Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

__-“ That’s me,” he admitted, and his frozen blue eyes played upon her like the reflection of sunlight from the ice. “Pm Madge Hendry,” she said, and held out her hand. He took it, but that was be- cause he knew of nothing else to do. He held it for an instant, but his hand hardly ~~ close “ We're visiting the ranch,” son ere?” she asked. He stared at her silently for a moment. ‘© He’s away,” he replied finally. _ “J—we met down at the creek—at the _ Dasent place,” she said, and stopped short, for his cold eyes had darkened. ____-* You gave him that pup?” he demanded. Yes,” she smiled. brilliantly. ‘“ That's what I came here for. To see the puppy. How is it?” Again his gaze slowly examined her in a cold silence. He dwelt wpon her costume, - redolent of expensive Eastern shops; he observed her untanned face with the flush in her cheeks, and her bright eyes. . He no- ticed her hands, soft and white, unmarred by toil. “You an’ David ought to be right good friends,” he remarked; and_ instinctively she resented the frigid sarcasm in his voice. “There ain’t no girl in these. parts that’s soft enough fer David to know. And men, he finds them rough.” He leaned forward suddenly and his voice took on a darker significance. It startled her, having in it the essence of a passion which had never touched her life. “What did that kid tell you?” he de- manded. ‘“¢ Tell me?” she cried, unaccountably in- dignant. ‘‘He spoke to you about that Dasent ranch?” She instantly divined the reason for his anger. This matter of Dasent, the man who worked for two masters at once, had caused David to shut up like a clam, and her father to take on the thoughtful brow of business hours; there was some magic to make men rude i in the position of this man Dasent. ‘“ No,” she answered. ‘‘ He wouldn’t an- VALOR, — swer questions. They told me that out in this country people who were polite didn’t ask them.” Old Man Parmelee grinned dourly, con- cealing a stormy sea of resentment. This girl, with her dainty clothes and unspoiled airs; this offspring of Hendry, the absentee victim of his rapacity, called forth neither. kindliness nor courtesy from him. And now she was flinging his words back into his face. Again Old Man: Parmelee felt that un- easy sense of waning power. Again he felt that his hand’ was no longer as strong to con- trol as it was in the past, and he revolted against it. | “ Yore friend David,” he said brutally, ‘is away hidin’ in the hills. He played like a fool an’ a woman till I took him in hand | to train; then he spited me!” His lips curled in an unpleasant smile as he saw her. troubled frown. ‘I got men out on the range now for to:round him up. When they CANES Pole y f> el bring him in, Pm going to show him what. . it means to cross me!” Still regarding her with his bitter, sar- donic eyes, he arose slowly from his chair® ‘“{t was that pup that done it!” he burst forth with unreasonable resentment. ‘“ His yellow. livered sperit couldn’t bear to see the pup treated like a dog!” He put forth one hand and took her by. the arm. ‘* Now you come with me, missy, an’ I'L show you what I’m goin’ to do. Some time you'll see him again. Then I want you should tell. him just what you seen done here to-day.” He stepped toward the door, his hand strong upon her wrist. “But no!” she cried, although she felt no panic. “TI can’t go in with you!” ‘Come on in,” he grinned. ‘“ Don’t you be scared. You got to see what I’m goin’ to do! You got to see it! Come on!” Without the slightest fear, and with con- siderable curiosity, she followed this queer man into his house, and shuddered at the barren disorder of the room into which he led her. “Set down,” he said, and indicated a chair. She seated herself, and watched him as he walked stiffly and, evidently. with