Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

398 tirely escaped the girl. Favors should be met by corresponding favors. She had failed lamentably to live up to the laws of indiscriminate camaraderie. Something for nothing wa#noct to be expected. Artie had paid for the taxi, the cocktails, the dinner; therefore, according to Moggish rules, it was up to her to be complaisant to some ex- tent of her indebtedness. Crudely, but none the less truly ex- pressed, ‘the majority of these hail-fellow- well-met experimental jaunts are on a slid- ing scale of barter and exchange. A man expends a varying sum of money for the fun, and the woman pays in making herself an agreeable companion. A good deal of this is undeliberated, and happens without any malice aforethought or ulterior mo- tives, and although the girl cheapens her- self, she often escapes any great harm by reason of the preponderance of decent men. - But there are Arties who answer by the names of Tom, Dick or—Percy, and though they shed no blood, they are killers. | Artie Falwell’s left hand dropped be- neath the level of the table. “Listen,” he said, “I wanna tell you something. You've got me going. What- ever you say goes. You see it’s this way—”’ While he was telling his tale and lure- fully swaying the girl’s mind this way and that, Artie was holding her interest and playing for time. Only a few moments were needed for his hidden purpose, and durmg his spiel Artie’s long, slim fingers reached for Julie’s beaded hand-bag. Be- neath the concealing table top the bag went on a short trip from the chair by her side to Artie’s knees. There it stayed for a negligible number of seconds, and when Artie released his dupe’s attention, there was a foundational support less in Julie’s future. To-morrow could not be quite the same as to-day and yesterday. ‘““ Now,” he said, with grinning, expan- sive good fellowship, “‘ [’m yours till you fire me. That’s me all over. When you’re ready we'll beat it. See you home, eh? We'll taxi it. Ill drop you at the corner of your street. [I ain’t no buttinsky. It’s nough for me to have your company when you want me.” "ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. The bald selfishness of this remark en- | Truth to tell, consideration and such gen- erous kindness were strange experiences to Julie, and she guilelessly and. gratefully ac- cepted Artie’s avowals at their surface value. | | Counterfeit bank-notes are more rare than human deceitfulness. “I am thy brother,” asserts the tearful, crocodile traf- ficker in the needs of others, and forthwith soaks the self-helpless for as much as he can squeeze out of them. CHAPTER VI. LOSSES AND CROSSES. HE article that is bought with money saved in self denial is the article that is valued for reasons apart from its monetary price. The care and trouble will- mgly expended upon an manimate thing renders it a prized possession. The services freely given to any living creature fosters an affection that may or may not be mu- tual; but it certainly Hlows-from the giver to the receiver. While Julie had sat in the Mog café, the tail of a fox neckpiece had brushed ‘agamst her shoulder as a woman passed, and the girl had called to mind a circumstance ‘* had taken place two nights previous to ‘evening. As will presently be found, the thing she thought of was of comparative insignificance when considered isolated from its sequence of events; but she had, by a spontaneous service, unwittingly pledged herself to the instructive duties of affectionate responsibility. The. touch of that fox scarf had occurred at a moment ~ when her thoughts were not filled with any particular desire. She had eaten, drank, and was completely satisfied. Then came the impulse to go home. In the midst of play a child drops its mud pie making and runs to its mother. In the middie of business a man picks up his telephone and rings up his wife. He prob- ably talks of something that could easily have waited until he arrived home, but— well, neither the child or the man question their motives. Neither dit! Julie. All she knew was she wanted to get home. What she wanted to do when she got there was ecomiclooolks (CO