Adventure Magazine Cover — page 176: what you’re looking at

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932 “Her family—fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts—everybody like that.” ‘Then I gather from your somewhat dis- jointed statement,’ Mr. Burrow summa- rized with concise, court-room clarity, ‘‘ that the situation is this: It is practically a unan- imous verdict that the marriage is undesir- able, ill-advised and impossible.” “On the contrary, both Mary and I know gs Mr. Burrow raised a deprecating hand and interrupted. ‘‘I said practically unani- mous. I admit, of course, that you and the young woman hold dissenting opinions. There is always a minority report.” “Tm not trying to marry the majority. I’m not a Turk.” “How long have you known this particu- lar Only One?”’ “A year.” ‘““How long an interval elapsed between introduction and proposal?” ‘“A month.” Mr. Burrow groaned. ‘““Abject surrender! No brave defense of your heart, no decently stern resistance! Why, Stoessel held Port Arthur a hundred days and more—though he was hungry!” After a momentary pause heinquiredsternly, “If you proposed eleven months ago, why in thunder are you just now planning this abduction?” Mr. Copewell blushed. some time to decide.”’ : ‘It didn’t take you long, poor creature!”’ Mr. Burrow studied a stick of sealing-wax with a judicially wrinkled brow. “Mind you,” he generously acceded, “I’m not cen- suring the young woman. It’s the female vocation to lure men. Can’t blame ’em. Can’t iblame spiders for weaving filmy traps, but I am very, very sorry for flies and fools that rush in where angels fear the web.” oh her!”’ “It took her “T DON’T need your sympathy. It’s merely crassignorance,”’ snapped Mr. Copewell. “If you only knew ‘“T don’t,” snapped Mr. Burrow back at © him, “but I know her sex. I know that women differ from other birds of prey in only one particular and the distinction is in favor of the other birds of prey.” ‘““That’s a lie, of course, but I haven’t time to argue it.” “The difference is,” calmly pursued Mr. Adventure Burrow, “that the others wear their own feathers. Women wear those of the others.”’ The office door opened. The head of the young woman stenographer appeared. Her voice was chilling. ‘Alderman Grotz says s “Say to Mr. Grotz,” replied the Hon. Alexander Hamilton in a voice loud enough to carry, “that it is very good of him to wait. If he’ll indulge me—just ten minutes longer ”’ His voice trailed off ingrati- atingly as the door closed, and he turned again on his visitor. ‘‘No woman jn the world could reduce me to so maudlin a con- dition in a month! No, nor in a century. Now, having warned you in behalf of friend- ship, I’m entirely ready to help you ruin yourself. What’s the idea?”’ This was the moment for which Mr. Cope- well had waited. He began with prompt- ness. ‘Mary has telephoned me. She lives in Perryville, two hundred and fifty miles away. ‘They won’t let me see her.” “They won’t let him see her!’’ commis- erated Mr. Burrow with melancholy. “This trip to Europe was planned on the spur of the moment. It was meant to sur- prise us. It did. She starts to-morrow, unless ie “Unless you interfere to-day,” prompted Mr. Burrow. Mr. Copewell became in- tense. ‘She slipped away from home when she learned it, and we planned it all by *phone. Ican’t goto Perryville—they would watch us both. I must stay here till the last minute and establish an alibi. Mary leaves there this evening on the train that reaches here about midnight, which makes no regular stops between. She starts un- accompanied, but is to be met at the station here in Mercerville by her aunt, Mrs. Stone, who is to chaperone the European trip. It is to be strictly and personally conducted.” ‘“‘T know Mrs. Stone,” grinned Mr. Bur- row. ‘I can recommend her as a reliable duenna.”’ “But I leave here on a train that starts «. west at the same time hers starts east. Those trains pass each other about half-way. Both are through expresses and neither makes any regular stop between Mercer- ville and Perryville.”’ » “T am following you.” Once the plan involved action, the Hon. Alexander Hamil- ton Burrow became interested. _ “T have got, quite secretly of course, an C© MICLOOKS (©