Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

5 name is Larrigan. Jim Bleeker was my pbunky—” . “Tf you'll step inside, sir,” hastened the butler, changing countenance abruptly. “Pm sure that Mrs. Bleeker will wish to see you.” | Aloysius Larrigan sat himself down be- tween a mounted piece of fifteenth-century armor and a dull-gleaming Rubens. All this, he knew, was the real thing. He had guessed that Jim Bleeker was an aristocrat, but—well, all this was a bit crushing. Be- fore he quite realized it, Mrs. Bleeker, in her widow’s black, was upon him and hold- ing his hand. “Jim wrote me so much of you!”’ she was saying quietly. “I’m very, very glad to know you, Mr. Larrigan. I received your letter from Bordeaux, telling me of the final days— _ I cannot tell you how I appreciated ‘the sweetness of that letter.” Aloysius Larrigan blushed fearfully. He stammered something and fell silent. _ “You must stay for luncheon—but how Jong shall you have in the city?” “No time at. all, ma’am,” returned Aloysius. He displayed his package. ‘We're going through town to be mus- tered out, and then I have to hit for Cali- fornia. I’ve got important business there, you see—a lady I’ve not seen for a year, and also business. I just got permission to rin up here with this.” He thrust forward the package, all his carefully rehearsed speech and actions gone -to the winds. “You see, Mrs. Bleeker, Jim made me promise to bring these things here myself. ‘They are just-the little things; well, you’ll see. He thought maybe you would like to have them. I have to be back in half an hour.” Mrs, Bleeker took the package, bit her jp very hard, and then threw back her shoulders and looked Aloysius Larrigan in the eye. He realized that hers was a peculiar bravery—the courage of deep things, of rare blood, of a sensitive, inner grief that was tearing her very soul before his eyes. He felt tongue-tied and extremely un- comfortable, far different from the easy as- surance habitual to him. 7 ; woz ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. ‘“ Wait just a minute, please,” she said, and left him. He waited, gazing at the velvet hangings, the deep softness of everything around him, feeling himself frightfully out of place. The knowledge that he was an American soldier, and as good as any man alive, did not help him. ~ Then he smiled grimly, at thought of how little the studio directors knew about the fuffMishings of an aristocratic home! All the studio men knew about was the flashy emptiness of the newly rich and the pro- fessional decorator. Mrs. Bleeker was before him again. “Tm more sorry than I can tell you, Mr. Larrigan, that you have to run away so quickly. When you get settled in Califor- nia, will you please send me your address? One does not know what unforeseen emer- gencies may arise.” Aloysius promised. Mrs. Bleeker produced a little morocco case. ‘“T would like you to have this,” ghe said quietly, very steadily. ‘“ I brought it to Jim once; he always wore it. There’s no other man T could give it to, Mr. Larrigan—but if you would accept it, you would give me great pleasure.” Larrigan gazed at the scarf-pin, an abalone blister mounted in gold. Tt came to him that this was a very precious tribute, a tribute from the woman’s heart, meaning more than words could say. Jim Bleeker had other friends, of course -——wealthy friends, college friends, all- that a man of. his standing would have. But he, Larrigan, had been Bleeker’s bunky in France, had watched Jim Bleeker die, had been more to Jim Hivahes than any man alive. And this was a tribute, the most precious heart-gift he would ever know. ‘“T—_I’d be very glad,” he said, stumbling over the words, cursing himself because he could not express the thing that was in- him, the feeling that gripped him in that moment of revelation. “I'll be wearing cits in a couple of days. I—lI sure appreciate this very deeply, Mrs. Bleeker.” ‘“There’s no other man I could give it to,” she said again very softly. comicbooks:com S