Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 11, 1925 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

THE INNOCENT. “ And are you so moral?” He stiffened. “ Moral? No! I smoke, swear, drink, gamble—but not under false pretenses! You're a fraud, a fake—” He did not know how frightful he looked with his tattered clothes, swollen face and tousled hair. But Paula braved him. Her lips tightened as she took a long breath. ‘“ You shall not say these things in the presence of my guests! Michael Hamilton is just around the corner. I forbid you!” The Arizonian’s mouth opened. The statuesque creature awed him, forcing him to choke down his indignation and making him stare at her, wondering what to do! Finally he bowed his head, admitting de- feat. But he could not accept defeat. Pure human stubbornness caused him to take a new tack. “ All right. Then I’ll give you something else to think about. I brought your inheri- tance with me. In a money belt. Forty thousand dollars. It was foolish, but I brought it that way. I wanted to carry out dad’s wishes literally. But to-night I met your friends!” Remorse struck him. Her eyes dilated with horror. He stopped; and then he con- cluded doggedly: “Your friends wanted it, so they took it!” Her face turned white as ivory. Her eyes closed. He caught her as she fell. IV. STEVE felt constrained as he entered the ‘dainty breakfast room next morning. Awk- wardly he sank his battered body into a chair and allowed a colored maid to serve him. Paula was pensive, clad in a spotless house gown, toying with flawless cutlery. Steve studied how to approach her. He looked out of the curtained window toward the streaky waters of the Golden Gate below him. The silence became intense. “Your clothes have been rumpled,” sug- gested Paula, hesitantly. ‘‘ Perhaps you’d like to buy a new suit.” “T haven’t a cent. I’m cleaned!” She inspected the flashing sides of a coffee pot. Her voice was very clear: 207 ‘And you mean to say that you carried all that money with you, in that fashion?” “Oh, it was foolish. But it looked safe enough a week ago. It was dad’s wish. I intended to take a train here. There was nothing to it. I didn’t allow for these other stunts.. When I took that boat ride I’d half forgotten the money in my belt. Got used to it. The first day I was feeling it all the time. Last night I’d forgotten it. It’s natural, I guess.” “But couldn’t you have banked it and brought a check?” “No bank in Gray Butte. here the banks were closed.” She sighed. Her voice broke. “What are you—we—going to do?” she asked. ‘ Get the money back. I don’t know how. I haven’t a plan. I’ll have to think up one. Meantime, how about clothes?” “T think I can arrange credit.” Her lips twisted. ‘I’ve used it at times!” He glanced at the dark sideboard, the splendid picture above it, the paneled walls, the heavy blue window hangings, and the beautifully scrolled lamp near the tinted ceiling. “Oh!” he remarked, slowly. ‘“ Then it’s all a fake. All false appearances. Like the whole city, I suppose!” “No! The city is glorious! You stumbled into an evil cross section, that’s all!” He sat back and countered audaciously: “Now, what sort of whisky does Mike Hamilton peddle?”’ “He’s not that sort of man! He’s honest and decent.” “Your beau?” asked Sticie. bluntly. * Not exactly. Please do not misconstrue me!” “T can’t construe anything!” he raged. “Listen. How does my father’s daughter happen to be wrapped up in a whisky gang?” She winced, looking resentfully at his rumpled fioure: but he was her judge. ““T needed money,” she admitted, to the coffee pot. ‘“ Concert work is uncertain. My funds became low, so low that I did not know which way to turn.” She saw him grinning toward her thousand dollar paint- When I got comic 2,00 cS ‘cor Pe ta Pe were’ Fs Pe A Ss . ae ae Oe s. t ray : t Wet ’ it ~ti¥ oe Ue ra eo PRBPLAGE TASS T TA 9 Ee ee yr Ee ee he Pe EN ewe é Fe eT ; we SANGh ‘ * OAT +