| Show f STORY EXCUSE ME I Novelized from fromI I the C Comedy of the Same Name By ILLUSTRATED Rupert From Photographs Photograph of the Play Fay as s Produced Hughes By Henry W. W Sava e mi by tiT 11 II K g ny Co 4 0 C G SYNOPSIS Harr Harry Mallory Is ordered to tho the Philippines He lie and MarjorIe Newton decide to elope but wreck of ot taxicab pre- pre their seeing minister QI on the way to the train Transcontinental train traina a Is taking talc talc- log Ins on passengers Porter has a lively time with an l Englishman and Ira Lathrop Lathrop Lathrop Lath- Lath rop a Yankee business man The have an e time getting to the train rain Little LittIe Wellington bound for Reno to g get gt t 11 Il divorce boards train In maudlin Later Mrs Jimmie appears She Is also bound bound br lor R Reno no with came Ume object Likewise Mrs Sammy Samm Whit Whit- comb Latter blames Mrs Jimmie for tor her marital troubles s. s Class Classmates matts matt's of ot MallorY Mallory Mallory Mal Mal- lory decorate bridal berth Rev and Mrs Temple start on a vacation They de decide to cut loose and Temple removes evidence of ot his calling ng CHAPTER VIII 1 j 1 A A Mixed Pickle Mrs Wh Whitcomb comb had almost blushed wb when n she had bad murmured to Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- into ant nt Hudson I 11 should think the young ung couple would have preferred a stateroom And Mr Hudson had bad flinched a little little lit lit- tle the as he be explained Yes YeR of at course course We tried to get it it but JUt it was gone It was during th the excitement over the thC decoration of at the bridal section that the tenants stateroom-tenants slipped sUpped in unobserved First came a fluttering woman whose hose youthful beauty had bad P. P certain li hue ithe e of experience s saddening and The porter brought her in from Cram the station-platform station led her bel to toI I the staterooms stateroom's concave door and passed In with her bel luggage But she lingered without a Perl at the gatof gate gat of Paradise When the porter returned returned returned re re- re- re turned to bow her er in In she shivered and hesitated and then demanded Oh porter are are you ou sure theres there's nobody nobody nobody no no- body else in there The porter chu chuckled kled but humored her panic I aint seen nobody Shall I look under ander tb the seat T To his dismay she nodded her head violently He rolled his eyes yes In fn wonderment wonderment won won- derment but returned to to the state- state Gom made a pretense of at examination tad nd came back with a face full of at re- re Nom Noni theys they's nobody here Take a mighty small-size small bur- bur burGlar Clar Glar to squeeze unda that bald bald er er berth Nom nobody there Oh The gasp was so equivocal that he bold to ask Is you ou pleased or disappointed The Th mysterious young woman was too oo muc much agitated to rebuke the Jence lenc She She merely sighed Oh Ob por- por cr er cr Im I'm so anxious Im not now not now he muttered for die he handed him a coin coln r 7 Porter have you seen anybody on oard that looks suspicious 7 looks suspicious to me me Missy But w what at was you expecting especial 7 Oh porter have you seen anybody that looks like a detective in dis- dis guise ulse Well theys they's one man looks looks's s 's if he was vaa disguised as asa a a balloon but hut I dont don i believe hes he's no hound Well if you see anybody that Io looks k ike a detective and he asks for Mrs l Fosdick I 1 Krs ta iu What-dick What Mrs Fosdick You tell him Im I'm not noton noton on board And she gave him another coin Yass said salt the tile porter lingerIng lingering linger Unger- ing willingly y on on s such cb fertile ferUle soil soli HI iii tell tell 1 bi him Mrs Fosdick do done e give me meher meher her word she wasn't on bode Yes Yes and and if U a woman should ask you What kind of a woman 7 The hideous hideous' kind that m men call caU S handsome handsom Oh Ok aint they hideous them m handsome handsome hand hand- r some women Well If such a a woman asks for for Mrs she's Fosdick she's my toy husbands husband's wife wife but but of or course courso that doesn't Interest you out Nom Nom If U she comes comes tell tell her tell her tell her her her- oh what shall we tell her The porter rubbed his thick skull Lemme see see we we might say you you you-l 1 tell you what well we'll tell teU her tier well we'll tell her you took look the tho train lor for New York and If she runs tuns mighty fast ras she can just juet about ketch It line Une And Fine she rewarded his Ien us with another coin And porter He bad had not budged i Porter Por orter or- or ter if a very handsome man with luscious III clous eyes and aird a soulful smile smite asks lor br Die neIll DIe ne- Ill him bim of off the train Oh Tob Ob no t no-no-t that's no-no-that's no that's nt's my husband husband- my present husband You may lot let him In Now Is 15 It all ail perfectly clear parler i Oh h c cear ear as clear 1 guaranteed J sho bc entered the stater stateroom om I l rl i vii r t t o porter parler alone alone- Hb his j V 15 in m I ed ed to work worl