Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

By JACK BECHDOLT # eral factotum in the establishment of ~ Roscoe Hand, the storekeeper at Hope, brought a budget of news from his early morning round. While he was filling an oil can at the rear of the store Joe shouted to Roscoe Hand, sitting in his little coop of an office: “ Stran- ger come into town about an hour ago, out of the woods. Don’t know his name yet, but he ain’t no Coast Timber man, least- wise, I never saw him before. I hear he come clean across the range on foot.”’ “So?” Hand grunted with amiable sur- prise that encouraged the boy. ‘ Tender- foot, eh?” “ Well, now, Mr. Hand, I dunno! Looks kind of like a cruiser to me. Except he’s kind of too slick lookin’. But he ain’t no forestry service man, ’cause he don’t wear any ranger’s uniform. Heard him asking Charley Bliss how he could get to Columbia in time to catch the Pacific this trip. Says he had to get to Frisco—” 7 J OE, the half-breed boy who acted as gen- Roscoe Hand’s blond eyebrows, almost invisible like all the hair on the man, raised slightly, and his blue eyes, fishy, filmy eyes, rounded with interest. ‘“What manner of man is this, Joe?” asked Roscoe Hand. “Why, I dunno. Big, and blondlike. Got kind of curly hair and wears specta- cles. And, say, Mr. Hand, Natalie Reed come over in her boat this morning, too. Seen her up the beach. I guess she’s going to Columbia to meet the Pacific, hey? Maybe her old man’s coming back, don’t you think so, Mr, Hand?” If Hand heard this last he gave no sign. He was a big man, fat and flabby, and he sat very still at his desk at the rear of the store, seldom waiting on his trade. Men came to him when there was business to be done, but he stirred abroad little during the day. Yet he was busy, for his estab- lishment did no inconsiderable trade and besides that he owned houses and land, dealt in timber claims, loaned money, bought g16 (© Cconpicloooks