Picture Show (Oct 1920 - Apr 1921)

Picture Show, February 5th, 1921. THE Temples had been married exactly two vcars and four days when they had their first quarrel. It began in a tea-shop. Clara Temple looked up from her plate to find an exceedingly dashing woman of the type known as " Vampire snaking eyes at her husband. It is truo that Jack Temple had not given the woman any encouragement, nor did he return her glance, but Mrs. Temple evidently took no chances. When you liave a husband who is known as the handsomest man in town, it is simply asking for it to let him remain in the vicinity of a vamp. Mrs. Temple was prettv— as pretty as. her husband was handsome, and was confident of holding her own with any woman, but all the same she lurried Jack out of the restaurant, giving the vamp a glance that would have frozen red-hot lava. •' Who is that creature ? " asked Mrs. Temple, when they reached the street. " Never saw her in my life before." replied Jack truthfully. " Rather pretty, don't you think ? " " Pretty 1 I think she looks like a hungry pelican," retorted his wife. Jack decided that the conversation was not going to be pleasant, and took refuge in silence. But Mrs. Temple was not to be balked by such a simple device. " Why don't you say something ? " she paid, when they had walked about a hundred yards. " You're annoyed because I took you out of the restaurant, away from that awful woman 1 You can't deny it ! " added Mrs. Temple, with true feminine disregard for facts. " You seem to forget, dear, that you took me in the restaurant, and I can assure you it i3 the first time I have seen it or the woman," gently expostulated Jack. " There, that's it I " exclaimed Mrs. Temple. " You boast that every woman falls in love with you the first time she sees you. Do you think that is a nice thing to say to your wife ? " " But, my dear " protested Jack. " Don't ' dear'' me, after your terrible behaviour," said Mrs. Temple, with that supreme disregard fur truth or logic which is woman's chief weapon in an argument. " If you weren't angry with me for taking you away from the woman in the restaurant, why are you so grumpy ? You glowered at me — absolutely glowered at me, as we walked along I " Jack Temple strove in vain to stem the torrent of his. wife's talk, but every attempt to defend hlmseil from a charge which was absolutely without foundation only led to Clara making other charges, and ii was with great relief that he at last found himself pulled up opposite the select hair-dressing establishment that his wife patronised. As a general rule Jack hated the idea of Oiovanna Bruno handling his wife's golden tresses, but when Clara entered the shop with her usual intimation that she would not be more than rive minutes (when her best previous record was one hour and ten minutes) Jack felt he would like to step inside and treat Bruno to a drink as a man and a brother. " Now, don't run away," was Clara's parting injunction. " We shall be late for lunch as it is." Jack stared at the wax heads in the window for a few minutes, and then decided he had better work out some scheme to take Clara olf the vamp story. He nad never experienced her in this mood before. She had always been as sweet in temper as she was in looks. " I wonder if I really did give that woman any encouragement ? " he muttered to himself, but though he gallantly tried to take the blame, he knew he was not guilty. " I know what I'll do ! " he said to himself. " I'll get Clara some (lowers. That will please her." He rushed off and got some choice blooms, and was hurrying back to the hairdresser's, though he well knew Clara would not be ready, when he ran into his old friend, Frank Fuller. As Frank is going to play a rather prominent part in this story we had better give a thumbnail sketch of him. Frank Fuller was* young, but very fat, and, like most fat people, he was the essence of good nature, lie had married a woman much older than himself, who was so rich that she would not let Frank work. Mrs. Fuller was jealous of her husband, and after a peep Into the office from where she had taken him, in which she hap)H-ncd to find Frauk dictating a letter to n very pretty typist, she decided that whenever Frank left home she would be right by his side. She allowed Frank two nights at his club— after . having ascertained that no ladies were permitted on the premises, and she safeguarded this little favour by insisting that Mr. Smith, a Iriend and a member of the .same club, should lunch with them on the following day, so that she could compare their Accounts of what had happened in order that there should he no possible chance ot Frank making the ( hib an excuse lor a night out at some other place. When Jack struck Frank the latter was waiting for his wife, who was buying a hat. Jack (elt in need of a sympathetic soul to whom he could confide his (rouble about Clara. So sympathetic did Frank become that when they had finished talking, Jack Temple realised that lor the. first linie jn ids married A Story of a jealous wtfe showing " what a tingled web we weave when first we practise to deceive." iimniiiii w, in tut i ft/ mi mi : : imwMwmmi&miinit « a ts vu iuc am , j WANDA HAWLEY and BRYANT WASHBURN as Mr. and Mrs. Temple. (Paramount.) life lie would probably be too late to meet Clara as she came out of the hairdresser's shop. His fears were justified. Clara had left exactly five minutes when he called. He engaged n taxi, and, carefully carrying the flowers that he fondly hoped would make peace between them, he set olf for home. In the meantime, Clara, whose temper had not been improved by finding that Jack was not waiting for her, after she came out of the hairdresser's, received another jar when she arrived home. Wigson, the butler, met her in the hall with .in expression of strong disapproval on his face. Wigson was one of those -superior butlers who domineer not only over the other servants but over mistress and master; but, since he had been in the best English families, had the dignity of an archbishop, and was coveted by all Clara's married women friends, she stood his bullying, and allowed him to do pretty well what he liked. " Really, Mrs. Temple," said Wigson, raising a fat hand deprecatingly, " we are getting worse. It is over an hour past