Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

had on to. press his clothes cluttered the: top of his packing case. An open suit case spilled forth several shirts and collars, signs of his hastily made dinner toilet. Hill eyed it all with keenest misery, realizing to the full his bacheler squalor, his pitiful bluff. Suddenly he aimed a kick that caught the suitcase fair and sent it aloit, shedding raiment over the floor. ‘“ Busted!” he observed briefly, . ulterly busted!” office had opened. ‘That would be Murphy, who had seen his light burning and meant to turn it out. The stock reom door stood wide, revealing his secret. Well, he didn’t care now. It was ail over! A sharp gasp made him wheel abeut. It was Alice Arnold who had gasped at_- that strange scene the open door revéaied. - Her father stood beside her and his shrewd eyes noted everything. In the background Murphy, who had admitted these insistent visitors, door, Hil’s haggard gaze met the eyes of Arnold. He was past any shame now. “Welcome to my hotel,” he cried iron ically. Amold nodded his- head slowly. this is really it!” ee 5 es ae ““ Broke?” “Oh, no!” Hill’s lips twisted upward in a poor lepsided smile. ‘“‘ I’m worth mil- lions—on paper!” “And you’ve been bluffing it out here— hoping somebody’d take you at face value and give you credit, eh?” “FT couldn’t afford to pay room rent any more: And the office rent was paid up. I cut down as close as I could—and just hoped, that’s all—” “And how about me!” Alice cried re- proachfully. -“‘ You let me stay on—fiiteen dollars a week—enough to lodge you de- cently—feed you properly—” For a moment Hill’s eyes wavered. Then he looked up trying to freshen his grin. “JT thought you needed the job,” he muttered, blushing red. “I thought you were busted—like me. You broke! Fun- ny, isn’t it?” He added a hollow, “ Ha, ha.” (ee CREDIT. was Se through | the. te So -Wulgarly curious. 577 “Qh!” said Alice explosively. She turned her face away from the two men and her two hands clenched into hard little fists. Amold spoke, his voice severe. “ Well, Hill! You’re some bluffer, aren’t you! I guessed it when you wrote us suggesting we take your account. But Alice here wrote me, too. and insisted I look into it. We did, and I must say we found out nothing __ against you—simply that you had no credit He was aware that the door of the enter history. I leit it te Moody and he turned you down. Now I want you te understand, young man, that on a question of business, neither bluff nor any plea of personal friendship—nor even the tears of Alice here—have a damn thing to do with making up my mind—” “Oh, damn your mind!” Hill barked. “TJ was turned down. Let it go at that--” “Wait a minute! Credit, Mr. Hill, simmers down solely to the question of a man’s character—his courage and stick-to- _itiveness and natural honesty—but mostly his courage. — Well, we knew a lot about your nerve, but we had no way of know- ing about your courage. We never would have known except that Alice got the idea you might do something desperate from _ disappointment in your plans and made me <= follow you in the car. And then after we set you down at your—hotel’”—Ar- nold’s eyes suddenly twinkled—‘ well, I got really curious to know where you lived and we followed you again.” Arnold coughed and hesitated. “I guess we've got a pretty good line on your char- acter and courage, even if we were rather We know something about you, now. I—that is—Hill, you see Moody to-morrow morning and we'll fix up that contract you want. I guess yeu're the kind of young fellow that'll stick!” Amold’s hand was out and Hill groped — for it. And Alice’s slender, warm hand caught both of theirs and held them fast. Arnold chuckled abruptly. “You bluffed pretty well, son! Yes, you did! But say, next time you pick out a New York hotel for your imaginary ad- dress, don’t pick a Martha wasbaipton That’s for women only.” comichboo: