Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

ROLL YOUR OWN. “Of course he doesn’t know anything about it. Ring off.” Mr. Budlong rang off. He also stared at James. “Say, what’s the matter with you?” he demanded bluntly. ‘ How could you make a mistake like that?” “How? Well, Fred, if you’d seen us when it happened, you’d know. I didn’t tell this to Irma, but we went off the road like a cannon ball and we landed in the middle of a field. I was so plumb scared that I was shaking even when we got back here. Wasn’t I, Dot?” “ You’ve done some shaking,” said his wife. ‘“And as for when we were out in that little village—why, I didn’t know my own name, Fred! I just shook and shook and shook and— Oh, by the way, there’s no telephone in the garage!” “ How’d you get his towing car to come for youe”’ ‘A lot of cars stopped to see if we were killed, of course. One of ’em sent him back to us.” Mr. Budlong ceased his narrow-eyed study of his friend, and returned to the telephone. ‘ Long distance again, please. . . . Hello, long distance. Made a mistake a minute ago. It’s Grimm’s Corners, Connecticut, I want—Zenith Garage. If there isn’t a phone in the garage, ask the operator up there who owns the place, and see if he has one in his house.” He scowled and waited. James also waited. The lumbering fool! He should have accepted James’s word! Now the operator would find a Grimm’s Corners for him, and— “What? Of course there’s such a place! I have a car there being fixed,” said Bud- long. “ What? ... Well, wait a minute. jim!” “ Ves?” ‘“She says it may be listed under the name of the nearest town. What’s that?” “1 don’t know!” “Well, you went through a town before you got there, didn’t you? What was it?” ‘“We didn’t go through one, Fred. We just stuck to back roads all day.” TA 417 ‘Well, haven’t you any idea of what it’s near?” ‘“ Fred, if it would save my neck, I could not tell you the name of a town within forty miles of the place,” Mr. Cranning said with apparently genuine regret. “I can drive straight from here into the garage, but no—I really don’t know what town it’s near.” “Hell!” grunted Mr. Budlong, as he re- placed the receiver and once more fastened his gaze on James. ‘ Drive me there, then. I'll borrow a car.” ‘“To-night?” James gasped. “No, he’d be closed, I suppose,” Bud- long reflected bitterly. ‘‘ We’ll start about five in the morning. I’ll get Sayles’s car.” “ Can’t!” James said. “Dammit! You’ve got to!” Mr. Bud- long roared amazingly and stood up—and instantly relaxed again. “Fred, to-morrow morning I can’t!” said James. “I’ve got two appoint- ments—”’ “ Break ’em!” ‘It would cost me thousands, literally! Here’s what I will do, though. I'll wire the old boy in the morning, before I go to the city, to send a man in on the very first train for the gear. Then I'll get the gear myself, and meet him at the station. And in the afternoon I’ll take another train out there—” “When you don’t even know what town it’s near?” ‘“T can find out from the man who comes in for the gear, can’t I?” James inquired glibly. “And in that way I'll have the car back here for you before midnight, sure. Gosh, I’m sorry it ever happened, old man. I’m sorry to get you all worked up like this.” “Worked up! Who says I’m worked up?” Budlong snapped. ‘Why, nobody, but—”’ ‘ Well, maybe I am—maybe I am,” mut- tered the visitor. “ It—it’s nerves: and— and I’m full of twitches. I think I'l] run along home now and try to get some sleep.” ‘No, no!” James protested. ‘ Sit down awhile, and—”’ “Tf he is tired, let the poor boy go home COMEE DOOKS = te a