Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF “ [—didn’t see any bag!”’ said Thomas. “ What bag?” ‘“Mine!”’ Mary nearly whined. “ He had it in his hand when he came in, didn’t hee”? <4 No! DP, The corners of Mary’s lovely mouth. went down suddenly. “ I thought I saw it in his hand when he came in!’ she said, uncertainly. “I was —was looking through the crack there, and I thought he had it with him this time! ” “He didn’t,” said Thomas. “ Mary, where—where were you?” “When? When you were looking for me?’ asked Mary, and it was plain that she attached small importance to that phase of the tase. “In your washtub, out in the kitchen. Didn’t you know that?” “No, I—I didn’t know that!” muttered young Mr. Henning. “ How—” . “Why, I just crawled in and doubled up when I heard them coming, and the lid fit- ted down without a hair’s breadth to spare, and it nearly killed me. Never mind that now. What became of Sally?” “She went home.” | “ And Billy?” “Oh, Billy went to the ball! ”” Thomas smiled. '¢ § Why?” There was no mirth in Thomas’s drawn smile. “Well, I may not have caught all the details,” said he, “ but Horace dropped in with the news that you were dancing over there, right now, with a knight in armor! Yowre wearing a blue dress.” <4 What?” “ And it peeved Billy, and I believe that he’s gone over to assassinate the knight, Mary. 23 Thomas sighed ‘as he : sat down. “ He’s carrying a seventy-five centimetre gun, or something similar, and he’s going to try it out on the armor. “He’s occupied for a while, and out of here. We can forget him for a little and find the way to get you some clo—”’ ‘What do you mean?” Mary gasped. “Ts that the truth? He’s gone to—to shoot somebody?” “ T think so.” “on one after a while. THE BRIDE. 557 ‘‘And you—you’re sitting there!” “If youll pardon me, Mary,’”’ Thomas smiled wearily. ‘‘ This-sort of thing wears If it ‘11 make you any happier, I’ll get up and turn a few cartwheels while we try to dope out this clothing situation, but I’d really prefer to sit here comfortably.” “I didn’t mean that!” Mary said, breathlessly and pathetically. “ Tommy, please don’t sit there and let him do it! Go after him and stop him!” _ é¢ Eh?’ “Please, Tommy! Please go after him!” Mary cried. ‘“ He—he’s so angry that he may do anything! Never mind me! - Never mind what happens to me; just go and stop Billy before he does any- thing awful!”’s C¢ But—’’ “Tom, if Billy ever did a thing like that, it—it would kill me! It would, and he may—he will!”’ the bride pleaded des- perately. “ Tommy, will you please hurry and catch him! Do anything you like with me—lock me out in the hall as I am, if you want to, only catch Billy before he can do it!” So Thomas arose. In William Emerson’s head, as he made his hurried way from the Cypria Apart- ments and across the street, confusion _reigned supreme. ‘There was’ nothing as- tonishing about this, of course; William had put in the most completely confusing evening of his whole lifetime; but when one is about to wreak vengeance upon a fellow man, one needs a Say clear head. - And perhaps the point upon which one’s head should be most clear is just why the vengeance must be wreaked. There are always likely to be consequences to an af- fair of this kind — moments when one’s whole future hangs upon a jury’s interpre- tation of the unwritten variety of law. William’s head was not at all clear, al- though pure rage clouded his vision of this fact. Mary, in the first instance, had failed to meet him, in itself a very odd circumstance. Then, as he had believed, Mary actually, CONMNIC DOOIX Colin