Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

@ a” 506 him, the night of the Chamber of Com- merce dance. He theught of it all; but when he tried to gather up these threads of premises and weave them togther into the pattern of some logical conclusion, they tangled and knotted and became but a snarl of strands. The next morning he met David on the ‘street. Well!” David greeted. you was in jail.” - “You know you didn’t think that,” Bert replied, studying the man’s face. “ You must have heard that I got out yesterday.” “Yes,” said David. “A lot o’ folks told me you got out. That’s why I thought you was still in.” ‘ David,” said Bert seriously, “ will you answer me a question?”’ David grunted. ‘‘ Why, of course, I'll answer it. The only pusson who won't an- swer a question is a2 woman, an’ when she don’t, it means ‘ yes.’ A man allus answers @ question some way. What you mean is, will I answer it truthful?” ‘“‘ That’s what I mean. Will you?” “It depends,” said David. ‘“ What’s the ion?” , ‘‘} want to know if you had anything to do with my getting out of jail. Did you?”’ David chuckled. ‘ Durned if you don’t ask that like as if you was sayin’ somethin’ original! You're the twelfth pusson to ask me that since last night.” “JY heard things, too,” “Ty thought sald Bert. ‘“ That’s what makes me wonder. But you haven’t answered my question.” “So I didn’t,” said David. ‘ Well, I did an’ I didn’t.” “Then you did get me out!” cried Bert.. «© Voy—” | “Now hold on,’ interrupted David. “You mustn’t go jumpin’ at conclusions. Arrivin’ at conclusions is. like huntin’ ducks. If you don’t lie quiet till they get kinder settled, but jump out at ’em, you'll find they ain’t nothin’ there but wooden decoys. Now I said I did an’ I didn’t. All you're interested 1 in is the did. Here’s why I say I did: \“ About thirteen years ago, when they was raisin’ funds to build that city hall, they come to me an’ J give ’em some money ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. to help out. I had money in them days, son. Anyway, how I figger it is that if I gave ’em money to build that buildin’—an’ the jail’s in that buildin’—an’ you were put in that jail, why, I helped you git out. B’cause, if there hadn’t been no jail to put you into, you couldn’t never have gotten out’n it.. Of course, it’s sorter round about, an’ that’s why I say I did an’ I didn’t.’ For a moment, Bert’s disappointment kept him silent. He leoked at the station- master reproachfully, and David returned the gaze, his face quite ‘serious, but his eyes twinkling. . “Well, son, now that that’s answered to your satisfaction, I guess you’ll feet bet- ter. You to give up your idear fer the Majestic, didn’t you?”’ Bert realized the futility of trying to gain further information from David, and he accepted the latter’s change of topic. He nodded. “Got any new notions fer it?” David ‘“Not a thing,” Bert replied gloomily. “Tt seems that Turner killed the only worth while scheme there is.” ‘Ye-es. But Turner jest saved it the trouble o’ killin’ itself, it seems to me.” ‘““‘Whye Don’t you think the idea was any good?” ‘“Oh, the idear was all right,” David re- plied. ‘“ But the trouble is that it wouldn’t ’a’ worked. Reminds me of a feller I knew once. He come to me‘with a lot o’ draw- in’s with figgers all over it. I asked him what ‘twas, an’ he tells me it’s a'new in- vention o’ his—a perpetual-motion ma- chine. He explains all o’ them figgers an’ things, an’ when he gits through, I says: ‘ That there’s a wonderful machine,’ I says. ‘Are you sure .it "ll work?’ ‘ ’Course it won't work,’ he says. ‘ There ain’t never was a perpetual-motion machine invented © that would. But this here’s a durn good invention, anyways.’ ” ‘How do you know my plan wouldn't have been successful?” said Bert testily. “It would have been wonderful, if—”’ “T know,” put in David. “ Guess I oughtn’t to go an’ say nothin’ against it, now. A dead idear’s jest like a dead man. If everybuddy lived up to the good things COMIC NOOK Colin