first performance of the evening.

"'Her First Love,'" read Tom, from a billboard. "That sounds a little
mushy. 'Broncho Bill's Reward,'" he went on. "That might be
interesting. 'Lost in the Ice Fields of Alaska, in Two Parts.' Say,
that sounds as if it might be something worth while," he added,
brightening up.

"Yes, I'd like to see some pictures of Alaska," returned Songbird.

"Provided they weren't taken in Hoboken, or somewhere like that,"
answered Sam. "Some of these moving pictures are great fakes. They
take real scenes in China right in New York City, and show you the
bottom of the sea, taken on the sixth floor of an office building in
Chicago!"

"Never mind, I guess we'll get our money's worth," said another of the
students, and then the crowd passed inside, each youth buying his own
ticket, as was the usual custom.

They managed to get seats almost in the center of the hall, which was
long and narrow, just the shape for such an exhibition. They noticed
that a tall, lanky town boy was usher, and Tom nudged Sam in the ribs.

"Just think, William Philander might have had that job!" he chuckled.

"Well, you did the best you could for him," answered Sam, dryly.

The end of a funny reel was being shown and the audience was laughing
heartily. Then came an illustrated song, sung by a young woman with a
fairly good voice, and after that "Broncho Bill's Reward," a short
drama of the plains, with cowboys and cattle thieves, and a sheriff,
who aided Broncho Bill to get back his employer's cattle and win the
hand of the girl he loved.

"Maybe you could write some verses about that girl," suggested Sam to
Songbird, in a whisper. "You could call it 'The Cowboy's Sweetheart,'
or something like that."

"So I could," murmured the would-be poet, and immediately commenced to
make up rhymes, which he scribbled on some paper in the dark.

At last came the well-advertised drama, "Lost in the Ice Fields of
Alaska." It was a well put together play, the opening scene taking
place in a shipping office in Seattle. Next came the departure of the
steamer for the North. There were several views on shipboard, and
quite a complicated plot, the villain of the play trying to get the
best of a young gold hunter and his partner. A girl appeared, and she
exposed the villain, and the latter stalked around and vowed vengeance
on both the girl and the young gold hunter.

The second part of the play took place in Alaska, and