Marion Marlowe's Disappearance, or, Almost a Crime

Marion Marlowe's Disappearance; Or, Almost a Crime This serial installment by Grace Shirley opens with a Broadway confrontation. Archie Ray, a wealthy gentleman, overhears clubman Dan Watson denigrate actress Marion Marlowe outside a theater. When Watson refuses to apologize, Ray horsewhips him; Watson retaliates by shooting Marion, who has emerged to stop the violence. The wound proves minor—a flesh wound requiring only a scratch dressing. At Dr. Reginald Brookes's office afterward, Ray and the doctor—both devoted rivals for Marion's affection—prove themselves honorable men united by their regard for her. Marion, seventeen and ambitious for stage success, treats her injury lightly. She and Ray discuss her theatrical ambitions and her happiness in acting itself, though he wishes she would abandon the profession. The installment closes with Marion preparing to perform that evening despite her injury.