It It in out out-in a air ao J t q lemme see If your present husbands husband's absent wife gits on bode dh disguised as a handsome hideous woman Im I'm to throw him hIm hIm- her ort oft off the train and let her him her him come rome In oh In-oh oh you may rely on or on me He lie bowed and held beld out his hand But she was gone Ho shuffled shut shuf tIed fled on into the car He had hard hardly I left the little space before the tho stat stateroom room when a handsome handsome hand some man with luscious eyes but without an any smile at all came slinking slink sUnk slinking ing along the corridor and tapped cautiously on the door Silence alone answered him at first then when be hc had bad rapped again bo ne heard a muffled mut mur- ned fled t Go away Im I'm not In He put his lips Ups close and md softly called Edith At this Sesame the the do door r opened a aI I trifle but wh when m he be tried tried to enter a hand thrust him back and a voice again warned him off art You come in But nut Im I'm your yonI husband Just why you comeIn come comeIn I In The door opened a little wider I to give him a view of or a down cast beauty beut moaning Oh Arthur Im I'm so afraid Afraid he sniffed With your husband here t the trouble Arthur What If it your our former wife should find Ond us together together together to to- gether But she and I are divorced In some st states tes yes yes but but other states dont don't acknowledge the divorce ce That former wile wife of ot yours urs Is a fiend liend to pursue us this way way no worse than your former husband Hes He's pursuing us too My divorce was as good as yours my dear Yes and no better The Tho tinges tinge's looking on might have judged from the ready tempers of the newly married and not entirely unmarried un un- married twain that their new alliance promised to be as exciting as their previous estates Perhaps the man subtly felt fea the presence of those thos et eternal eternal eter eter- r- r nal eavesdroppers for he lie tried to end the love-duel love In t the he corridor with an appeasing caress and a tender appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal But lets let's not start our OUI honey hosey- honeymoon moon with a quarrel His partial wife returned the caress and tried to explain Im not quarreling cling i-cling with you dear heart bu but with the horrid divorce laws Why oh why did we ever interfere with them 1 He made a brave effort with We ended two unhappy marriages Edith to make malte one happy one Arthur and But Im I'm so unhappy so afraid He seemed a trifle afraid himself and his gaze was askance as he urged But the train will start soon Edith Edith and and then we shall be safe Mrs Fosdick had a genius for Inventing Inventing Inventing In In- venting unpleasant possibilities But I I what If your Jour former wife or my ray former former former for for- I mer husband should nave a detective on board i iA i iA A detective poof poof He snapped his bis fingers hi In bravado bra You are with with your husband band arent aren't you In Illinois yes she admitted very dolefully But when we come cometo cometo cometo to l Iowa wa Im I'm a bigamist and when we come to Nebraska youre you're a bigamist bigamist biga biga- mist and when we come to Wyoming were we're not married at all ll It was certainly a tangled web they bad had woven but a ray of ot light shot through It into his bewildered soul But were we're all right In Utah Come dearest He took her by the elbow to escort her er Into their sanctuary but still she sheung hung lung ung backOn back On one condition Arthur Arthur that that you ou leave me as soon as we cross the Iowa owa state line Une and not come back till ill we get to Utah Remember the Iowa owa state line Oh all right he smiled And see see- ng th the porter beckoned him close and md asked with careless Indifference Oh port porter r what time do we reach the he Iowa state line Two five fifty-five In the sah ah Two five fifty a. a m. m the wretch exclaimed Two five fifty a a. a m. m the porter sorter orter repeated and wondered why his this excerpt from the time-table time should exert such a dramatic effect on n the the luscious-eyed luscious Fosdick I Ille He lle had bad small time to meditate the puzzle for the train was about to be launched upon Its long voyage He went out to the platform and watched a I couple making that way As their only Duly lugg luggage ge was a dog-basket dog he be supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed that they were vere simply come to toI bid some some of his passengers good goodbye good bye I No o tips Ups were to be bo expected from such transients so he allowed them to help themselves up the st steps ps Mallory and his Ilis Marjorie had bad tried to to kiss the farewell or ot farewells half halfa a dozen dozen times but she could not let him g go at the gate She asked t the tho guard to let her through and h hiir hd- beauty was vas bribe enough Again and again she and Mallory paused lie lle wanted to take her ber back to the taxicab but she would not beso beso be bo boso so dismissed She must spend the thelast thelast last