Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

70 nounced, and his beaming smile was re- flected by Henry Curlew at least—and at just about that time Henry fluttered down into his big chair and caught a tired sigh. ‘* Now let’s see what we’re going to do. I had a timetable here somewhere. Got New York-Washington trains on it, too, I think. Wait asecond. What time is it now?” “Getting on toward ten,” said Curlew. ‘Thunder! Is it as late as that?” Dix- on muttered, turning the pages of his time- table. “ We'll have to go down on a sleeper and— You speak, Mr. Whitmore?” ‘“I—I was about to speak, anyway,” James said. ‘ Er—Mr. Dixon! About Miss Banford.”” Dixon’s timetable dropped suddenly and he stared truculently. : “What about Miss Banford?” “You're likely to be gone several days?” “That’s quite possible. What of it?” “Well, while we want to do everything possible to make your stay here pleasant and profitable, I’m really afraid we need Miss Banford at the office.” 3 ‘“‘ She never worked at your office. She’s a new employee of Mr. Curlew’s as I un- derstood it!” Dixon said too promptly. “To: be sure—but we've really been planning to have her at the office, beginning to-morrow morning, and we’re so_short- handed now that it might—er—disrupt things a bit if we had to find a new girl again. You understand, of course.” “ But Curlew said—” the visitor began, and looked at Curlew and then grinned sud- denly, for Henry’s lids had dropped again and that last breath was a thin whistle. “Asleep!” said Mr. Dixon. ‘ Old— shot to pieces—no pep! When I get like that I’m going to step off the big cliffs at the end of my Blue River property and hit the rocks head first! What were you saying? Oh, about—” ‘“‘ Exactly! Now, we have a man at the office, named Bolling—Mr. Curlew’s private secretary, in fact—and I know that Curlew Il be glad to lend him and that you'll find him—” ' © Ves, but I—I don’t know him!” “ Well, you haven’t known Miss Banford more than two hours!” ~ “ Well, that may be all,” Mr. Dixon ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. said, and gazed at her; “ but at the same time— Oh, I say, Whitmore, what’s all this nonsense about—what was his name— Bolling?” “Tt isn’t nonsense,” James managed to smile, as he looked about for a telephone directory. “Tl get in touch with him immediately and I’m quite sure he’ll be able to meet you at the next train. In addition, you'll find him a much more ca- pable secretary!” “ Why, Mr. Whitmore!” Betty protest- ed indignantly. “‘ Why do you say that?” ‘Eh? What was that he said?” Mr. Dixon cried, even more _ indignantly. “What do you mean, Whitmore—more ca- pable?” “Why, a faster stenographer, and a man much more experienced in—” ‘* T’m sure he isn’t—isn’t even as fast as I am!” Betty stated. ‘ Bolling,” James responded, with a small and very dreadful smile, “is the fastest stenographer in New York City!” ‘““ What if he is?” the visitor asked an- grily. “ I’m not going to run a speed con- test with anybody. I usually dictate about ten words and then have to think five min- utes before I dictate the next ten. Anyhow, I don’t believe he has any sort of speed to touch this kid!” “No! Neither do I,” Betty pouted, causing James’s skin to crawl. ‘ Not really.” ““ And whether he has or not, I don’t like the idea of starting out on a trip like this with a strange person,” Dixon said decidedly. “‘ Where’d you get that notion, Whitmore? Curlew seemed perfectly sat- isfied for me to take Miss Banford.” “Well, possibly Curlew did—” began to grind its way through James’s teeth as Mr. Curlew opened his eyes suddenly. “ Huh? Eh?” he bubbled. ‘“‘ What’s that?” “Your partner wants me to take some infernal man that works for you, instead of Miss Banford!” Dixon explained hotly. “ Man—man—”’ “ Bolling, of course,’ said James. Henry Curlew’s latest spell of somnolent blinking came to a sudden end. “Take Bolling? Why in blazes should COPmMcoookKSse©