Picture Show (Oct 1920 - Apr 1921)

IG Picture S'tow, March 12(4, 1921 A Splendid Story of a Man Wko Impersonated Htmself HARRY WEBSTER CARR was well-named " Speed " Carr by his friends. If ever a young man hustled through life i^ was Speed, as we will now eall him, without the Quotation marks. He hustled from the first moment he jumped out o; bed to the time he crawled into it the following morning. Usually we associate a hustler with the pursuit of wealth, but Speed had no use for money, except to spend it. This was not a wonderful virtue on Speed's part, for he had a comfortable income, and be was the favourite nephew of John Ogden, the millionaire financier. Neither did Speed give up any considerable part of his strenuous days and nights to chasing the Blu< Bird of happiness as represented by love in the form of woman. Speed was no woman hater. In fart, he was very popular with women, and knew any number of pretty girls, but not one he had met had yet interfered with his digestion. Speed was an average, clean-living young man His ideal of woman was very high, but his idealism did not make him a fool. And so at the age of twenty-six he had successfully eluded :>ll the efforts of the many match-making mammas, and was still in the romantic stage. He hoped to meet the " One " before he grew blase and developed a waist-line. Speed was getting bored with the artificial social life of New York when he received a letter from bis unc le, John Ogden, asking him to meet him in LoAngeles. •* In case I am delayed by business and cannot be there to meet you," wrote Uncle John, " T am sending a letter to my old business friend. Donald McPherson, instructing him to advance you all Hie money you require. When I do see you and have the chance of a talk with yon, we will discuss your future, and I daresay we can manage a little fishing trip while we work out the business side." "Just like good old uncle John." thought Speed. " Never preaches at one like the rich uncle? in the play." Speed got busy on his departure from New York. He arranged for a farewell dinner, and determined to give his friends a good time. Among the many stunts he arranged to give the spice oi variety to the dinner, was a model aeroplane which flew round the room dropping presents for his guests. Among the presents was a lady's slipper, fashioned after the famous one in the story of Cinderella. It bore the inscription : " For the one whose loot it will fit." But after all the ladies had t ried to wear it, Speed found it in his pocket, with the adventure before llhn of trying to rind a girl whose foot was small enough to claim the distinction of being a modern Cinderella. The slipper was forgotten by Speed till the following morning, when, in emptying his overcoat pocket, he came across it. He pushed it into the poekct inside the door of Ills tOUrlng-C&I with a smile, and started on his journe> . Always in search of something new. Speed had determined to motor to Los Angeles. He carried on the baek of the car a complete camping-out kit, including a tent to sleep in. Speed was in no hurry, and the first t,wo davs went very pleasantly. On the evening of the third day he pitched Ins eainp, and after a good supper went to bed. When lie. awoke all that remained ot his elaborate outfit was the pyjamas he slept in. His clothes, money, car. papers— everything had gone. As a matter of fact, they had been stolen bv tramps, who had watched Speed making his camp and had despoiled him while he slept. A little wav from hicamp-Speed found a blanket, part of which lie wrapped round him and the remainder he cut up to make a sort of mocassins to save his feet from the rough roads. As Speed plodded on, thinking that the adventure he had always longed for might have had a beauteous princess in it instead of the painful bllstei on his heel, he saw a motor car approaching. In a modern fairy story a girl of radiant loveliness OUghJ to have been driving the car, but to keep to the cold truth, the driver was a very ordinary farmer, accom, punied by a very ordinary son, a stout wife, and a plain, homely daughter. The romantic Speed sighed but brightened up when the farmer, having pulled up at Speed's signal <>t distress, said he was going to Los Angeles. Speed explained his position. There was something iti his good-looking face and frank eyes that told the farmer Speed was speaking the truth. He not only said he would give Speed a lift into the city of the cinema, but that he had a spare suit of clothes belonging to his son— who had bought a new outfit on the way, which he would be. happv to loan to the stranded adventurer. Speed changed behind a roadside tree and entered the car. When they got to Los Angeles the voting man thanked the farmer and told him he would send on the borrowed suit to the address he had got from his benefactor (Speed also made a mental bet tie would send a good cheque with the suit, and made his way to the bank, of which his uncle's friend was president. An Adventure. AS Speed strolled up to the cashier's window, in his usual light-hearted way, he gradually became aware of the fact that the other customers were looking at him iu a way that people look at a freak in a circus. Speed, catching a glimpse of himself in the dim reflection afforded by a picture, realised (hat his homespun clothes were not calculated to inspire confidence. Still, there was assurance in his eyes and voice as, leaning on the ledge of the cashier's window, he said : '.iMy name is Harry Webster Carr, known in New York a* S]>ced Carr. I am a nephew of Mr. John Ogden, and I wish an advance of five hundred dollars." The cashier must have been brought up a firm believer of the maxim. " Brevity is the secret of business." He wasted no time on Speed. " I don't know that you are a nephew of John Ogden. and it you told me again I shouldn't believe you. I have heard of Speed Carr. and you don't look a bit like