Motion Picture Story Magazine (Feb-Jul 1911)

110 THE MOTION PICTURE STORY MAGAZINE Then Ealph devoted himself to his paper, to his cigar, and to taking a quiet little nap in the corner, while Bob smoked, looked at Nan and tried to start a conversation. At last, as Bob yawned, Nan got up, put away her knitting, and said: "You will find your room at the head of the stairs, Bob. There is a light in it. I should have known you were tired after your journey, but it was so good to see you again." "Well, I am tired, but it isn't the ride that has caused it," said Bob, getting up. "See here, old man, I know I'm a guest and that I ought to keep my ivories together, but I can't sit quiet and see you treating your wife with such cold indifference, while — " "Bob !" said Nan, with a pained expression. "Hold your base, sister, you're safe where you are. Look here, governor, for little or nothing I'd send you to the bench with three swift passes over the plate. I'm on to the things due a host, of course, but I'd like to punch your head good and pretty, and I'm not such a new one at the mittens, either." "Bob, please don't," said Nan, appealingly. "All right, I wont," while Ealph turned his back on him and went out of the room. "A kick is as good as a cuff to an ivory head. Good-night, Governor." Bob shut up the house, put out the lights, and made everything safe, but he saw Nan on the stairs for a few minutes before going to the room assigned to him. When he finally parted with her, he said in a whisper. "All right, girly, I'll leave it to you, but be sure that you give it to him hot off the bat. Nothing but a soaker will cure him of that enlargement of the self esteem bump." Next morning the breakfast was late, and badly prepared. Nan was not in the dining room, and Bob explained, breezily. "The cook bias gone up in an airship; nothing doing on the planet. I'm acting as her understudy but I'm weak on the lines as yet. Perhaps you can do better, Miss Sharp." "Yes, but where is Nan?" asked Ealph, who was hungry and out of sorts and greatly puzzled at the way things were going. "Don't ask me," said Bob, "I am off to hunt up a cook. Good-bye, you peoples." Ealph had missed his usual train, by reason of the late and very unsatisfactory breakfast, and hurried into the hall for his hat. Mae followed him and both were confronted by a strange figure standing at the foot of the stairs. It was Nan, dressed in a long kimono, her long hair streaming down, and a wild look in her eyes. "Great Scott ! what's the matter with Nan?" cried Ealph, while Mae clung to him for protection. Nan advanced, making strange faces and working her fingers nervously, now and then giving a wild shriek. Ealph seized the stand in the corner to defend himself with, and Mae clung still tighter to him. "Ha-ha-ha-ha !" shrieked Nan, with a wilder look in her eyes, and her fingers twitching, each on its own account, "the moon whistles, the wind shines full and clear, it is the east, and Eomeo, where are you, Eomeo? If you're waking, call me early, call me early, mommer dear, for I am the queen of the bally, her front name is Sally, has anybody here seen — ha-haha-ha !" and Nan went dancing around the hall, singing and screaming and tossing her head, her hair flying in a beautiful, golden, umkempt mass. Next, she flew up stairs, where they could hear her singing and screaming in the wildest fashion. "What's the matter, Ealph?" asked Mae. "I don't know. She never acted like this before." "But what are you going to do?" in a voice that showed her perturbation. "I'm sure I don't know. I've missed my train. I can't <ro and leave her in that condition. Where's Bob? He's never around when he's wanted." Bob was heard coming up the walk