Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

THE FOURTH CHUM. and seated herself. Morgan sat down by her, and she looked at him with her color heightening, and the wistful smile curving her lips. “1 will tell you now why I have spoken to you and what it is I will ask you to do for me. But first I will ease your fear that I am begging. No! It is true that there is very little between me and starvation, but before I would beg, I would go te work! Am If not a radical? ‘ But you must smoke. J have discovere’ that men will not listen to a story unless they smoke. Biex! Now I will tell you. ‘“{ want you to find a soldier for me who, T think, is in your garrison, and when -you fin’ him you must put your big hands on him and tell him he must do what you say. ‘His name is Pearsley.” A dull shock went through Morgan, and one hand flew to that pocket which held the battered cigarette box. It was there, hard and lumpy. He stole a glance at the woman beside him. She sat with her eyes closed and her lower lip drawn in. ‘That Pearsley,” she said. “ He have done me a great wrong. You know him?” “J did,” said Morgan cautiously. He saw her start, and felt the luminous gaze on him. “Why do you say, ‘I did’? Is he gone? He is not at Woolwich?” “No. He has been—gone, almost a month.” “ Mon Dieu!” she whispered. “ Oh, my bad luck! ‘Will it never stop?” He could see that she was close to tears. One clenched hand was pressed hard against her lips to stop their trembling. Morgan put out a hand in sympathy, but she drew away quickly. “Ts it far where he is gone?” ce Veg? It was on his tongue to tell her that Pearsley was dead, but he checked the sympathy that welled up in him. Pears- ley’s death and his charge had moved him deeply, and he would be true to the old soldier until it was proved to him that he could do otherwise with honor. This wom- an had touched him deeply, too; she had somehow with her daintiness lifted the weight of gloom that had Jain on him. 8353 But as he cast back in his mind over the queer and touching situation in which Pearsley had found himself, and the curious way in which it was woven in with his own life, he shook his head. It seemed as if there never could be any change which would make him violate his word to the old soldier. ‘* Ah, well,” she said after a time, drawing the cape about her, and laying her hands crosswise in that nun’s gesture of resigna- tion, “‘ it is a great shame, just when J have foun’ such a champion. I must begin again to hunt him. And you will give me a word to let me know where he is gone?” ‘“Pearsley,”’ he answered gently, “is dead.” Again she pressed her hand against her lips, and a shiver went over her. ‘“T should have told you at once,” said Morgan contritely, “ but there are circum- stances, peculiar things that prevented my doing it. You are the second person who has spoken his name in my hearing, and each time, I think—I am sorry,” he con- cluded firmly. “I cannot tell you any more.”’ . “Then you knew him?” she asked, with a flash of her eyes. ‘“‘ That is, you knew him well?” ‘“ No. We met in the barracks jail.” “The jail! And will you tell me, tall soldier, why you and he were in jail?” “Yes,” said Morgan, after a careful pause. ‘“‘ Why not? I was put in for what is called dumb insolence. I was so hot at the adjutant that I knew that if I spoke T would get into trouble, so I didn’t speak. I got into trouble anyway; they have a punishment for every crime. I was caught for dumb insolence. Pearsley was in for overstaying his leave. We used to see each other in the exercise yard.” “You know a great deal about him,” she said after a pause, “‘ but it is yours to keep if you will. I shall not beg—even for knowledge of a Pearsley. Now, I must find where he died and who was with him when he died. And, sir, I think it may have been you.” Morgan shook his head and got to his feet. He looked gloomily down at her. COMmMicooolkxs (CO) im