Marion Marlowe's Triumph, or, In Spite of Her Enemies — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

ad _ uttered the death howl of the villain. 2 MY QUEEN. ous-looking crab came ambling sideways from a corner. Mrs. Denison turned off the gas with a de- termined hand, then, lifting her skirts care- fully, she picked her way out of the apart- ment. Miss MartoWe had fled to ihe Tafl'the me: ment she saw her landlady reach for the gas. She had no desire to be caught in the dayk with any such creatures. “Well, if I ever regretted anything in my life, it is this!” snapped the landlady, as she closed the door behind them. I was ever tempted to take theatrical people into my house, or ‘professionals,’ as they choose to call themselves! Why, they’ve only | been here a week, and just see what they’ve done already! They’ve turned my house into a perfect bedlam with their riotous orgies!” * “Can’t you get rid of them, madam 2” asked the young girl, as she started slowly up the stairs. ‘‘Why, it won’t be long before Rey ruin your furniture.” “Tf they don’t bring the roof down on my head, I shall be lucky,” erily ; and just then there came a wild’ shriek said.the woman, an- from the back room on the floor above them. “So that’s where they are—in Miss Stan- ley’s room,” she said, quickly; “and to think that they’ ve left their critters loose and their lobster a broilin’ !” “Villaint I defy thee! come!” came floating in hollow tones down Thine hour is the stairs. Then a voice like a trumpet blast Marion Marlowe laughed—she could not help it. She had found these theatrical folks annoying at times, but there were other times when they were really amusing. They came in at all hours and woke her up, and the odors from their rooms were not al- ways pleasant. Still, with all this hubbub and racket, they were usually good-natured, and over and over again they had asked her to “Times are awfully dull, andI was gettin’ be- © “To think that - Still, she could not help feeling’ sorry for Mrs. Denisog, just the same, and she half anticipated Mrs. Denison’s explana- oa __— el join them. tion. | . . “T had to take ’em,” she said, co tode isla 2 hind in my expenses. You see, [ have three xj big houses here, and I’d soon go to the wall — if my rooms were empty.” ‘a “Well, they are anything but empty now,” | g burst out Marion, merrily. “You've got more, +. boarders than you bargained for, just at pres- ent, Mrs. Denison!” | id “Ugh! the horrible critters!” said Mrs. “And to think they | are meandering all over my carpet! fe Dentson, with a shudder. She started down the stairs, while Marion 5 began her climb to the fourth floor, where she — was occupying a large hall bedroom. For the young country girl had left the | Hotel Rosedale, where she had been living, — in the hope that a quiet boarding house would suit her better. And it had been very quiet at Mrs. Denison’s the first week of her stay; for, as the lady said, half her rooms were , empty, but for the last week pandemonium itself had been outdone, for the place had sud- denly been transformed into a “professional” boarding house. Marion had been to the theatre that even- ing with her friends, Miss Alma Allyn and Dr. Reginald Brookes, and had returned just in time to witness her landlady’s consterna- — tion. It was very funny, that scene in the second floor front room, if one could only look at it from a disinterested standpoint, for the crabs were comical as they sidled about over the 4 brussels carpet, and the lobster looked appe- 7 tizing in spite of the fact that it stood a fair chance of burning to 4 crisp. | Marion was smiling to herself, although 5 she sympathized with the landlady. It was + a that a hard-won pity, she thought, Eomicbooks econ .