Further Foolishness Part 9

"NO, MR. MEADOWLARK, I AM SORRY, I HAVE STILL NO LETTER FOR YOU..."

Flick! It's gone! Flick, flick--it's Madeline's room again--what's she doing?--writing a letter?--no, she's quit writing--she's tearing it up--

"I CANNOT WRITE.

IT WOULD BREAK THEIR ..."

Flick--missed it again! Break their something or other --Flick, flick!

Now it's the farm again--oh, yes, that's the young man John Holdfast--he's got a valise in his hand--he must be going away--they're shaking hands with him--he's saying something--

"I WILL FIND HER FOR YOU IF I HAVE TO SEARCH ALL NEW YORK."

He's off--there he goes through the gate--they're waving good-bye--flick--it's a railway depot--flick--it's New York--say! That's the Grand Central Depot! See the people buying tickets! My! isn't it lifelike?--and there's John--he's got here all right--I hope he finds her room--

The picture changed--where is it now? Oh, yes, I see --Madeline and the Roo--outside a street entrance to some place--he's trying to get her to come in--what's that on the door? Oh, yes, DANCE HALL--Flick, flick!

Well, say, that must be the inside of the dance hall --they're dancing--see, look, look, there's one of the girls going to get up and dance on the table.

Flick! Darn it!--they've cut it off--it's outside again --it's Madeline and the Roo--she's saying something to him--my! doesn't she look proud--?

"I WILL DIE RATHER THAN DANCE."

Isn't she splendid! Hear the audience applaud! Flick--it's changed--it's Madeline's room again--that's the landlady --doesn't she look hard, eh? What's this--Flick!

"IF YOU CANNOT PAY, YOU MUST LEAVE TO-NIGHT."

Flick, flick--it's Madeline--she's out in the street--it's snowing--she's sat down on a doorstep--say, see her face, isn't it pathetic? There! They've put her face all by itself on the screen. See her eyes move! Flick, flick!

Who's this? Where is it? Oh, yes, I get it--it's John--at a police station--he's questioning them--how grave they look, eh? Flick, flick!

"HAVE YOU SEEN A GIRL IN NEW YORK?"

I guess that's what he asks them, eh? Flick, flick--

"NO, WE HAVE NOT."

Too bad--flick--it's changed again--it's Madeline on the doorstep--she's fallen asleep--oh, say, look at that man coming near to her on tiptoes, and peeking at her--why, it's Edward, it's the Roo--but he doesn't waken her--what does it mean? What's he after? Flick, flick--

Hullo--what's this?--it's night--what's this huge dark thing all steel, with great ropes against the sky--it's Brooklyn Bridge--at midnight--there's a woman on it!

It's Madeline--see! see! She's going to jump--stop her!

Stop her! Flick, flick--

Hullo! she didn't jump after all--there she is again on the doorstep--asleep--how could she jump over Brooklyn Bridge and still be asleep? I don't catch on--or, oh, yes, I do--she _dreamed_ it--I see now, that's a great scheme, eh?--shows her _dream_--

The picture's changed--what's this place--a saloon, I guess--yes, there's the bartender, mixing drinks--men talking at little tables--aren't they a tough-looking lot?--see, that one's got a revolver--why, it's Edward the Roo--talking with two men--he's giving them money--what's this?--

"GIVE US A HUNDRED APIECE AND WE'LL DO IT."

It's in the street again--Edward and one of the two toughs --they've got little black masks on--they're sneaking up to Madeline where she sleeps--they've got a big motor drawn up beside them--look, they've grabbed hold of Madeline--they're lifting her into the motor--help!

Stop! Aren't there any police?--yes, yes, there's a man who sees it--by Gee! It's John, John Holdfast--grab them, John--pshaw! they've jumped into the motor, they're off!

Where is it now?--oh, yes--it's the police station again --that's John, he's telling them about it--he's all out of breath--look, that head man, the big fellow, he's giving orders--

"INSPECTOR FORDYCE, TAKE YOUR BIGGEST CAR AND TEN MEN.

IF YOU OVERTAKE THEM, SHOOT AND SHOOT TO KILL."

Hoorah! Isn't it great--hurry! don't lose a minute--see them all buckling on revolvers--get at it, boys, get at it! Don't lose a second--

Look, look--it's a motor--full speed down the street--look at the houses fly past--it's the motor with the thugs--there it goes round the corner--it's getting smaller, it's getting smaller, but look, here comes another--my! it's just flying--it's full of police--there's John in front--Flick!

Now it's the first motor--it's going over a bridge--it's heading for the country--say, isn't that car just flying --Flick, flick!

It's the second motor--it's crossing the bridge too--hurry, boys, make it go!--Flick, flick!

Out in the country--a country road--early daylight--see the wind in the trees! Notice the branches waving? Isn't it natural?--whiz! Biff! There goes the motor--biff!

There goes the other one--right after it--hoorah!

The open road again--the first motor flying along! Hullo, what's wrong? It's slackened, it stops--hoorah! it's broken down--there's Madeline inside--there's Edward the Roo! Say! isn't he pale and desperate!

Hoorah! the police! the police! all ten of them in their big car--see them jumping out--see them pile into the thugs! Down with them! paste their heads off! Shoot them!

Kill them! isn't it great--isn't it educative--that's the Roo--Edward--with John at his throat! Choke him, John! Throttle him! Hullo, it's changed--they're in the big motor--that's the Roo with the handcuffs on him.

That's Madeline--she's unbound and she's talking; say, isn't she just real pretty when she smiles?

"YES, JOHN, I HAVE LEARNED THAT I WAS WRONG TO PUT MY ART BEFORE YOUR LOVE. I WILL MARRY YOU AS SOON AS YOU LIKE."

Flick, flick!

What pretty music! Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! Isn't it soft and sweet!--like wedding bells. Oh, I see, the man in the orchestra's doing it with a little triangle and a stick--it's a little church up in the country--see all the people lined up--oh! there's Madeline! in a long white veil--isn't she just sweet!--and John--

Flick, flack, flick, flack.

"BULGARIAN TROOPS ON THE MARCH."

What! Isn't it over? Do they all go to Bulgaria? I don't seem to understand. Anyway, I guess it's all right to go now. Other people are going.

V. The Call of the Carburettor, or, Mr. Blinks and his Friends

"First get a motor in your own eye and then you will overlook more easily the motor in your brother's eye."--Somewhere in the Bible.

"By all means let's have a reception," said Mrs. Blinks.

"It's the quickest and nicest way to meet our old friends again after all these years. And goodness knows this house is big enough for it"--she gave a glance as she spoke round the big reception-room of the Blinkses'

residence--"and these servants seem to understand things so perfectly it's no trouble to us to give anything.

Only don't let's ask a whole lot of chattering young people that we don't know; let's have the older people, the ones that can talk about something really worth while."