Picture Show (Nov 1919-Apr 1920)

T/ie~ Picture S/iow, Jaiwanj 3rd, 1920. 17 A Splendid Complete Story, Telling Some Humorous Experiences of a Newly Wed Couple . >wK Married' ENID BENNETT as Millicent Lee (Paramount.) OUTSIDE a rough miner's shack in an arid, sunbaked track of Mexico, two young men sat in silence. One was eagerly reading a letter, and the other stared with rapt admiration at the photograph of a girl. They were two brothers, who, like many before them, had come to Mexico to dig a fortune out of old Mother Earth. So far, the mine they were working had yielded them little more than food and tobacco, and Stanley and Jim Montjoy were just about tired of scraping a bare living. Stanley's thoughts turned from the letter to the girl who had written it — Millicent Lee. " There's too much Bob Davis in Milly's letter to please me," he thought. "Of course, Bob is as straight as a die, and I am glad he is giving Milly a good time with rides and dances, but I wish this old mine would pan out some real nuggets, so that I could get back to New York and marry my girl." His thoughts were broken by Jim handing over the photograph. " Isn't it a great one of Diana ? " he said. " I snapped it the last time she came riding with that uncle of hers. I don't trust him, Stan, but I feel inclined to accept his offer for the mine. It's not been an Eldorado so far. It looks as if we shall have to get back to New York and start again." " It's just because the old Don is so keen on buying that I feel disposed to hang on a little while," replied Stanley. " And," he, added slyly, " if we leave here, you might never see Biana again." " There does not seem much chance of winning her by staying here," said Jim ruefully. " The old Don guards her too well." He walked into the shack, and after another long look at the photograph, pinned it up on the wall of the living-room. Stanley, just as mournful about his prospects of ever being rich enough w> marry Milly, went to a tub and started to wash some clothes. As he scrubbed viciously at a shirt his ear caught the sound of horses' hoofs. He looked up and saw Diana and her uncle riding towards the shack. Shouting out to Jim to tidy up the living room, he hid the washing-tub, and rushed out to meet the visitors. Don Monteneroy was a white-bearded old gentleman, with cunning, shifty eyes, but his niece was indeed' beautiful. . She . was Spanish from the tips of her dainty riding-boots to the crown of her proudly poised heail. Almost before he had dismounted, the Don came to the object of his visit. He wanted to buy the mine. Diana followed her uncle and Stanley into the cabin, as the Don explained that though the mine property was useless from a mining standpoint, it would make excellent grazing land for his cattle. Jim was so dazzled by the beauty of Diana, that he left Stanley Id talk to the Don, while he stole secret glances at the Mill to whom he had lost his heart, and though the girl pretended not to sec Jim's looks of ardent admiration, she was inwardly pleased at the conquest shi: had made. She had all a Spanish girl's love for the romantic, and this secret wooing by the handsome American struck a rcsponsivo chord in her warm, passionate nature. Had Jim but known it, Diana had already decided that he was the knight who would save her from her uncle's designs that she should enter a convent. As she stood tapping her riding-boot with her whip, she lifted her eyes when the Don was not looking, to convey to Jim that his silent but eloquent wooing was not at all distasteful to her. While Stanley was politely but firmly explaining to the Don that he and his brother had decided to stick to the mine a Httle longer, Jim suddenly remembered that the snapshot of Diana was stuck up on the wall. If the Don saw it, love's young dream would receive a shattering blow. He moved stealthily towards the picture, but every time he made an attempt to take it down, the Don would turn to him with some question about the mine. At last he sucseeded in getting it. Swiftly he thrust it in the pocket of a coat that hung on the wall. He did not know it was Stanley's coat, and he little thought of the maze of trouble that this action would lead to. At last Don Monteneroy prepared to depart. He was obviously angry at his failure to persuade the two young men to sell the mine, and showed it by pushing Jim aside when he went to assist Diana to her horse, and himself helping his niece to the saddle ; but he did not see the caressing, backward glance Diana gave to Jim as she rode off. The next day proved the wisdom of not selling the mine. Almost the first blasting operat ion the brothers made revealed a mass of quartz richly veined with gold. There was no mistake about it. They had struck it at last. Th 'if fortunes were made. When the two brothers had finished dancing round and shaking each other by the hand, they began to talk business. It was decided that Stanley should go to New York, sell the mine, and marry Milly, while Jim looked after the property, and continued his wooing of Diana. The Seeds of Jealousy. AT this stage we can hasten the story of the luck of the two brothers. We will spare a moment of sympathy for Stanley, as he waited in the drawing-room of Milly's aunt on his arrival, having been informed that the girl was out riding with Bob Davis. Minutes seemed hours as he sat there waiting, and when at last Milly came in, rosy and radiant from her ride Stanley tried to assume a look of stony indifference, for jealousy had put in some telling work while he pictured the girl he loved riding with another man as an escort. But Milly's shining eyes, which hellographed a message of love, her warm embrace, and Bob's honest, open face, soon caused the greeneyed god to seek more promising fields, and in a few moments Stanley was joyously explaining how the old mine had at last yielded up her treasure. The mine was sold, and Stanley and Milly were married. This story might have ended here with a curtain of happiness, had not Bob Davis taken it into his head to present Milly with a copy of a book, " How to be Happy though Married," as a wedding present. One morning, when Stanley, after coming back half a dozen times for a farewell kiss, had gone to the city to see Jim Dawson, the head of the syndicate that had bought the mine, Milly picked up the book. The volume contained much excellent advice, but Milly, being young and