MERRIWELL'S PROPOSAL.
After the show that night the actors gathered in the office of the
hotel and waited for Havener to appear. Havener had remained at the
theater to settle up with the local manager.
After a while Havener came in, looking fairly well satisfied.
"How will we come out of this town?" asked Sargent.
"All right," was the answer. "We'll be able to get out ahead of the
game, and we'll have something when we strike the next place, but we
are sailing close to the wind. Bad weather will mean bad business, and
that will mean bu'sted for us. If we had a little money in reserve, I
believe we could keep going to the end of the season."
"Here is Merriwell, who wants to back a company," laughed Lawrence.
"If he's got some money, he'd better keep it in his pocket," declared
Havener, much to the astonishment of everyone. "It will be much safer
there."
Everyone stared at the speaker. They could not understand a person who
would have any scruples about "catching a sucker" whenever the sucker
was ready to bite, no matter who the sucker might be. Havener was the
last person they had expected would object to letting Frank "blow his
boodle" backing the company, if he really desired to do so.
"This is not a very good place to talk it over," said Frank, glancing
around. "There are too many ears to hear. Can't we go up to somebody's
room?"
"Who do you want to talk it over with?" asked Havener.
"The whole company, if this thing is being run on the commonwealth
plan. Bring in the girls, everyone, and I'll tell you just what I'll
do."
The manager hesitated. He had a friendly feeling for Frank, as Merry
had done him more than one good turn. At one time Havener had been
jealous of Merriwell, having discovered that there was some secret
between the young man and Cassie, with whom Roscoe was in love; but he
had been convinced that there was nothing really wrong in the secret,
and he finally came to appreciate Frank's manliness and courage. He had
been assured by Cassie that he should know everything about the secret
in time, and that satisfied him fairly well, although he sometimes
puzzled over it and wondered what it could be.
It had happened that Frank, as property man of the company, was sent to
bring something from the dressing room used by the soubrette, and he
had entered abruptly, discovering the little actress in the very act of
injecting morphine into her arm with a needle syringe.
Of course Cassie was overwhelmed, for she had kept her habit of using
the dreaded drug a secret from everybody, deceiving even Havener, who
believed her usual languidness and depression came from the effect of
an injury she had sustained which had caused her to spend some weeks in
a hospital.
Finding she was detected, the soubrette opened her heart to Frank and
told him just how she had contracted the pernicious habit. The drug had
been used on her to allay the pain while she was in the hospital, and
she had continued to use it after being discharged, till at last she
found she could not give it up.
She made Merriwell promise to keep her secret, but she had told him she
should reveal it to Havener in time, if she found she could not break
herself of it.
At first Cassie's regard for the stage manager had been kept secret, as
Havener had a wife living somewhere, presumably, although he had not
seen her or heard anything of her for four years. He had applied for a
divorce for utter desertion, and expected to get it in the fall. Then
he and Cassie were to be married.
"But I'll never marry him," the sad-faced little girl had said, "unless
I can break myself of the habit. I won't tie myself up to any man the
way I am. Ross Havener has used me white, and I'll use him white."
In vain she had struggled to break herself of the habit. She suffered
tortures day after day depriving herself of the drug when her entire
system craved it. She tried to act at night without its aid, but that
she found impossible. She could not go on the stage and simulate a
light-hearted, happy girl without the assistance of the dreadful
stimulant. When she tried it her feet were like lead, and there was no
vivacity in her manner. She found she must use it or lose her position.
That preyed on her mind, and it was a relief to have some person with
whom she could talk about it.
Then came the time when Cassie began to believe she could never get rid
of the habit without the aid of some power other than her own, and she
thought of praying; but it seemed utterly blasphemous for a girl like
her and an actress to pray.
She meditated over it a long time, not even speaking to Frank about it
till she found he was going to leave the company to go out ahead of the
show.
Then she talked to him about it, and he had encouraged her to pray. He
had even said he would pray for her!
Cassie had tried it, and she began to believe there might be something
in it, for it seemed that praying did her good. She even bought herself
a little Bible, and took to reading it every night before going to bed.
Of course the girl who roomed with her--for it was necessary for the
members of the company to "double up" at hotels--soon found her reading
the little Bible, caught her on her knees beside the bed, and began to
tease her about it.
But Cassie stood the teasing in silence, not once showing any
resentment. Everyone observed a change in her. While she had ever been
kind-hearted and generous, she became even more so, putting herself
out in many ways to do favors for the other members of the company.
A hopeful light came to her face at times, driving away the sad and
wearied expression, and when her roommate told the others that she
was reading the Bible and praying every night, it became rumored that
Cassie was turning Christian or going daffy. There seemed a general
doubt as to which was taking place.
She was the good angel of the company, and not one of them all was
there who was not indebted to her for some kindness.
Frank looked at Havener in surprise when he saw the man was hesitating.
Havener returned the look. He glanced at the others, and then abruptly
said:
"I'm bound to tell you just what it is liable to mean if you put your
money behind us."
"All right," smiled Frank. "You can tell me that up in the room. Come
ahead."
"Well, if you say so. Cates, tell everybody to come to my room right
away."
Fifteen minutes later the entire company was packed into Havener's
room. Hans and Ephraim were also there.
"Mr. Merriwell asked me to have you called here," Havener explained.
"He has some kind of a proposal to make."
Cassie caught him by the arm and pulled him round.
"You don't mean to say that you're going to let him throw his little
roll away, do ye?" she hastily whispered, looking at him in surprise
and reproval.
"I've told him what it means," muttered the manager, a bit resentfully.
"If he's itching to blow his stuff, he'll blow it, and we might as well
get the benefit of it."
"Well, he's goin' to know just what it means before he does anything of
the kind. He can't be roped in blind. I won't stand for it, Ross!"
"You'll get the others down on you if you say too much."
"What do I care? He's worth more than all the rest of them. I'd rather
have his respect than that of the whole gang."
Havener looked at her, knitting his brows.
"You're queer," he said, doubtingly. "I don't know what to make of you.
If you didn't talk right out to me, I might think you was hard hit by
the fellow."
"You know it's not that, Ross," protested the little soubrette. "I'm
not in love with him, but I respect him, and I don't want to see him
fooled. He's white, and he don't know everything about the tricks of
people in the profession. He has a way of thinking everybody honest
till he finds out they are crooked."
"Still he hasn't let anybody get ahead of him thus far, unless it was
this chap Harris that he told us about. That fellow did him up by
smashing his stuff."
"Well, I'm going to tell him something."
"Better keep still till you hear what he proposes. It's no use going
off half cocked."
By this time Frank was ready to speak.
"It won't take me long to make my proposal," he said, in his quiet way.
"You are running now on the commonwealth plan, without any backing,
and you all know what it will mean if you strike a few days of frost.
Companies in such a condition are always on the outlook for an angel.
That's where I come in. I've got some money, about five hundred
dollars, and I'm here to offer myself as the angel."
Surely Frank was not talking like a person who did not fully understand
the danger into which he was plunging.
Right here Cassie spoke up.
"It's mighty good of you, Frank, to make such an offer, but I don't
think we've got any right to accept it."
This brought a murmur from nearly everyone present, and, tossing back
her head, Cassie went on swiftly:
"Every chance is against our making a go of this thing, and we have no
right to rob you of your rocks. We couldn't fill the dates booked for
the original company by Barnaby Haley, and we've got no regular route
staked out far enough ahead to know where we're going to land if we
manage to pull along. We've got to play small towns and make the most
of our stands fer one night. We'll play in halls and almost any kind
of an old place where we can git in, instead of reg'lar theaters. It's
goin' to be a mighty rough knocking around, and there can't be much
money in it if we manage to keep on our pins--not enough to warrant
anybody putting his pile behind the show. There, that's just how the
land lays, and I don't believe there's anybody here dirty enough to
want to rope you in without letting you know it. If there is, I'm
ashamed of being out in the same company with him!"
Cassie had expressed herself in language that was plain enough so not a
word could be misunderstood.
And her finish had checked anybody who was on the point of protesting.
Leslie Lawrence looked mildly disgusted.
"She'll queer it," he muttered to Douglas Dunton.
"Sure thing," growled Dunton.
"She's too good since she got religion."
"Far too good."
"Think of losing the only opportunity we'll have to catch an angel!"
"It's tough."
"It's a shame!"
Cassie could not understand what they were saying, but she gave them
a look that told them she knew they were expressing an opinion of her
that was not at all complimentary.
Frank Merriwell laughed a little.
"I am not going into this thing to make a fortune," he said, quietly.
"I know there can't be much money in it. I'm looking for experience."
"He can get lots of that," murmured Lawrence.
"I should smile!" chuckled Dunton.
"You'll pay dear for your experience, I'm afraid," said Cassie.
"Perhaps not. I'm willing to take the chances."
"Well," whispered Lawrence, rousing up and showing fresh interest,
"he's bound to bite anyway. Somebody ought to muzzle Cassie!"
"What kind of chances are you willing to take?" asked Havener, who was
growing more interested, now that Frank was so persistent.
"That depends on what sort of arrangements I can make with you."
"He shies a bit," whispered Dunton.
"Just trying to show that he's really shrewd," yawned Lawrence,
lighting a cigarette without asking leave of anybody.
Lillian Bird, the leading lady of the company, a woman with a fine
figure and a washed-out complexion, held out her hand toward Lawrence.
"Don't be so mean," she said. "You might blow off once in a while when
you are wealthy."
He grinned and passed her the cigarettes. She took one and lighted
it. Sitting on the top of the little table, which was pushed back
against the wall, she puffed away at the cigarette in a manner that
plainly indicated she did not fancy she was doing anything to attract
particular attention or comment. She handled the cigarette in a
familiar manner, inhaling the smoke, and the yellow stains on the
fingers of her right hand completed the public confession of her habit.
"What sort of an arrangement are you expecting to make?" asked Havener
of Merriwell.
"Well," said Frank, "if I put my money behind the company, I shall
expect to manage it."
Lawrence whistled softly.
"You'll be taking considerable on your shoulders," said Havener.
"That is all right. I shall make contracts with everybody and stand by
them as far as possible. The favors will not come entirely from me."
"Eh? What's that?" grunted Dunton, showing surprise. "Has he invented
some kind of a game?"
"What'll he make out of it, if he has?" asked Lawrence, derisively.
"There's no money in us. We'd better agree to anything he may propose."
"Let him become manager?"
"Sure. He won't last long--only till his boodle is used up. Then we'll
get rid of him."
"Will Havener agree?"
"Don't know. He's a fool if he doesn't."
"In case we strike poor business," Merriwell went on, "I shall expect
the members to accept a percentage of their salaries for the time, with
the understanding that whatever is held back will be paid as soon as
business picks up enough to enable me to do so."
Lawrence was straight and stiff in his chair.
"We might as well go along on the same old plan," he exclaimed.
"Merriwell is looking for everything to favor him. What good will it do
us to run that way?"
"Now you are dissatisfied because he isn't fool enough to go into this
thing blind!" cried Cassie Lee. "His idea is all right."
"All right for him, but he can claim any time that he is not making
enough to pay our full salaries."
"I will agree to show up the accounts at the end of each week to each
and every member of the company," said Frank. "You shall see if I am
using you square."
"That's fair," said more than one.
But Lawrence, who had expected to catch a sucker, was not at all
pleased.
"What salaries do you propose to pay us, Mr. Merriwell?" he asked. "How
are you going to settle that?"
"When you started out with Mr. Haley," said Frank, "you were playing to
cities and large towns. You have come down from that to barnstorming
in small places. The expenses of the show have been reduced, but the
revenue cannot be a fourth as much. I have thought the thing over some,
and have decided to offer you all exactly two-thirds as much a week as
Mr. Haley agreed to pay you originally. You will bring copies of your
contracts made with him to me, and we will make out new contracts. That
is, we'll do so if you accept my offer."
Now there was an animated discussion of Frank's proposal, everyone
taking part. While it was going on, Merry was asking Havener some
questions.
"What pieces have you in your repertory?" asked Frank.
"Why, we have the parts of all the pieces Haley obtained."
"How many can we play if we come to an agreement?"
"About three of them, I think."
"That will fix it so we can stay three nights in one place, if we find
any towns good enough for that."
"Yes."
"Who's out ahead?"
"Collins."
"Then you got him back?"
"After Haley jumped us, yes. King was satisfied as he had broken Haley
up and driven us off his route, so Collins was able to go out ahead of
us again. He's all right, and he has worked up business in worse towns
than the ones we'll have to play."
"How about your paper?"
"We have the stuff Haley ordered, you know. We can get it shipped from
the house in Chicago as fast as we need it, if we put up the dust for
it. All we'll have to look out for is house programs, and we can get
them printed as we go along."
"How are you making up your route?"
"Collins is finding out about the towns as he goes along, and is
sending back information. We'll have to depend on him to a great
extent, you see."
"Are you going to be satisfied to let me manage the company?"
"Well, I'm willing to let you try it, if the others are. I shall be
mighty glad if you can do it, for that will take a load off of my
shoulders. Just now I am business manager, stage manager and several
other things. It's too much."
Merriwell and Havener came to an agreement without much trouble, but it
was necessary to talk it over with some of the company for a long time
before they were ready to accept the arrangement.
Lawrence fought against it. He tried to hold Dunton and Sargent with
him. Sargent was the first to give in, and he influenced Dunton to
follow his lead.
Then Lawrence was disgusted, and he showed it.
"All right," he cried. "Go ahead and do what you like, but count me
out."
"You won't go with us?"
"No. Merriwell can get a new leading man. Perhaps he'll fill the place
himself."
This was said in sarcasm, but Frank was not at all ruffled.
"We can get along without Mr. Lawrence, if forced to do so," he said,
quietly; "but I trust he will change his mind."
"I'm afraid you've made a big mistake," Cassie whispered in Merry's
ear; "but I guess we'll all pull for you as hard as we can. I'm sure
Ross and I will."
"Thank you, little girl," smiled Merry. "I didn't go into it without
counting the possible cost."
Then he told them to come to his room, which he would engage right
away, one at a time, that night, and he would make contracts with them,
so everyone would be ready to start out under the new management in the
morning.
They came, and it was nearly three o'clock before all the business was
settled and Frank rolled his weary body into bed.