Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

GENTLEMEN “ He’s unarmed,” announced Carl. “Don’t tote a gun, eh?” “Damn you! If I’d had a gun—”’ “Come away from here!” Philip Swift laid a protective arm across Amalie’s shoul- ders. ‘‘ You can’t listen to this—”’ ‘“Can’t listen to it, can’t she?” roared the stranger. ‘‘ Too soft hearted, is she, -to see you do her dirty work.” He fought desperately against Charlie Dew’s restrain- ing grip. “ That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard in a long time!” But Amalie wriggled herself free. voice rose shrilly. “Tt isn’t my dirty work. I had nothing to do with it! They came in here them- selves. Against my will! I didn’t care if you were a thief —or a murderer — or a bootlegger! I didn’t care what you were so long as you let me alone! I didn’t want .to know anything about you! I don’t ever want to know anything about anybody again! I didn’t want you to take the old room, anyhow, but you would have it!” “My dear Mrs. Ladd!” protested the agonized Philip, but she flared on him. “T’m not your dear Mrs. Ladd! I told you to let him alone. I had enough to bear without this. I wanted to make a real home for you! I put it in my adver- tisement—‘ home atmosphere’! I was sorry for young men who had to live in lodging houses—with nobody to look after them!” She turned to the stranger. His mouth had dropped open. “TI let them have my rooms cheap—to help them. But they didn’t appreciate it. They have been quarreling ever since—making my life mis- erable. This is all their fauit. I tried to prevent it. I don’t care one little darn who you are! You should have gone to a regu- lar rooming house where people mind their own business!’ But you would come-—and now you're found out!” She only stopped then because her breath was coming so short and sharp. But she glared at them with impartial resentment. The mutinous trio were gazing at her in- credulously. The mysterious stranger’s apoplectic rage was overlain with sudden bewilderment. | “Well, it was your house!” he faltered. “You should have stopped ’em.”’ Her ONLY. 687 ‘“ Tt—it wasn’t my house! It never has been my house since they came here!”’ ‘““ We—we only wanted to protect you!” stammered the literary light weakly. “Protect me! I didn’t want to be pro- tected! Look what you’ve done!” ‘But we got him. He’s a crook,” in- sisted the wireman wonderingly. “ You didn’t want a crook in your house, did you? **%. She flung out her arms. “TI didn’t care, I tell you! He let me alone!” “But damn it, I’m not a crook!” roared the stranger, the accusation reviving his wrath. ‘ These things are mine, you inter- fering fools!” t ‘Sure they are,” said the wireman grim- ly. ‘But tell the judge that!” None of them had heard the bell, but a staccato summons on the panels of the locked door brought an excited yell from Carl Howe. ‘“‘ Here she is! I open the door!” Amalie gave an abortive squeal of pro- test as the door flung open. It was the tweed suit and the square-toed shoes and the uncompromising chin. Amalie recog- nized her at once, and shuddered a little at the resolute light in those cold gray eyes as they rested accusingly on the mysterious Hold him, Dew, while stranger. _ “Well! This is a nice mess! What does it mean?” : ‘“He’s the guy who stole your stuff—” * Tt’s here, you see,” Carl Howe an- nounced unctuously. But the gaze of the resolute woman had not wavered from the face of the mysteri- ous stranger. “What does this ridiculous situation mean?” The stranger was wagging his head from side to side in an excess of inarticulate rage. “Mean! That’s what J want to know! What did vou follow me here for—trail me as if I was a nitwit! How did you find out—”’ “One of these young men phoned me. They described your things! Naturally I concluded that you would be where your presious fossils were! It’s outrageous! I might never have found vou!” oO CoOMmuicaookks (S@)