderful, I should certain- ly know if she had been singing.” “Oh, she tells me that at just that time she decided to be a_nurse—went up to Charity Hospital, on Blackwell’s Island, for a time, but the sights up there upset her so she had to give it up and look for. something differ- 99 ent. ‘Good Heavens! The idea st that face be- ing hidden in a hospital ward!” cried Ev- “Why, if her voice is half. as beautiful as her face, Pll give her a column erett in horror. and make Carlotta green with envy.” “She’s that already,” said Graham, laugh- ing. “You just ought to see her! Why, that nV I believe, if she dared.” .). yo 2 Z } “Strange *how jealous these professionals are,” said Everett, soberly, “and particularly after they get a bit old and their voices are not quite up to the standard.” said “T suppose it “Well, Carlotta is unusually jealous,” Graham, with a little chuckle. is because she is suspicious of me. may get stuck on the new face, you under- stand, old fellow.” “Carlotta should know the world by this time, if any woman ever knew it, * said Eyv- erett, scowling. ‘Does she imagine you are going to dance attendance upon her forever?” said Gra- ham, “and as for my new singer, Ila de Parloa, she had better not meddle with her. The girl is as pure and unsophis- ticated as she is beatitiful, and, bad as I am, “Tf she does, she'll be mistaken,” decidedly, 1 admire virtue in a woman.” “The most of us can,’’ said Everett, slow- Eomilcbooks.¢co Thinks T aes