Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

ROLL YOUR OWN. ‘“ Well, however she did it, she did it,” James said erimly. ‘‘ We’re not even on speaking terms now and—oh, I don’t see why { shouldn’t tell you, Irma. Dot’s going to leave me.” ‘“T have an idea that she’s been plan- ning it for some time.” “But this is definite. going Thursday.” ‘ When?” Irma cried very sharply. She says she’s “ Thursday. Why?” Mrs. Fred Budlong’s beautiful eyes snapped. ‘Well, Jimmy, my dear Frederick men- tioned Thursday as the day when he might have to go on a little trip!” “Ts that possible?” James gasped. “And is it possible that those two are going to use you and me, two innocent ‘people, to get their beastly divorces?” Irma demanded, and her eyes now blazed. ‘“‘ Has any one any way of proving that you were in the house—in that closet?” “ Proof? I dunno,” James said faintly. “JT think Rockford may have suspect- ed it.” “So do I! Jimmy, if you could have seen the way he smiled at me when he found the key wouldn’t work!” Mrs. Bud- long said breathlessly. ‘‘ And yesterday he called up three times, wanting to talk to Fred, and he called again this morning, and asked him to stop at the office before he took the train.” “ What did he want?” “He wouldn’t tell me. But he laughed each time he called up,” Irma gasped; and abruptly her head dropped and she cov- ered her face, and her whole body shook with sobs. “Oh, Jimmy—Jimmy! It’s too horrible!” A rather heartbreaking sight as he watched her was young James Cranning, with his gray cheeks and his stricken eyes. So many bright thoughts were hurrying through his brain now! If it was all so— and as yet he seemed unable to believe that any of it could be so—several things explained themselves. Dorothy’s persistent refusal to hear him; Rockford’s pleased and genial air—Rock- ford, apparently, was enjoying both sides of the case in more ways than one; he 429 might well have sold his information to Budlong, and then, being a thrifty soul, have collected a bit from James as well. And that would account for Budlong’s excitement at seeing Rockford here, would it not? James’s smile was drawn as he si- lently patted Irma’s shoulder; small use indeed to tell the girl of these things! She was erect again, the little tempest over. ‘Well, Jimmy? We’re innocent. What are we going to do about it?” “Wait, I guess, and see—” “No!” cried Mrs. Budlong. “ We'll have.a show-down, without any waiting! You get that car back to him to-night, without fail! Then, if he should happen to calm down at once, we’ll know— Oh, what’s the use of pretending?” the lady laughed bitterly. ‘‘ That car has no more to do with his hysterics than the man in the moon! Fred’s simply m a turmoil of fear that something will happen before they can get away, and he’s not bright enough to be able to conceal it. Dot—well, Dot's a woman, and different. “Maybe it’s just as well that Fred’s as simple as he is, Jimmy. If he’d happened to be the self-contained kind, they might just have walked out without a sign of warning.” ‘““ Maybe,” groaned James. ‘‘ Maybe.” ‘You poor kid,” sighed Irma Budlong, and laid a hand upon his bowed head. “ I think I’m sorrier for you than I am for myself. Tl run along, Jimmy.” “All right,” sighed James. “ And you have his car back to-night!” concluded Mrs. Budlong, and her smile was almost evil. ‘‘ When we’ve ripped that ex- cuse out from under him [ think my Fred- dy’s going to crash.” “Tll have it there,’ said Mr. Cran- ning. Well—he was alone now. A long time James merely sat and stared straight ahead. It couldn’t be! That was all—it couldn’t be! He knew little Dot far too well not to know that the whole thing was sheer impossibility. Although, if it was so very impossible, why was Dot writing notes to Fred Bud- long, and subscribing herself his first, love? COPMICLOOOKS (E@)