Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

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The Little Church Around the Corner By A. Lincoln Bender For eight long years, Philip Vinton waited to take his revenge upon Agnes Hunt and the man she had married, Harry Grey. Never once, in all that time, had he forgotten the vow he had made when she had thrown him over for Harry — to make her, and the man who had won her love away from him, pay and pay heavily for the heartache his failure to win her for himself, had caused him. How he wreaked his vengeance upon the happily married couple, and what came of it, is the theme of this intensely dramatic story, based on the World Film Corporation's picture play of the same title. PHILIP VINTON rose from his desk with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. "So," he muttered, glancing over the roofs of the surrounding buildings, "at last! At last!" He twirled his watch charm. "For eight years, eight long, weary years, have I waited, and now the chance is here. And those last two years ! How I have waited for them ! Little did Agnes Hunt think, when she accepted Harry Grey and spurned me, that I would remember it. But, oh, I have ! She opened a wound in my pride that has never healed, and now" — he laughed harshly — "now my chance seems to have come." The smile of satisfaction on Vinton's face now turned to a sneer. "She did not think then," he rasped, "how revengeful I could be ; how each passing year has embittered my soul, not toward her, for I love her — gad, I love her more now than ever before — but toward her husband !" So intent on his retaliation had he been that he had kept a record of the struggles of the Greys. "And now they live in a tenement," he muttered, glancing to the paper. "Now, to-night, I must go and see them; hear of their troubles." The two years to which he referred were years of distress for the Greys, for Harry had taken sick, and all efforts for his full recovery were futile. From bad to worse they went, until now, they were on the verge of poverty. Through it all Agnes had labored unprotestingly, and their little youngster, Jennie, had helped in her small way. There was one custom which she never forgot. That was to go to the Little Church Around the Corner every year on their wedding day and pray. True to his promise, Vinton appeared at the squalid home of the Greys that night. A gleam of satisfaction entered his heart as he passed up the rickety stairs and knocked on the door. "Does Mr. Harry Grey live here?" he asked of the little girl who came to the door. "Yes, sir; do you want to see him?" asked the child, wide-eyed with curiosity at the carefully dressed Vinton. "Yes," he smiled, "I am an old friend of his, and I would like to see him." Harry Grey, broken in health, and little resembling the man who had been his rival in love, lay on the bed. With a shrug of disgust at the shabby home, Vinton edged in. "Hello, Harry," he greeted, with an air of cordiality. The sick man looked up. "Is it you, Philip Vinton?" he asked weakly. "The same. I heard indirectly that you were having a hard time of it, so I thought I would drop in to see you." The evident sincerity of his former rival disarmed Harry. He stretched forth his wasted hand, and invited him to stay. So deep were they in their discussion of old times that Harry failed to hear his daughter until she pulled his covers, saying : "Daddy, it's time to take your medicine !" With trembling hands, Harry took the bottle and poured the necessary dose into the glass. "You see, Vinton," said he, shuddering. "This is the sort of dope I am forced to take now. It contains about one-half morphine." He laughed mirthlessly as he swallowed it. He failed to notice the gleam of joy and soft smile of satisfaction that stole into Vinton's eyes at the mention of ti drug. "So?" smiled Vinton, bending doM and smelling of the glass. "Morphir eh? That's bad stuff to fool with." "By the way," he continued, "where Mrs. Grey?' "This is our wedding night, Vintoi responded Harry reverently, "and she around to the Little Church praying. As if the mention of her had serv to bring her, like Aladdin's genii, Agv, entered. "Why!" she exclaimed, removing 1: shawl. "I didn't know any one w" here. Why, it's Philip Vinton !" Vinton rose, and, with a smooth bo and a look of admiration in his ey greeted her. "I heard your husband was ill, Agn and I came to see him just for c times' sake." "I — I am so glad to see you," s managed to say, her eyes falling fri Vinton's piercing look. "Ah, she is glad to see me." thought, as he slyly glanced about 1 poorly furnished room. "Here's wh< , Philip Vinton takes charge of I scene." Aloud he said : "You certainly hi had it hard. Grey!" "Yes," responded Harry. "Darr hard. Vinton. If it hadn't been i Agnes we would have had to look charity long ago." There was a world of praise in tone. Vinton swore under his breath. "She's the best girl in the world, \ ton." continued Grey, glancing w-ith '. j ing eyes at his wife. She blushed. "Oh. I have helped," she smi I wanly. "But at times it was so harl It was the opening Vinton had lonj T for.