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Show PHOTO PLAY SCENARIO Causes Many Heart Throbs and Disappointments Before Mistake Mis-take Is Corrected. By HELEN DISNAY. As Jack crossed the office on his way to his desk, Ms eyes dwelt tenderly ten-derly on Madge's nimble fingers as they traced what he felt sure was a note to him. Thinking to surprise her, he drew nearer, and suddenly the large writing on the sheet seemed to rise up and assail his eyes. With hurt horror be read : "Dearest Ted : "Of course I love you. Why doubt me? As 1ob as I live, I'm yours." He wait'd to read no further, but fled to tbft stockroom, where hidden behind the bales and boxes, he fought out his trouble and decided upon a course of action. "My little Madge, whom I trusted with my whole soul," he groaned. Her falseness seemed impossible. , Who this fellow Ted was he did not know. It was enough that the girl he loved, and who had promised to marry him. was writing such a letter to another man. ' At last he clenched his hands, and Eetting his teeth, went into the private office of the manager. Six weeks ago, he had been offered a position on the road, one that would pay him a much better salary, and had refused, not wanting to leave Madge. Now he was glad to go, and immediately, too. Within With-in two hours of his reading the beginning begin-ning of that fateful note, he was on the train to take up the work of one cf the commercial travelers who had suddenly been taken sick. Jack did not stop to say good bye to Madge, nor did he write her, for he felt that the less said the better. "Perhaps if I get away, this hurt will stop," he told himself; but although al-though he kept busy and in his labors turned Dight into day, sending back so much business that the firm be- lieved they had secured the model salesman, he could not forget Madge I ' A With Hurt Horror He Read. or her thousand and one appealing ways. It was all the harder because she kept on writing to him, in the same, clear, flowing hand that had penned the fateful confession of her love for another, begging him to let her know the reason for his continued Bilence. Tom, his chum, wrote him that Madge looked ill. "She's awfuly close," Tom went on. "Won't give us a squint at your letters, let-ters, though I know she gets one per, If not oftener. To write her a love song that often, with all the business you're sending in, you can't be hitting the feathers at all. Write her to be less close, for we're all agog to know how you are wresting orders from the populace as you are. But, honest, boy, Madge is looking badly. I think she's crying all night long. Better blow in and try a little consolation, or someone some-one else may. I'd like to. but I'm true blue where my friends are concerned, and so I won't ring in any of the comfort com-fort dope until I'm sure you're going to stay away forever and a day; but in case you do well, I'll not let the grass grow under my feet. Madge is a dear girl." . Jack groaned as he read the friendly friend-ly words, and knew that in between the lines was a hint that all was not we!! Things looked black to him, although al-though he had made such a success in a business way that the office sent for him to come home and make a contract with the firm, and although he would have rather remained away forever, Jack obeyed, and once more lound himself In the same city with Madge. lieing a salesman now. he managed to have his interview with the man ager without going out among his old associates, and so avoided Madge, although al-though a sight of her sunny hair through the open doorway turned him sick at heart. As soon as matters were settled he made his escape, although al-though he knew that on the morrow he would have to meet the others, Madge among them, and receive their congratulations. His business outlook was extremely bright, much better than he had dared to dream of for years to come, and yet it was a very heavy heart that he carried with him into the little motion picture theater, wrfcre he sought a few moments of relaxation later on In the evening. He and Madge had often gone there in the days when he believed be-lieved in her, and it was with the hope of seeing her at a distance, and if pos sible discovering the identity of thc-hated thc-hated Ted, that he went. W earily he made his way to the cor ner seat in the box where they had always sat. The house was lighted up, and he'was conspicuous as he sat there, but he did not pay any attention atten-tion to the audience after a sweeping glance over it .had told him that Madgfl was not there. Without interest, he gazed at a thrilling Indian story, not caring in the least if every white settler on the film was wiped out by the bloodthirsty savages. What was the misery oi people long ago gone, If indeed they ever existed, to his, deprived of his faith in his love? . Listlessly he followed the story ol the next tilm. There was the usual quarrel between two lovers, although he reflected bitterly that neither had his cadse. Suddenly he straightened up. The lover received a letter from the girl with whom he had quarreled and it was photographed on the film "Dearest Ted: "Of course I love you. Why doubt me? As long as I live, I'm yours." As on a former occasion. Jack stopped to read no further. He recog nized the clear, flowing hand. It was Madge's penmanship, that he knew, but he also understood that it was never written to a living person. The thought flamed through him that there must be some heart-healing explanation. explana-tion. Realizing how his cruelty must have hurt her, he turned to leave, when in the seat by his bide where she had Bat so often was Madge! Instinctively his hand reached foi hers, and in the tender pressure given giv-en and returned everything was forgotten for-gotten and forgiven. "I saw you here," she whispered, "and came here to sit by you." "Darling! How, though, did they get that letter? I saw you write it," he confessed, "though not intentionally." intentional-ly." "I wrote the scenario of the photoplay," photo-play," she said with proper pride. They forgot the audience, sitting there together again in the happiness of their love, and he bent over and whispered: "We'll be married tomorrow so you can go out on the road with me." Madge nodded happily. "Of course, for as long as I live, I'm yours," she murmured, and this time the words carried a joyous message to him. (Copyright. 1912. by W. G. Chapman.) |