Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

: “JF expect we'll be able to do that when we get you back to America and let the railroad detectives look you over.” _“ Take this man to the brig and see that he communicates with nobody,” said the captain. He held out his hand to Rod. “Mr. McGarry, I want to congratulate you, both on your logic and your pluck. Some men might have worked out things as you did, but few would have had the cour- age to follow up their theories with direct action. You have got me out of a predica- ment. I may add that Mrs. Potter-Dunlap has offered a reward of five thousand dollars for the safe return of her gems, but you naturally will not want to claim it because you don’t need it.” ‘““Mr. Campbell is entitled to the re- ward,” declared Rod quickly. “It was he who succeeded in winning the friendship of Higginson and inducing him to come to the stateroom. He needs it, he has been suspected, and subjected to annoyance, and I want him to have it.” “Then I’ll see that he gets it,” declared the skipper. ‘‘ For the third time I release you from arrest. See you at lunch.” “ Five thousand dollars’ reward!” ex- claimed Howard. “ Good Lord, Rod, that’s a fortune to me. It ‘Il let me get a start.” “T hope so, but not the way you have been living in the past.” “ That’s all over. I’m modeling myself on you from now on. Here I justified my- self for commandeering a job with you on the grounds that you needed somebody to take care of you, and instead you have been taking care of me. “Of course you will lose caste with Mrs, Potter-Dunlap for accepting a reward.” “I should worry about social standing. I’m going to forget that stuff and buckle down, You know, Rod, I had some foolish ideas of picking up a rich wife on this voyage, but that was all bunk. I’m not as bad as that. I think my affection for Ger- trude Thomas has made a different man of me. Do you think she would have me?” ‘““T certainly hope not.” “Are you seriously hoping to marry her?”’ . “Tf IT don’t I'll never marry anybody =~ else. bB ? SOFT MONEY, | “Well, isn’t that tough, that we | one decent thing I can do, give you the fest chance. Ill stand aside until she has thrown you down. Yow’re a great fellow, — Rod, but I don’t see how she could fall = in love with you. I’m not taking much of | a chance after all; don’t give me too much — credit.” eS “I suppose you are right,’ ” Rod sighed. taken too seriously. And r don’t believe _ 3 I'll ever have the nerve to propose to her. “Want me to ask her for you?” ae “You are thinking of John Alden and : Priscilla, Nothing doing. I don’t trust you enough in a case like this.” The bugle for the luncheon stopped AE discussion and sent them to the pa ae saloon, = CHAPTER XXV. SENTENCED FOR LIFE, T didn’t take long for the news to spread over the Durania that the missing jewcls had been restored to Mrs. Potter-Dun- lap, and that the thief had been run down ~ and captured by those clever young men, © Messrs. Campbell and McGarry, Mrs. — Potter-Dunlap lost a good deal of her en- thusiasm when she found that she had to pay a reward, and she handed her check to- Howard in the manner in which she would have tipped a waiter. = The news that Howard had accented a — reward had the effect upon his social stand- ing on board that Rod had predicted, fee for once this meant nothing in his life. He Ze sought out Gertrude quite jubilantly, but he found her rather cold. Se ‘‘T think it was very clever of you to re- cover the gems,” she said, ‘“‘ but didn’t Mr. = McGarry help you a lot?” as “J should say he did. Rod was the whole works when it came to ane this crook, Higginson. ‘i aS “You are going to share the Lae with him, are you not?” it.” “ Why not?” cae —