inexperienced, read a wrong meaning into many of the hints. She decided that it was quite possible that Stanley had loved other women, and a remark of her aunt's, made while Stanley was still in Mexico, came into her mind. " It is more than probable," said that somewhat soured maiden lady, " that your wonderful Stanley has fallen in love with a Spanish dancer." Poor Milly felt very miserable as she thought of her aunt's words, and to keep herself from thinking of her husband's past in Mexico, she decided to go up to his room and arrange his wardrobe. As she was arranging the clothes he had worn while working on the mine, she caught sight of the photograph of Diana peeping out of one of the pockets. " The Spanish dancer I " she gasped. True, the picture showed Diana in riding costume, but Milly's vivid imagination, fanned by the fire of jealousy, swiftly conjured up a vision of a girl with flowing draperies dancing a fandango and clicking castenets, while Stanley worshipped her from the auditorium. Milly's thoughts were best expressed by the savage way in which she tore up the offending picture and stamped her foot on the fragments. As soon as she was cool enough to collect her thoughts, Milly went downstairs and tried to plan out a scheme for revenge. She ueclded the best thing she could do would be to make Stanley jealous. As she was thinking, tho telephone bell rang. It was Stanley, saying that he was bringing Mr. Dawson home to dinner that night. I hope you don't mind, dear '? " ho said. " Mind ? replied Milly sweetly. " Of course not. I'm simply dying to meet sonic nice men." Milly's answer was based on a hint in the book that it was advisable for young married people not to shut themselves oil' from the world, as there was a danger that continuously being In each other's company might tend to boredom. Excellent advice In the spirit It was written, hut not at all meant to convey what Milly had read into it. Stanley, at the otlK-r end of the telephone, nearly dropped when he heard liis wife's reply. It was so different to the fond farewell she had given him that morning. But Stanley's astonishment at his little wife's words over the telephone was nothing to what happened when he brought Mr. Dawson home. Milly was attired in a dainty, evening gown which set ©if the girlish beauty to the greatest advantage. Sha barely looked at her husband, but gave the sweetest of smiles to his guest; Mr. Dawson was a plain, portly, middle-aged maii, who had never flattered himself that lie was a lady killer, and his astonishment at the reception he goo from the beautiful girl bride was greater than Stanley's. But deep down in the heart of every man sits the spirit of vanity, ready to rise at the smile of lovely woman. Jim Dawson squared his shoulders, made the best bow he could, considering his girth line, and surrendered unconditionally to the beautiful Mrs. Mountjoy. The dinner was a nightmare to Stanley. His wife absolutely ignored him, but she had never been more charming than she was to Dawson. Her eyes shone as she listened to the financier's stories of Wall Street, and when she cooed that all her life she had admired those strong, silent men who juggled with millions, Stanley felt like killing his' guest. When at last Jim Dawson decided to go, he place ! his hand patronisingly on Stanley's shoulder, and, speaking to Milly, said: " This young man has bee:i working too hard. I think it would do him good to come with me for a fishing trip. That is, if you think you could spare him, Mrs. Mountjoy ? " " Oh, certainly," replied Milly coolly. " I am not one of those women who want theii husband tsied to the r apron strings. Iam sure it would do him good, and he could learn so much from you, Mr. Dawson. It is awfully good of you to take such an interest in my husband." Before the astonished Stanley could make any remonstrance, Mr. Dawson had bent over his wife's hand, and with a cheery, " Well we'll consider that settled then," had departed. The next morning Milly informed hirn that she intended to stay with her aunt, while he was away on the fishing trip. All in vain, he tried to tell Milly that he had no desire to go on the trip. " Of course you must go," she answered. " It 'will do you good to mix with men with the worldly experience of Ms. Dawson. I shall not be at all lonely ; I am looking forward to the visit to my aunt with the greatest pleasure." It was a very sad Stanley that saw his wife off at the station. He was perfectly bewildered at the sudden change in Milly's attitude, but he would have been more so had he seen that, on entering the train, Milly walked through the compartment and got out at the other side. She was quit* as miserable as Stanley, and had never intended to go to her aunt. She meant to return to the house and sit in silent sorrow amid the wreckage of her once happy home. But Stanley knew nothing of this. He only saw that Milly did not look out of the window as the train went out. " She docs not even think enough of me to wave a good-bye," he thought bitterly, as he made his way to his office. On arriving there he found a telegram from Jim saying that he and Diana, were married, and that they would arrive in New York that evening. " That puts a stop to Dawson's fishing trip," thought St mley with (trim satisfaction A good job too. If 1 had been forced to go, I tliink 1 should have murdered him." He rang up Dawson, and explained the wire, and was greatly annoyed at the way the financier took his message. "Oh, that's all right," he said. ' I may now lock forward to the pleasure of another visit to your charming house. Please give my kindest regards to Mrs. Mountjoy." "Mrs. Mountjoy is staying with her aunt for an indefinite period," replied Stanley with vindictive pleasure. The Thief. STANLEY was at the station when his brother and his wife arrived. " How did you manage to slip the Don? " he asked, when lie had greeted the happy pair. '• Hloped," replied Jim laconically! " Yes, you appear to have been in a big hurry," said Stanley, looking at his brother's suit, Which .was the one he had worn on the mine. "l)h, I'll get a change of clothes in town," s? nl Jim, following the glance. " Get a taxi and drive me to a store. Give mo your address and take Diana to your ptaoe, I'll join y ■ as soon as I have been fitted out." Jim, wrote down his brother's address OH the back of aa envelope, ^Continued on next page.)