Pictures and the Picturegoer (October 1915 - March 1916)

PICTURES AND THE FICTUREGOER 72 Week ending Oct. 23, 1915 ( 'll.U'TER I. " ALL RIGHT, boys! See you on the i~\ baseball-ground after dinner/' With a breezy laugh Frank Bradbury ran down the college steps and out into the summer sunshine. Would he ho on the baseball-ground with Lis chums? He chuckled to himself as he thought how easily one word from his little girl-friend would change his plana and take him elsewhere. Dear little Rose — youth though lie was, his face became very tender as memory carried him back over their years of friendship; then he laughed outright as he thought of the incident in his childhood's days which had first of all brought them closely together. It had been at Dame Hardman's school. The tedium of lessons had hung heavily on the class of boys and girls, and to relieve the monotony he had drawn a speaking caricature of the mistress and passed it to the girls ; theu, just as Rose Clay bourne was laughing gleefully over it, the attention of the mistress had been called to the class's mirth, the caricature was discovered, and poor Rose arraigned as the culprit; but Frank had stood forward and acknowledged his guilt. . . . Sentence on him had been swift and without mercy — expulsion ! He shivered, after all the years, at the memory of Rose's tears, and his father's mad rage. . . . From somewhere in the college grounds a piercing cry rang .mt. and he came to a sudden halt, all other thoughts driven from his mind. "Rose," he gasped, as the cry rang out again; and without further ado he rushed off to where Rose was struggling in the grasp of one of the collegians — a burly youth whose spiteful, bullying nature made him the terror of the junior CltlSSBS ■ Frank — Frank — oh, help, help !'' With a bound her boy-sweetheart seized the bully and wit ha blow straight from the si urn Lb1', aenl himcrashingtothe ground. Thebully staggered to hie feet. "You take your hands off me, Frank Bradbury." he Mustered. " What's it got to do with you anyhow ? . . . Before the rest of his sentence could pass Lis lips Le lay cm the ground again, and Frank was pummelling him, whiles crowd of their class-mates gathered round delighted al the prospect of seeing the tyrant soundly thrashed. " (io it. Frank go it, old boy!" But Frank needed no encouragement. Almost forgotten was the original cause of the fight, and, the temper inherited from his father coining to the surface, he seemed to see. through a blood-red mist, nothing but a face he hated, heard nothing but tbe cries of the boy beneath him. while every moment his grasp tightened on his victim's throat. " You hound. I'll strangle you " "Bradbury !"— through the thunder in his ears Frank heard the stern voice of the head master — " release that boy and stand up immediately . . . the rest of you go home at once." Slowly recovering from the mad wave of passion that had held him. Frank obeyed, and stood gazing from his opponent to the stem face of the man whose opportune arrival had, perhaps, saved him from killing the bully outright ; then he looked wistfully at the sweet, white face of the girl who had been the cause of the trouble. " 1 will listen to no excuses," the Head was saying in answer to the bully's tearful explanations ; " you know the college rules about brawling, and I will attend to you later. Bradbury, follow me ! " With another swift glance at Rose, in whose eyes he saw encouragement, sympathy, and a new light which at the moment he could not understand, Frank obeyed. TiiK.v-mi;i> not rxnr. 111s STB1 GAVE WAY. '' Close the dour." the Head saidr sternly, when they reached the study. "For a long time. Bradbury,'' he continued, " I have noticed how uncontrollable your temper is. and I have hoped and prayed that yon would conquer the mad impulses which will one day — but for my timely arrival just now it might have been to-day— send you along the path which leads to the electric chair. Alas ! my hopes have proved false, my prayers futile, and I have no alternative but to expel yon from the college."' " Expel! " Frank gasped. The Head nodded sadly. "There is no other way. Take this letter to your father. Now go! " Tremfiing violently at the thought of the home-coming awaiting him, the youth staggered into the sunlight. Frank— Frank!" With a start he turned to look into Rose's troubled eyes. "What is it. dear !J " she whispered. For answer he held out the letter. " I am to leave at once. I am expelled." "Oh.no.no! I will see the Head. I will explain everything. ... It was all my fault.'" She. turned to enter the college building, but he dragged her back. "' No," he said. " you must do nothing of the sort. 1 don't mind. I'd do anything for you. Re For a moment they looked into each other's eyes and. boy and girl though they were, some inkling of the great love that was slowly growing sprang into their hearts as they turned homeward haud-in-hand. . . . As they reached the Bradburys' house. Mrs. Bradbury sprang up to meet them. " Why. whatever brings you bach so early. Frank?" she exclaimed, after greeting Rose heartily. " 1 quite thought you'd have lunch ap-tdwn, and go straight on to the playing-fields. . . . My boy. what is wrong?" she added with quick intuition: "surely you have not got into trouble at college." Between them they told their story while she held a Land of each. " You did right, my boy.'' she said as they finislied. "quite right to protect your some one weaker than yourself, but "Hulloa, what is the committee meeting about ? " a deep voice broke in. and. turning, tliex saw Mr. Bradbnrv. ' Father — " " HusL. dear." Mrs. Bradbury interrupted; "let me explain. George dear. Frank Las left college, and "Left college! why . . . AL!" With an oatL Le snatched the letter, and. tearing it' open, read the fatal words that told of his only son's disgrace and