Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

736 ‘A battered straw hat and a corncob pipe beside it seemed to indicate that the “ hired man” also had been suddenly interrupted _at his breakfast. Graham’s puzzled frown deepened. There were any number of logical expla- nations, of course. Some of the stock might have broken loose, the dog might have cor- nered a woodchuck, or there might have been an accident at one of the neighbors— if there were any. The nearest house, so far as he had been able to see from the top of the hill, was fully a quarter of a mile beyond. But if some such simple thing had hap- pened, how was it that they had got out of hearing in the four or five minutes which was apparently all the time that had passed since they left? He called again, rather impatiently, and discovering a tin horn hanging by the kitch- en door—used to summon the man to meals, probably—he blew it strenuously; but there was no reply. All right,” he growled at last; “ starve, my friends, if you want to. I'll make my- self at home and be comfortable.” Nevertheless for a few moments he con- tinued his search, discovering the maid’s room, woodshed, and stable—where three horses munched hay contentedly — and finally the bedrooms. One of these he found evidently prepared for himself. His trunk and hand luggage, which he had forwarded by express, were there, and he proceeded to divest himself of his travel-stained, leather motoring togs, and get into a fresh flannel outing suit. But when a half hour later he returned to the dining room and found the situation - unchanged, he began to be vaguely alarmed. The strange, unnatural silence was becom- ing oppressive, while the subdued animal noises that now and then broke it—the low, peaceful clucking of the fowls, the occasion- al stamp or whinny of a horse, even the friendly purring of the big cat, seemed only to emphasize the utter absence of all human sound. Certainly something unusual must have happened; but what? What could happen on a glorious, brilliant June morning, in that beautiful, peaceful country? e~ 5 Ae > — rs ms ae = ~~ den <== ro" SS: Ron Se ag 5 ae SP ee ee ne ee ee > a Tne 3 et ok . i Ns oe a , a4 a ns ee ar oe | i i er ee ee Se ae ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Somewhat anxiously he began a more sys- tematic search. The attic, cellars—there were two or three of each—the barn across the road, the garage, even the corncrib, ice house and silo pit. But he found no one; no trace of any one, nor anything to indicate where or why they had gone; and presently, hoarse from shouting, and with his light suit consider- ably the worse for dust and cobwebs, he returned to the house. Something must be done; it was well over an hour since he had dismounted at the gate, but he was loath to give an alarm. Suppose after all the absence of the house- hold had some perfectly natural explana- tion? Suppose a horse or calf or some one of the animals dad got loose, and they had all turned out to catch it? Such an explanation was by no means impossible, though so far as he could dis- cover no live stock was missing. “Tl give them twenty minutes more,” he decided. ‘‘ That will make two hours I’ve been here; then Ill tackle that tele- phone in the hall and call up the neigh- bors. And in the meantime—” He ran up to his room, returning shortly with a repeating shotgun and a pocketful of shells, and sitting on the kitchen steps proceeded to fire a dozen shots, in series of threes. This at length brought results. A few moments after the last report had echoed across the valley a steady rattling sound became audible down the road, and presently a ramshackle buckboard, driven by an elderly gray-bearded farmer, and drawn by an elderly gray mare, appeared, turned leisurely into the yard, and halted before Graham. Dick rose, leaning on his gun, and the old man, turning sidewise in his seat, crossed one leg over the other and regarded him with keen, mildly curious eyes. “Good morning,” began Graham ten- tatively. The old man nodded slightly in answer to the salutation and spat thoughtfully over the wheel. ~ “That you a shootin’?” he drawled de- liberately. “Yes,” replied Dick. neighbor?” “Er—are you a 6A YOKS =