Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY 3 around the bend in the path, arose and confronted Charlie threateningly. "You take a little walk all by yourself," he ordered sternly — "quick, too !" Charlie, instead of obeying, sat down on the end of the bench beside the girl. "It's funny," he informed her, "that I've never seen you in the park before as long as I've been stopping here !" The girl tittered. "Say, I'm talking to you \" the crosseyed man addressed him again. "Do you know it?" Charlie surveyed him without rising. "You're looking at me, too, I suppose," said he, "but I wouldn't know that." This time the girl's laugh rang out unrestrained. And the man's bushy mustache fairly bristled with anger, as he glared at Charlie — or, rather, tried to ; for, due to the hopeless manner in which his eyes were crossed, it was his own nose that received the benefit of that baleful glower. "I tell you," he fumed at Charlie, "to move on \" Charlie rose. He knocked the man's hat off with his little cane, and then sat down again. "Always take your hat off," Charlie admonished him, his own still resting on top of his crop of bushy hair, "in the presence of a lady." The man opened his mouth three separate times to speak, before the wrath that had boiled up in him would permit him to do so. Then, shaking his fist under Charlie's nose, "I'll go and get a cop!" he announced. "He'll run you in for what you are — a tramp ! *If I had anything to do with it, you'd stay in jail for the rest of your life after you landed there, too! But -just wait here !" And he hurried off to find a policeman into whose custody he could place Charlie, on the charge of being what he certainly looked like — a vagrant. Charlie crossed his legs and turned a bland countenance to the girl. "Square your shoulders," he said, "and throw out your chest." She obeyed him wonderingly. "Now take a deep breath," invited Charlie. She did so. "Great air, isn't it?" he asked enthusiastically. "Have another?" "Another what?" she demanded in perplexity. "Another deep breath," said Charlie. "Go ahead, if you like — when I'm with a girl, I go the limit to show her a good time. That's the way I am." Her laugh pealed out again. "I don't think," said she, "he should have gone for a policeman, but for an ambulance, instead. You're not all there, I guess." Charlie nodded, echoing her laugh. "Nobody home but the egg, and that's going to beat it," he admitted. "But, seriously," he resumed, throwing his leg chummily over her lap, "don't you like me a little — even if I'm not like the rest of the family?" She shoved his leg off her knees indignantly. "Ah, go on !" urged Charlie, nudging her. "Grace? Emma? Annabelle? Marie? Susanna? Flora? Mildred? Corinne? Katherine? Kerosene " She drew away from him stiffly. "I think you'd better go before he comes back with that policeman," she said unsmilingly. "The policeman doesn't live," declared Charlie boldly, "who's afraid of me ! I mean — but, that is to say, rather than tear myself from your side, little girl, I'd run the risk of facing a thousand policemen !" Still her stiffness did not relax. "I won't have you get into trouble on Charlie's knees sank, and with them his heart — as he recognized the cross-eyed man of his recent mix-up in the park. "How dare you, sir?" "Now, don't talk as if you were working for me!" Charlie protested, still good-humoredly. "Drop the 'sir,' and call me Charlie. And what do they call you at home when they want to let you know dinner's ready?" "Never mind what my name is," said the girl quickly ; "I won't tell you." my account," she needn't stay." "You don't like me Charlie anxiously. "I'm afraid," she "you've guessed it." Charlie sighed, and rose. Looking neither to the right nor left, and without a word, he started to walk away said grimly, "so you then, at all?" asked nodded coldly,