Marion Marlowe on the Prairie, or, A Thrilling Ride Across Kansas — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

6 | MY QUEEN. ® Bert and Orwin Olcott, the “villain,” were right behind, and, before Ida Inez had fairly begun reading, Mr. Temple, the manager, was standing in the doorway. ‘‘Now, pay attention, all of you,” began the soubrette, when the manager interrupted her: _ “Cut it short, please, Ida. It is almost time for the orchestra to begin and you know how our audience acted last night when we rung up five minutes late; they hissed and whistled, and yelled like Indians! hear such a beldam as that again for a for- I wouldn’t tune, if I could help it.” “Well, you'll hear more to-night or to-mor- row night or some other night,’ broke in Ilda Inez, promptly, “but, as I haven't time to read it, I'll tell you what it 1is—Commodore Dickson’s friends have heard that Marion 1s playing this week in Kansas, and this paper says that a lot of them, mounted on ponies and bronchos, who have been prospecting in Colorado, are on their way to Topeka. They are coming. to see the beautiful actress that the richest man in Arizona wanted to marry!’ Marion gave a little cry, both of astonish- ment and dismay, but Bert let out a war- whoop that awoke the echoes in the theatre. “Gee whiz! Suppose they are all as big as Wliy, there ain’t a house in We'll have to huild an annex on the Topeka theatre the the commodore! Kansas that will hold them! minute we get there. if that is the city where they are to see us.” “Or give an open-air performance out on the prairie,” suggested Olcott. “That would be a great scheme, Temple !”” “T wonder if they af coming out of re- spect for the commodore or what,”’ sard Miss Allyn, slowly. “Oh, I guess they are coming out of curt- osity to eee the girl that the commodore failed -o corral,” said Bert, quickly. sey have heard of the ‘hold up’ and how life. It is quite natural ‘(Ff course, larion saved his — —_ that they should wish to see her, if they are friends of the ranchman.” “Tt is to be hoped they are not enemies,” said Dr. Brookes, gravely. “The paper says they are ‘cow-punchers,’ the most of them, whatever that means,” laughed Ida Inez. “The rest are ‘ranchers’ . and ‘broncho busters.’ ” 3 “That means we'll have a wild and woolly time when they arrive,” laughed Dr. Brookes. “Perhaps it will be wise for us all to carry ‘pops’ in our boots, and it certainly won't , do any harm to rehearse a war dance.” “I’m going out to buy a lariat, after the first act,” said Bert, as he helped Miss Ellis down from the trunk, “and if they take me for a ‘tenderfoot’ they'll find themselves mis- taken.” There was a crash of music in the dis- tance, as the overture was started, and, in a second, the group in the dressing-room scat- tered in all directions. Ida Inez had dropped the newspaper and Marion picked it up. “As she did so, Mr. Temple stepped back and glanced at it over her shoulder. “Tt will be several days before they ar- rive,” he said, laughing. “According to this” paper they are just over the border, so we'll pass them, perhaps, on the way to Denver. And, between you and me, that’s as near as I care to come to them. The commodore was all right, but can you imagine a dozen of him.” Marion laughed at the thought. The com- modore was an enormous man, with a voice like thunder. He had been on the train with them between St. Paul and Omaha, and his open admiration for her had entertained them greatly, Then came the fearful experience, which che could never forget, thatcof being in a Western variety, “hold up of thre typical se the eormmodore was at Omaha, still Gomichooks, com