Picture Show (Nov 1919-Apr 1920)

T/if Tieture Show, Jaimury l\tt, 1920. Our Dramatic Serial Story of a Woman's Fight tor Her love Against the World. "There is a Destiny which shapes our ends, rough hew them how we may." READ THIS FIRST. WHEN Diana married George Meadows she knew she did not love him, but marriage with George meant freedom from work, and tin troubles of poverty. When baby Eric came, there was only one thing (hat. prevented Diana from being happy, and that was her husband's friendship with Bertie Fisher. Diana resented that Bertie Fisher should come to the house whenever he pleased. She instinctively )< lt that her husband thought more of hiin than he •lid of her, and they had had their only quarrel over him. It was Christmas Eve, and George had promised to be home early to take Diana out to buy " Santa t laus " for Eric a first Christmas stocking. The evening wore away, but George did not conic. Resentfully, Diana decided she must go alone, if baby was not to be disappointed. Most of the shops were closed, but in a tiny toy-shop Diana buys a woolly dog, and because she has not enough money to pay for it leaves her diamond engagement-ring, promising to redeem it the next day. Arriving home, she is met by Bertie Fisher. He is nervous and distrait. Ho tells her George has absconded with money from the firm. He is leaving Diana for good. He had not pluck enough to tell her himself, and had sent Bert to break the news to her. Diana has pride, and cannot bring herself to confide in her mother or her friends. She tells them that George has been sent by his firm suddenly to the Argentine on business. Bertie Fisher tries to be friendly, and helps her all he can. Money is getting scarce, and Diana decides to dismiss Bertha, her maid. She tells Bertha she is thinking of shutting up the house and joining her husband. To her surprise, Bertha looks at her as if she knows the truth. Diana decides the only way to prevent her secret being known is to leave. She lets the house to Bertie Fisher, the rent to go to her mother, to continue the allowance which her husband used to give her and •itop her wondering because it had stopped. With baby Eric Diana pretends she is going out lo her husband. Friendless and alone, she arrives iii London. Diana finds a friend in an old lady named Mrs. Harris, who gives her a home. Her brother, Mr. Forteseue, engages Diana as a shorthand . Icik. In Mr. Fortescne's son Diana recognises her Bret sweetheart. Both Dicky Forteseue and Diana are delighted to meet again. (The stora then <.o>hi>'.i>(S.) A Letter from Bertie Fisher. A SMALL boy m a white drill suit knelt on a chair before an open window, eagerly scanning tho street. He had the look of a child brought up in the close, confined courts of our great city. Nut that there was anything especially languid ,.>■ nail about the tiny, well-knit figure. Eric Meadows was as healthy a child as one could \\ >-:h to find, but he was small for his years, and (here was a pinched look about his face which his mother's eyes were quick to see, and she worried over it. I'wo yearg had passed away since Diana hod • omo to live with Mrs. Harris, and the time had passed peacefully and almost without event. Diana went daily to Jacob Fortescue's up-todate Paris model factory. They had discovered she had a gift for tho business, and sho already hold a fairly good position. " Hero conies mummy, auntio ! Here she comes ! ■' Eric had caught sight of ihe slender figure in the neat voile dress, and ho was jumping up and down in his excitement. Diana waved her hand to her little son, and he scrambled off the chair and ran towards tho • loor. Jt was the usual nightly performance, but of m hioh she and the child never tired. Mis Harris followed more slowly. Diana caught up the baby and kissed him, and !■ put his little hands one on each side oi her ; • • , and then pressed his soft lips to hers Dear, dear mwvvy" ho said. She kissed him again, and held him very tight. How frail and light he was. " Has lie been a good boy, auntie ? " she said, (inning to tho old woman. " He's good enough. Ho turned the taps on in the bathroom and nearly swamped the place, and I found him painting pictures on the new wall-paper. I punished him for that, didn't I, Eric '! " " Yes, auntie banged me wif a slipper. ' It hurt awful bad,'' said the child solemnly. Diana winced. The mere thought of anyone touching her child was agony to her, but she knew from experience it was best for all concerned for her to say nothing. Mrs. Harris was old. Eric was a great anxiety to her, the little girl who used to take him out had found another situation where sho could better herself, and it was not easy to find another girl of suitable parentage in that neighbourhood. Diana noticed how Eric clung to her when she was about. There was a pathetic expression on the baby face when he was asleep. The mother's heart ached with an awful longing. Oh, to be free to look after him herself ! To bo able to take him out on the 'bus in the daytime ; to give him the benefit even of the parks, where he could play as other children did. Mrs. Harris was impatient if Diana spoke of taking (he child out in the evening. She resented the idea. Diana was over-anxious," she would say. " Eric was healthy. He had had none of those illnesses that children usually catch in their early years." Mrs. Harris had never had children, and sho could not understand Diana's anxiety for her baby. " Here is a letter for you," said Mrs. Harris as they were about to sit down to the evening meal. " It came this morning just after you went out." Diana glanced at the envelope. There was only one person who ever wrote, and that was Bcrtio Fisher. It was from him, and read : " Dear Mrs. Meadows, — How are you and (ho kiddy going ? He must be quite a big fellow by now. " Your mother has called on me on several occasions. She wanted your address. Will you please tell me what I am to do about the matter ? " How would it be for you to suggest coming back for a holiday, so as to put her mind at rest ? I have had no news. Have you ? " I should like to see you again. Might I call some day ? ' ' Yours sincerely, " B. Fisher." Diana folded the letter thoughtfully, and placed it back in its envelope. A Sudden homo sickness came over her as sho looked at the boy. There was a garden at Glan-y-mor, the pure fresh air of the outer suburbs. How he would glory in it all ! Mrs. Harris was at this moment correcting him because he wanted to get down from his chair. He had refused bread and milk, and now lay listlessly back in his chair, his eyes dull with boredom. " Sit up, Eric ; behave yoursolf, or I must put you to bed beforo your mother comes homo," said Mrs. Harris, in a sharp voico. Diana bit her lip. " Come and sit on mother's lap, darling, " sho said, holding out her arms, F'ric needed no second bidding to scramble down. " You spoil that child," grumbled Mrs. Harris. " He gets more difficult to manage every day." "I must try and make some other arrangement. I know ho is too much for you," said Diana gently. " You have been very good, and I must not impose " She paused and stroked the child's curly head. Mrs. Harris finished her tea, and put down her cup very deliberately. " I cannot understand why you do not marry," she said. " My nephew has asked you, hasn't he ? Yet you go on just the same. It is beyond me. We never did things like that when I was young. When a man was in love and asked a woman — she either had him or sho didn't. If she didn't, that was the end. She never kept him hanging around as you do. You like him, and he can afford to keep you. Why ever don't you, marry him, and be done with it ? " Diana had grown very pale: It was not the first time Mrs. Harris had expressed her views regarding Dicky to herself. " Me like Uncle Dicky," said Eric, joining suddenly in the conversation. " He bringed me a horse." Suddenly remembering his treasure, he slipped off his mother's lap and went towards the door. " You can't have that thing now, Erie. It's put away in the washhouse. It's gone to bed ■ — where little boys should be," said Mrs. Harris, rising briskly from her chair and beginning to clear the table. Diana got up from the table. " Yes, darling ; it is time you had your bath now. Come to mummy," she said gently. She put out her arms, and Eric came to her obediently. He kissed Mrs. Harris good-night, and Diana carried him from the room. Mrs. Harris bustled around. She was naturally a tidy woman, and the least sign of anything out of place in the room worried her. She liked Diana, but she could not understand the girl's natural reserve. She herself liked to talk about old times, but Diana never indulged in reminiscences. Upstairs the girl was reading the letter again. She ought to see her mother. She had kept her secret for two years, but every week it grew more difficult. Was it possible for her to go back to Glan-y-mor and continue to keep the fact that she and George were not together from her mother ? she wondered. Sho thought of the constant lies she would have to tell, of the lies she had already told. Her baby, too, was a problem. They might ask him questions, and what would they gather from his childish prattle, ho who could not even remember bis father ? ■ She gave a little sieh. Eric was asleep already. She glanced down at him, and tho tears came into her eyes. " Oh, baby, if only I knew what to do for the best 1 " she whispered. She sat down at the rickety little table which stood beforo the w indow, and opened her writingpad. Then sho sat for quite a long time, staring down at it. " What should sho do ? " Quito suddenly tho idea came to her, and she look up her pen and wro(e : 'Dear Mother, — I am sorry I have not written you before, but the time passes so (Continued on page S.)