him. Now get while the going's good." Speed had a lightning thought of pulling the. cashier out of his rabbit pen, but he decided not to do so, because at the precise second he raised his hand he saw that he had still on his wrist his watch. Bad he reflected another second he might have remembered that his initials were engraved inside the c ase, and that he might have established his identity in this way, but Speed realising that he was not cutting a very distinguished figure was only too anxious to get out of the bank and into a decent suit of clothes. When Speed got to the pawnbroker's he decided that he would not use his own name in signing the pledge book. Speed was a real democrat, which is another wav of saying he was a bit of an aristocrat, and liecause he was very fond of his uncle, he did not wish to disclose his real identity, even to a pawnbroker. So he gave the name of Barry Cole, a racing-man he had met when he was last in i.os Angeles. With the money he obtained on his watch. Speed got himself a suit and sent back the clothes tlte farmer had lent him, enclosing some money as an acknowledgment of the kindness. The next day Speed found himself wandering about the residential district of the city, wondering how he could explain to McPhersou that lie had arrived. As he stopped to light a cigarette Opposite the drive entrance to a big house, a ear came dashing through the shrubbery, crashed through some trelliswork, and brought up against a tree. The driver was a girl, and Speed, with his customary quickness, dec ided she was the nicest girt he had ever met. She had that elusive type of beauty which makes a man discovers fresh charm With every glance. .•speed took a good many glances before he decided tba] the girl wanted help. When he reached the car he had a shock. It was his own ; the one that had been stolen from him by the tramps. As ho peered through the bushes he got another shock. The girl had got down from the driving seat and was tinkering with the engine. AUtthat S|>eed could see of her was her feet and ankles, and her feet were shod with his Cinderella slipper-. " At last a fairy princess." said Speed to himself. " The adventure is progressing." Aloud he said, " Can I be of any service ? " " If you know anvthing about cars you can." re plied the girl. " This is a new one to inc. My dad bought it second-hand, and I should have waited till-the man from Judd's motor agency taught inc how to drive it. I took a chance and I think I have smashed it up." " Not quite that." said Speed. " though you have had a pretty good try. Let me help you." He repaired some minor breakages and. then took the driving seat. In a few minutes he had hacked the car out ot the shruhherx , and got it on the path. " Vou do understand cars," said the girl, admiringly. " Well. I am rather familiar with thi* car," said Speed. " ThH car ? " The girl looked up inquiringly ' WALLACE REID as "Speed" Carr and WANDA HAWLEY as Sallie McPherson. ^ParamountAltera f I I " This make of car. I mean." said SpeeJ. " I u 1 U« own oue that was just like it." "Oh, you're the man from Judd's agency.'' I the girl. " How stupid of me not to have thought ot it before. You won't, let father know that I tried to drive it before you came, will you ? " " An oyster would be talkative compared with mc," said Speed. At this moment a grey-haired gentleman eame up, and Speed recognised him as Donald McPherson. ' He was just wondering how he could introduce himself when McPherson put another idea into his hea I " You're from Judd's, eh ? " said the banker. " I shall want yon to teach my daughter how to drive this thing, and act as chauffeur till she gets the hang •>( the thing. What's your name ? " ". Barry Cole," replied Speed promptly. With his usual swiftness he decided that the position of instructor to the pretty banker's daughter was <■ bi tter post than being the business represent. ith ■ oi John Ogden. " I'll just go down to the garage, sir. and get a few tools. The car wants overhauling " McPherson nodded. He was not at all concern • t with the car. He was worrying about what hit happened to another ear — Speed Carr. Old John Ogden had departed without fixing tip the contra i the hank so much desired, because the millionaire was worried about the non-arrivai of his nephew. " I won't dan single thing till that boy turns up." he had said. " Something must, have happened to him. I am going to put the police oil the job. Tfha worst of it is I have not seen him since he was a (tipper, and therefore can't give them a description, if It* turns up look after him." MrPhcrson knew that tilt the missing man vuk found John Ogden would not sign the contract which, meant so much to the hank. Speed, totally unaware that he was such an important person, hurried to the garage to tell Judd's that he had been engaged by McPherson. By agreeing to the firm's preposterous demand in the way of commission, he got them to give him a driving license at their representative, and taking a few tools he returned to his car. He found his new employer waiting for him and discovered fresh charms in her as he gave her tho llrst lesson. When they returned to the McPherson mansion. Speed had made two discoveries. One was that the girl was called Sallie ; the other that he was in loviv for the first time in his life. Speed determined that, he would so do his job that there would be no chance of losing it, and he succeeded so well that as Sallie got out of the car she rewarded him with a dazzling smile " You're a wonderful driver," she said, " but what. I like best about you is that you are promt of your job. Most chauffeurs I have known have wanted toj give one the impression that they were dukes in diaguise. 1 hate a man to pretend to be something which he isn't.!' " oh, I'm fond of my job," said Speed nastily. " I1 don't know that I've had a job that suited *mH better." {Continnr-l an pige 13.)