Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1919 - Feb 1920)

37 Bound and Gagged Romance, thrills, and adventure, with a sprinkling of humor, are the ingredients of this story, retold from the Pathe serial, just released. By C. L. IT is strange how fate sometimes takes the threads of purpose spun by persons utterly unknown to each other, twists and twines them together, and weaves them into a fabric that has in it all the laughter, tears, joy, anguish, and peril that go to make up the romance, of life. For example : On a certain night, Don Estaban Carnero, a Spaniard, shot and killed his cousin Carlos, in Brazil, taking from his body a parchment, the ancient charter of the kingdom of Cordillera, an ancient principality in the Pyrenees. On that night, a beautiful and mysterious art student was abducted from Paris and spirited away toward that same kingdom. And on that night, Miss MargaretHunter, of New York City, broke her engagement to Mr. Archibald Alexander Barlow. How the weaving together of the chains of startling events set on foot by each of the circumstances affected the destinies of all the principals involved, we shall see. "It isn't that I don't like you, Archie," Margaret was saying, as she stood facing the astonished young millionaire in the drawing-room of her uncle's home. "I do. The trouble is " "The trouble is," he began, as she hesitated, "that you've become infatuated by this tramp poet, Oscar Glade, whose only stock in trade is that he once hoboed his way across part of the country." "At least it shows that he was able to battle his way without the aid of wealth," she retorted. "It shows that he is a red-blooded man." "If that's the sort of a test you want," Archie exclaimed, "I'll go him one so much better that he'll be put completely out of the running. I'll start withoiit money — without even a stitch of clothes — and make my way around the world in six months — if you'll marry me after I've made good !" The girl's eyes flashed in sudden admiration. "I'll agree!" she said. "Uncle Willard," she continued, addressing the steely-eyed financier who had just entered the room. "I have just broken my Edson iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii engagement with Archie. It will be resumed if he completes a task he has promised to undertake. Perhaps you'll be good enough to act as a referee in arranging with him the conditions which he should comply with." The eyes of the financier narrowed at her words. Secretly he had been counting on finding a way to add to iiis fortune that of the care-free young clubman after his niece's marriage. As Margaret explained the project his mind began to work rapidly. He saw another and speedier way of gathering in the tempting bait under this new turn that things had taken. With a bland smile he agreed to act as referee. On the following day Willard Hunter and Archibald Barlow entered a small empty room in a dingy building. A few minutes later the elder man left, carrying a suit case containing the clothes which Archie had taken off. "Now remember," Hunter said in parting, "you are not to use your money, name, or influence in any way, We'll trust to your honor for that." "You may," Archie replied gravely, closing the door. He waited until the other's footsteps could no longer be heard. Then he cautiously opened the door and peeped out. "I -imagine this is the way an oyster would feel without a shell," he said, shivering a bit, and stepping back into the room. "However, old scout, you've got a better brain than an oyster. Now, get it to working — quick. Ah !" His eyes had fallen on the window curtain. He hastily tore it down. With teeth and nails he fashioned it into a rude smock which he slipped over his head, then pinned together with some nails which he tore from the loose woodwork. This, at least, was a start. Though not clothed, he was at least decently draped. Cautiously he tiptoed out into the. hall and up a flight of stairs. A plasterer was at work in the "/ imagine this is building and, having the wav an ovster gone out on an erwould feel without rand, he h?d left his a shell," he said, overalls rolled up in