Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

768 both of those girls are dearly beloved. Therefore, by dint of force and agonized, whispered entreaties, they prevailed, and Phil found himself thrust out into the cor- ridor just ac Phelim entered the living room. Had Phil been gifted by nature with ordi- nary prudence, which he was not, he would now have retired promptly into the most inconspicuous spot available, there to await a more favorable moment in which to attain his ends. As it was, what little prudence he had already used since his escape had wholly exhausted his slender stock of this most desirable quality. Therefore, he re- mained in the corridor, close at hand, but nevertheless, influenced by some remnants of ordinary sense, bethought himself to open that bag of tools and pretend to be busy with the wiring of the electric lights. Thus he had heard Phelim and Dunning as they emerged from Aunt Sophronia’s apartment, but by a great effort of will had succeeded in refraining from turning his head, at first, and had therefore escaped recognition until he fancied the danger to be past, and the temptation therefore be- came too strong to be resisted. Turning, he found himself looking straight into Phe- lim’s eyes. Phelim’s astonished exclamation had arrested Dunning’s attention, so that, turning, his eyes also had met Phil’s, as both Phil and Phelim knew. Before either could make a move, Dun- ning was running swiftly down the stairs. There were only three flights for him to descend, and before he had reached the bot- tom of the second, they could hear his voice raised in a frenzied shriek. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” he yelled. “ Murder! Stop thief!” CHAPTER XXVIII. DISASTER. EGGY had prepared for bed while awaiting Aunt Sophronia’s return, largely because there was nothing else to do. Edith had not dressed since her re- turn from the courthouse. The costumes in which they found themselves when Phil appeared, and in which they rushed into the living room the instant Dunning was ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. induced to leave, were charming, to say the ‘Teast. Now that there was immediate necessity for concentration or for action, Aunt So- phronia, looking pitiably white and fragile lay back in an easy chair, too tired to move. Nevertheless, she straightened in her seat as the two girls entered, and all her old de- cision promptly returned. “You'd better go to bed, both of you, and get what sleep you can,” said she. “We get up very early to-morrow morning and go back home. There’s no use in stay- ing here now; for a while, anyway, there'll be no more trial. Phil has escaped.” Edith caught her breath in a quick, shud- dering little sigh. Peggy remained silent. Neither spoke, and neither—naturally— showed any surprise at the news. This lat- ter fact caused Aunt Sophronia to glance quickly from one to the other in surprise. “You knew that Phil was out of prison?” she asked. “ How did you know?” “ How could we help knowing?” returned Peggy. ‘‘ That horrible Dunning man fair- ly bellowed the news!” “ That’s so,” admitted Aunt Sophronia. “TI forgot that.” At Peggy’s quick-witted reply Edith breathed another sigh, this time of relief. Either girl would have sacrificed much to prevent the knowledge of Phil’s present danger, so much greater even than it had been before, from reaching that tired old lady when she could do nothing to lessen it. But they themselves did not know how great this danger was, for the cries of Dun- ning were not audible in Aunt Sophronia’s rooms. Phil himself, at last awake to the danger into which his rashness had plunged him, repented bitterly, now that it was too late. From below, in answer to Dunning’s shouts, ‘there came the sounds of running feet, of questions and of the house detective’s voice raised angrily in peremptory orders to hush that row, in order that the hotel might not be discredited. Already people were run- ning up the stairs. He sprang forward to a tomahawk fire-axe hung on the wall and was about to wrest it from its brackets, when Phelim drew him away and hurried ° ‘him to a far end of the passage. Comicoool (C@