Actresses -- Fiction; Families -- Fiction; Foster children -- Fiction; Girls -- Fiction; Social classes -- Fiction
Thornburg closed his theatre and turned his attention to a summer
resort where there was an opportunity to launch an _al fresco_
entertainment scheme. “Everybody was leaving town.” There remained
only the uncounted thousands for whom some lighter form of
entertainment must be provided.
The flight of time, the inevitable march of events, brought to Baron a
realization of the fact that there was a promise he must keep. And so
one day, during an hour in the attic, he spoke to Bonnie May.
She didn’t seem to pay any attention at all to his preliminary words.
It slowly dawned upon her that what Baron was saying concerned her in a
special way.
“... people you will be interested in, I am sure,” Baron was saying.
“Thornburg, the name is.” He glanced at her; but the name had made no
impression. “Mrs. Thornburg is not very strong, and a cheerful visit
ought to be just the thing to help her. Mr. Thornburg is a theatrical
man. Why, it was his theatre I met you in. They have a beautiful home.”
“Oh, that makes me think,” was all the reply he received. “What became
of the man who had a play?”
“Eh--a play?”
“You remember--when I first came. He had the first act and read it to
you in the library, and I had to go to bed.”
“Oh--Baggot. He’s probably forgotten all about it by this time. Or
writing another that he’ll never finish.”
She shook her head, unconvinced. “He was so enthusiastic,” she objected.
So for the time being there was an end to the discussion of her visit
to the Thornburgs.
* * * * *
Another week passed, and then Baron had an extraordinarily busy day.
In the forenoon came a letter from one of the dramatic editors for whom
Baron had done special work occasionally.
“They are launching some sort of a dramatic stock enterprise out at
Fairyland to-night,” the letter ran, “and I’m hoping you can do it
for me. Thornburg is managing it. I don’t hope it will be much as
a dramatic proposition, but you might be able to get some readable
impressions. Please let me know.”
A later mail brought a communication from Thornburg.
The sight of the manager’s signature brought Baron up with a jerk--but
he was reassured by the first few lines. Thornburg wasn’t charging him
with bad faith. Instead, he was enclosing an order for an unlimited
number of seats for the Fairyland opening.
“I understand,” ran a pencilled line by way of postscript and
explanation, “that you are to represent the _Times_ to-night.”
Also there was a letter from Baggot. Baggot’s play had reached a stage
where it needed Baron’s inspection. The budding playwright asked no
questions. He merely declared his intention of calling that night.
Baron went up into the attic to look at the morning paper. He wanted to
know what they were doing out at Fairyland, and who was doing it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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