Show d WROUGHT A by GEORGE elmr ELMER R COBB im afraid wo aro are going to loso lose our money abner 1 I hope not mary alary I 1 think not when we decided to go into this business wo nye agreed to stay by it to tho the last it la Is a long way from ti it failure yes sighed mrs airs vanco vance but tho the anxiety and slow worry Is wearing you down the only mistake wo we mado made was waa that we calculated on too little capital with another thousand dollars I 1 could bould have bavo overcome all tho the difficulties wo we invested all wo had abnor abner so lot let us mako make tho the beat of it smiled her optimistic husband hua band we aro started right wo we will give clean meritorious entertainment and wo are bound to hinl it was waa a peculiar position in which tho the vances found themselves two months previously they had sold out cut a little general store business that had given them a baro living for twenty years and enabled them to give their only daughter helen an excellent musical education A relative in the south had been tho the cause of a sud sudden don determination on the part of those these worthy credulous people that had altered the tho whole current of their lives ile ho was something of a plunger and speculator with tho the motto get act in first on tho the now new things lie ile had made a lucky investment in a motion picture show and was fast acquiring a fortune well sell out find a nice respectable location in some pretty homo home town and go into the business decided mr vanco vance ill learn how to operate tho the films you can take in the tickets and helen why with her lovely voice and fine piano playing shed be halt half the show so pride and novelty carried the vances away from their usual sober judgment and here they were now discussing the results as proprietors of the balaco Pa laco photo playhouse ut at walden maiden they found a poor cheap motion picture show in tho the town when they started in but it catered to a second class clientele there was a vacant hall ball in the place that mr air vanco vance coveted but tho the rent was too high the abner this Is pitiful I 1 store ho he transformed into a little bijou of a playhouse was not located near the business center but ho he fancied people would not mind that they did especially rainy nights and he be now saw his mistakes the vances had arranged some cozy living rooms at the rear of tho the playhouse it was comfortable aej homelike and a palace to the old people when helen with her happy cheery ways was vas about just now she had bad taken some children home from the show and was expected back at any moment what was waa that suddenly exclaimed mrs airs vance and her husband sprang to his feet as a scream echoed out in the yard back of them its helen cried her husband and ran to the door tore it open and his daughter burst into the room palo pale with affright what Is it gasped her mother in alarm 1 I stumbled over a man maybe dead I 1 dont know shuddered heln helen it was so so unexpected so startling that I 1 lost my wits A prowler or some ono wandered up from those vile drinking dens on the river decided mr air vance ill go and see and he took a lantern lighted it and passed out into the darkness lie he returned in a few moments staggering under the great weight of a helpless human form ile he carried and dragged his burden to a lounge and placed it there gasping for breath from floru lite hie undue exertions oh dear dear exclaimed the motherly mrs vance after a glance at the white face of the unconscious stranger a young man almost a boyl abner this Is pitiful 1 lieten helen stood regarding the rescued wayfarer as though gazing upon some vivid camera scene A handsomer face she had never soon seen there were nvere however the traces of dissipation upon its surface then too the attire was all torn and disordered A awk dead alcoholic taint permeated the air it was plain to read tho the presentment strong drink they aroused the unconscious man through their own ministrations but they discovered that one limb seemed broken the doctor told them that it was a bad fracture when he was summoned by the humane mr air vanco vance they knew tho the next day all that tho the young man mail c cared ared to tell about himself ills name was waa adrian noble lie ilo had boon been turned away from ills hla fathers door on account of hla his drinking babits ho had w wandered a to maldon malden in a muddled condition had fallen from a high sidewalk an and d hero here ho was penniless homeless and friendless ilo told the story shamefacedly oa na ho he met tho the beautiful eyes of helen fixed upon him sorrowfully rep reproach reach fully tho penniless part of it worry you if you aro are resolute to work and reform said bald abner vance in ills hla blunt practical way As to being homeless you aro are welcome hero here till you are better and wo ive all be your friends ir if you will let us in a strange subdued manner the young man grew into their family and business lives they fixed filea up a room for him behind the playhouse stage and when ho he got so he could move around on crutches placed him in charge of the little ticket booth adrian noble would set his eyes fixed upon helen as she practiced the music tor for tho entertainments ile ho rarely spoke to her yet when she was away from the family group he would watch tho the door restlessly for her reappearance when ho he could got get around more freely noble began to tako take a rare interest in the business ile ho suggested improvements in the character of the films ho he was the distributor of some borne unique advertising that brought in the audiences ile ho invented a noise piano as he called it placed behind tho the stage As aa tho the projector throw threw scones scenes upon tho the screen ho he gave a vivid accompaniment that fairly electrified the audiences thus a horse trotting a railroad boll bell ringing a storm the clatter of a wagon a blacksmiths anvil by means of wooden metal and whistle accessories timed just right he illustrated the motion pictures in a new way with brighter business prospects mr vance still longed for the big hall ball in the center of the town he talked about it incessantly and it interested noble one day the latter came to helen with a grave earnest trice nee will you write something for mel me lie ho asked certainly what is it inquired helen flushing a trifle under his clear steady gaze A temperance pledge I 1 am through with the tha old folly I 1 want your hand to inscribe the promila a 1 shall never break two days later noble disappeared mysteriously from the playhouse helen never dreamed she could so miss him he walked la in upon them just after the entertainment saturday night a now new being la apparel and manner there is the lease of the hall ball to for a year all paid tor for and made out in your name ho he said bald quietly handing banding a folded document to ills his host what does this mean stared the tha astonished mr air vance 1 I went to my father with that pledge and a truthful manly story replied noble ile he bade me return to tho the true hearts of gold who had wrought the miracle of my reforma tion mrs airs vance was crying in her mot motherly h sympathetic way war helens eyes eyel beamed upon him and in their glowing depths adrian noble read tle the a uro sure promise of a lasting haven ol 01 0 lovet lovel copyright 1913 by W 0 chapman |