Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

THE WAY OF Baxter. Cameron’s silence was a terrible thing, but talk about Baxter would be more terrible. As long as Cameron didn’t say anything the situation couldn’t get any worse. : But Strong could not look at Cameron; to do so was a physical impossibility. He knew Cameron was standing just inside the door, and that the door was closed. Some- how, although he did not look at Cameron, he got the impression that Cameron was standing with folded arms, watching him. Strong went into a closet and got a suit « case. He threw the case on the bed, went to a dresser and got various odds and ends ef attire and threw them into the suit case. After that he drew a couple of suits out of a wardrobe, packed them into the case, jammed a pair of slippers in and closed the lid. He did not make a second search, to see if he had forgotten anything. He had lost interest in such trivial possessions. He was thinking now of his life. Life was more valuable than anything: else, and he had a conviction that if he dallied Cam- eron would begin to talk. And when men talked their passions were not so easily governed. He knew how it was with him- self, He felt that if he made a false move Cameron would shoot him. He had already seen the blocky holster at Cameron’s hip, and he knew Cameron was a deadly marks- man, He still felt passionately resentful over Cameron’s strange actions, but he knew he did not dare to betray resentment. That would be to invite disaster. But he had never known that such a thing as a man silently watching him could so affect his nerves. He was bathed in an icy perspiration. ‘The flesh on the insides of his legs was quivering, his feet were like leaden weights, the fingers of his hands were twitching, his mouth was open; he felt that his eyes were Seaton He couldn’t think; couldn’t concentrate. The room appeared strange to him. He glanced out of a window at the familiar landscape. It seemed he had never seen it before. Things were turning around. The sun appeared to be coming from the wrong direction. THE BUFFALO. 103 He reeled, sat down on the edge of the bed, took a handkerchief from a pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow and face, even running his fingers around the inside edge of his collar—which was now limp and damp, Still, he said nothing to Cameron. He didn’t want te precipitate the vialence that threatened. He now had an idea that Cam- eron did not mean to let him get out of the room, and even though the outside world was strange to him, he felt that he had never Seen anything so inviting. He wondered what Cameron. would do if he got up from the bed. He got to his feet and stood at the bedside, staring past Cameron. 7 Cameron did not move. Strong took a tentative step toward the door—another. Cameron did nothing. Strong took two more steps. He had un- knowingly grasped the handle of the suit case. Cameron stepped aside, and Strong, draw- ing a deep breath of relief, continued to walk toward the door. He reached it, walked into the hall, When he began to descend the stairs he felt Cameron was close behind him. He went to the desk, paid his bill; moved to the door. Out on the veranda he paused for an instant, to wipe the perspiration out of his eyes with the back of a hand. Then he stepped off the veranda and began to walk down the slope toward the railroad station. 3 He did not look around, but he knew Cameron was behind him. He made his way down the station platform, stopped at a window and bought a ticket to Chicago. He stared at the clock behind the ticket agent and noted that the train was due in ten minutes. When he turned from the window he drew out a cigar and tried to light it. He wanted to show Cameron that his silent watching had not unnerved him. _ But the cigar jerked so oddly that he couldn’t get the lighted match to stay at its end long enough to ignite the tobacco. In a sudden rage he threw the cigar from him. Then he walked to the far end of the plat- form. oO COoMmiclboookKks (C@