luncheon time. Punctuality is what I have always been accustomed to. At thp Duchess of Planetrce's " " Bother the Duchess of Planetrce's I " exclaimed Clara. " Has Mr. Templo arrived ? " " Not that 1 am aware of." said Wigson solemnly. " He may i>ossibly have come in by the side door. Mr. Temple, if I may say so, docs such extraordinary things, even in a house, which to me is very extra, ordinary. I remember " If you don't mind, I will wait for your reminiscences till you write them," almost screamed Clam, as she rushed into the drawing-room, flinging herself on a conch, and kicking her heels in hysterical rage. She was in this state when Jack arrived with the flowers. " My darling, I'm so sorry ! " he began. Clara answered with a succession of kicks which showed more of her transparent stockings than Jack thought it advisable for Wigson (who had followed him into the room) to see. He quietened the kicker on the couch, and as she turned her face to look nt him, he held out the flowers. But it was not the flowers thai Clara saw. With a little shriek she pointed to some white substance on the shoulder of Jack's coat. " Powder ! " she screamed. " And off that woman's face, I'll swear ! " .lack remembered that, in passing under a ladder, a workman had dropped some whitening on his coat, and he strove to explain. " Don't speak to me ! " exclaimed Clara. " How could you (to it. No wonder you were not waiting for me when I came out of Bruno's ! You must have gone straight back to her." She turned to the couch, and indulged in another bout ot hysterical kicking, and as Jack sought to soothe her, one of the heels of her high French shoes caught him a nasty hit right on the funny bone. This did not help Jack to control the temper he was fast losing. " Will you listen to reason ? " ha pleaded, raising his voice. " That's it I Bully me now, yoi brute I " came the smothered reply from the couch. " But I tell yon " pleaded Jack. " I don't want to hear anything. Yoi (sob) know (sob) it's (sob, sob, sob) face powder." In vain Jack tried to explain, but Im was only met by more charges, and at last he banged the flowers to pieces on the table, and, throwing the remnants across the room, rushed out, hurling a defiant : " You'll be sorry for this ! Whatever I do now, remember you drove Sue to ii : " as he banged the door. Clara's kicks and sobs ceased like magic as she heard the door slam. A startled expression came into her face. •' Suppose he docs go to find that woman ? What a fool I've been I If only " She stared blankly at live crushed flowers, and gave herself up to another bout of kicking and sobbing. Jack Temple had not the slightest idea where he was going as he rushed out of the house, but had his worried brain been able to reason at all. he would have bet himself a million to one that it was not to the vampire woman, but under the spell of that malign fate that had dogged him all day, she was almost the first person he saw when he got to towu. She was coining straight towards him, with a welcoming smile on her face. Jack had a wild thought of calling for a policeman, but a second's reflection made him decide to seek safetv in flight. He rushed into a draper's mporium having a hazy idea that he would dodge i woman in the crowd inside the shop, and then get out bv another door. As he turned up a flight of stairs he did not notice the sign on the side: "To the roof. Private": and it was onlv when, after a long climb, he found himself on the top of a skyscraper, that he realised what he had done. But his chagrin at this discovery was nothing compared to the horror he felt when, on turning to go down the stairs again, he saw the vampire woman approaching. " Fancy meeting you here ! " she said, with a pleasant smile. ■ " Fancy I " echoed Temple. " Precious little fancy about It. You followed me up here. May I ask vou as a favour to stay here while I get into the street ? " He raised his hat, and made for the door leading to the stairs. To his consternation he found it waa locked on t he ot her side. The vamp watched him with an amused smile on her face. " I suppose the porter locked It after me. ' she said. " I heard someone following me up the stairs, and thev were closing the stores as 1 came in." Jack could not control himself sufficiently to speak. He moved to the wall which ran round the roof, and gazed down into the street. There was no means of getting off the roof except by the stairs. The afternoon was fast turning into evening. In a little tlnw It would be dusk. He shouted in an endeavour to attract the attention of somebody in the street, but at that great height it was impossible for his voice to carry to those oelow. He. turned, to find the vamp standing beside him. " How romantic ! " she murmured. " All nlonn with you. It's like being on the roof of the world 1 " " I wish to goodness you'd talk sense, madam ! " snapped Jack. " Don't you realise that unless a miracle happens we shall be on this roof all night ? " " Then 1 hope a miracle won't happen ! " she said, looking up at him archly. " With you as my knight to guard me, I fear nothing. 1 am sure you arc tho soul of chivalry." V You'll l>c thinking more about rheumatics than romance after a night up here," remarked Jack. " A' night 1 Good heavens 1 I must get down somehow ! What can I say ? How can I explain ? " I shouldn't worry about it if I were you," said the woman. " There arc many men who would give years of their lives to find themselves in such a romantic situation." • 1 do wish you would stop using that word ' romance ' I " broke In Jack irritably. " It may mean romance to you, but it spells ruin to me." He took off his coat and began to wave it In tha air, hoping to attract the attention of some policeman on point duty, but though he waved till his ariui ached, It did not make anyone notice him. Once more the vamp sidled up to him and laid a hand on his sleeve. " Kiss me," she whispered. " Are you mad ? " he gasped. " No. only madly In love," she replied. " I am beautiful and yet I have to plead with you to kins me. Most men would have been begging me to kisj them before this. You arc most ungallant." " I.ook here," said Jack, trying to force himself to speak calmly. " Do try to understand th« situation. 1 nm married and then it, no other