Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 4, 1925 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

856 Gaines, strong, powerful in the regard of the community, experienced in warfare, and wise in the ways of the range. She must not go to Cosgrove; she would go first to Gaines. CHAPTER XV. FIGHT, NOT FLIGHT. OSGROVE, having parted with Hazel C Farley at the courthouse, had waited for Gaines, who had followed the judge to his chambers, to rejoin him. Gaines, however, hot upon the trail which the judge had revealed to him, had gone to solve the problem of Farlev’s leniency, and Cosgrove waited ip vain. In this manner he avoided the crowd which had loitered about the courthouse for some time after the sensational ex- amination and, finally deciding to return to his house alone, encountered few of his fellow townsmen between the courthouse steps and the public flivver which be en- gaged to drive him home. It was characteristic of Cosgrove that from the moment he perceived that Farley had determined to press his outrageous charge of murder, his mind had been oc- cupied by his prospective defense. He knew that the vicissitudes of jail, indictment and examination, ludicrously as they had been parodied by the local authorities, were mere formalities. So his mind busily occupied itself with a rehearsal of every detail that could be used for or against him. He found that on the whole he had a good case; a case that should confound Farley and his cohorts before the court and the community. Preoccupied, he took no notice of the dour silence which the driver of his flivver maintained, and was ignorant, too, of the speculating glances of those who saw him on the street. Arriving a‘ his house he set about unpacking the cases of books which had arrived while he had languished in jail. He set aside certain volumes vital to his needs. He chuckled happily as he reflected upon the good fortune which had brought these volumes to his hand in the hour when he most needed them. , ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. And then he pondered upon the cause for that unexpected freedom. He was far too efficient, however, to dwell for long on a matter he could not fathom, and he plunged into a study of procedure. Thus occupied, he made an interesting contrast to the Cosgrove, flat on the ground and gun blazing, as he disarmed Clift Lederer, or compared with that Cosgrove who poured death upon the treacherous Klien. Immersed in his books he had the cloistered aspect of a young man who might easily be at a loss regarding which end of a gun projected the bullet. His bowed shoulders were slim, his flaxen hair absurdly rumpled as he ran his fingers through it. When the boy who was Gaines's messenger arrived, he had to knock long upon the door before he disturbed this scholastic youth. Cosgrove tore open the envelope: Stay round the house till I come. Im- portant news to give you. JoHN GAINES. That was all. Cosgrove frowned over it. “If you see Mr. Gaines,” he told the messenger, ‘ tell him I'll be here.” And he returned to his books. A very efficient young man, this Cosgrove. When Gaines and Hazel came at nine o'clock that night to Cosgrove’s house, they found him still engrossed; still bent over the books, his glasses glistening in the light of a kerosene lamp, and the remnants of a hasty supper on the chair beside his table. They had thrown open the door without ceremony, and he turned to them without betraying what his action might have been had they proved to be enemies. ‘You're tired,” was his greeting for the girl. And she was. So was Gaines. They had been working all afternoon and came to him without having eaten since midday. ‘‘ No,” she said, her eyes burning fever- ishly. “ Not tired. Bradley, you’ve got to go! Thev’re after you!” She turned desperately to Gaines. ‘‘ Tell him!” she cried. “ Letting you out on bail was a trick of Farley’s,” explained Gaines hurriedly. “ It was his move. He asked Fairlove to do it. See?” lDOOlK