available second with him Ill go as f far r as is the steps of pf the car she said When they were arrived arrived arrived ar ar- rived there two porters a sleeping car conductor and several smoking profaned me e tryst So she I whispered that she would come aboard for the corridor would be a quiet lane Iane for the last rites And now that he lie had bad her actually on the train Mallory's whole soul revolted revolted re re- re- re ag against letting her ber go The vision of ot her bel standing on the platform plat pint form sad-eyed sad and lorn while the train swept him off into space was I unendurable He shut his eyes against It it but it glowed inside the lids And then temptation whispered him Its old Why Vh not While It was working In his soul like a fermenting yeast yeat pa t. t he was was saying To think that we vre should owe all lU lUA A our misfortune to an internal taxicabs taxicab's taxi taxi- cabs cab's break Out of the anguish or ur her ber loneliness crept one little complaint If you had really wanted me mc you'd have had two taxicabs Oh how can you OU say Bay that I J had ad the license bought and the minister I waiting lies Hes waiting yet And the ring ring theres the ring He fished it out of his waistcoat pocket pock pock- et and held It before before her tier as a golden amulet A lot of good It does now said saia Marjorie You wont won't even wait walt over till Ull the next train Ive told you a thousand times Umes my mylove love he protested desperately If U 1 I 1 dont don't catch the transport Ill I'll be court- court If this train is Is' late Im I'm lost If you OU really loved me you'd come along with me Her very eyes gasped at this astounding astounding astounding as as- proposal Why Harry Mallory you know Its It's Impossible Like a sort of b benevolent Satan he laid the ground for his abduction leave me me then to spend three years without you out you out among those Manila women She shook her head In terror at this vision It would be too horrible for words to have you marry one of those mahogany sirens He held out the aI apple Better come along then But how bow can I Were We're not mar mar- ted ked He answered answered airily airily Oh Im I'm sure theres there's a n minister on coard loard But It would be too awful to be married with all the passengers gawk gawk- Ing No o. o 1 I couldn't face fac it Goodbe Good- Good bie be honey She turned away but he caught her arm Dont you OU love me To 0 distraction Ill I'll wait walt for you too Three years Is a long wait walt But Ill I'll wait walt If it you will With such devotion he could ot mot tamper It was too beautiful to risk or endanger or besmirch with any danger of scandal He gave up his fantastic project and gathered her Into into In in- to his arms crowded her Into his very very soul is as s he vowed Ill wait walt for you forever and ever eve and ever Her arms arms swept around his ills neck and she gave gae herself up as an exile from happiness a p. p prisoner of a far- far off love t bye be my ray husband to Good bye my was to d be been been-an been and Good Good bye Good Goodbye Good I must g go Yes you must One last Jast kiss One more one more one long last kiss And there entwined in each others other's arms arm's with lips wedded and eyet eyelids dB clinched they clung together forgetting forgetting forgetting forget forget- ting everything p past st st. future or present pres pres- ent Loves Love's anguish made them blind mute and deaf They did not hear the conductor crying his All Aboard down the thelong thelong long wall of the train They did not hear bear the far off knell knelt of the bell They did not no hear the porters banging the s' s I fit Rev Walter WaIter Temple ves vestibules shut They did not eel feel the floor sliding out with them thein And so the porter found th thom them m. m engulfed en en- gulfed l. l In one ono embrace swaying and I I swaying ana and no more aware or 01 tile wo Increasing rush of the train than we other passengers on the express earth-express are aware of Its speed through the routes ether-routes on its ancl anci ancient nt schedule The porter stood with his step box-step In his hand band and blinked and won won- dered And they did not even know they were observed TO BE CONTINUED Celebrated In olden times Un tho The work was not of a rough and ready description description description tion but generally bore the signs of I highly wrought workmanship The various pieces of a suit fit Into their positions to a nicety there are no rough edges and as a rule very little that Is merely careless decorative work wor Fashion and reputation have left beir hall halt m mark rk on the armor of each period and like most other industries industries in it had Its distinguished masters mas mas- The name of Jacob is for still famous in In England and such names as those of Lorenzo Colman Col Cot man of Augsberg a German Gorman of or the sixteenth century Lucio Pin a Milanese and the Wolfs Watts of f Landshut a family of that thai are I supposed d to ba have ve worked lot ot Philip II 11 of or Spain are arc i t tI f I t their own countries s |
