Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

THE MASKED asked me two questions,” complained Rod with a smile. ‘‘ Well, there’s no reason why I can’t answer both of them. There’s a half dozen, more or less, places in New York into which I can walk and be at home. I’m the only one who knows, or ever will know, where all of them are. You might say that each of them fits a different mood or satisfies a different whim. And, in addition to that, they enable me to get away, when I feel inclined, from my many good friends.” “That’s a fine way to feel,” accused Tommy. ‘A regular fellow never wants to duck his friends.” ‘“ Maybe,” agreed Rod. ‘“ But there are times I feel that way, and then, as you know, I disappear. Call me eccentric if you want to, Tommy. If it is eccentric to do as you damn please with your spare time and your surplus cash, then I must plead guilty to the charge. As for myself, I think it is the essence of wisdom to do as you please as long as you don’t hurt any one else by doing it.” Tommy shook his head with the air of one entirely lacking in comprehension. “Vou’re full of notions, Rod,” he mourned. “ Just full of notions.” He brightened up, however, when Too appeared with a large bowl. “ That’s enough for me, Foo,” he chirped brightly. ‘“ What are you going to have, Rod?” The latter nodded at Foo, who returned shortly with a silver tray containing a fill- ereed decanter of Scotch whisky, a bottle of seltzer, and a crystalline goblet. Tommy filled his cup from the bowl and took a sip of the concoction prepared by Foo. A gibbering blast of wind plunged down the chimney high above, and, with its shrewd breath, blew the sputtering embers_ into flames. | “Let it bluster,’ remarked Tommy cheerfully, his face half obscured by the wraiths of vapor ascending from his cup. ‘“‘T hope summer never comes again.” His face was looming redder and redder, and he took off his heavy tweed coat and un- buttoned his vest. Having reached a state of ae Spansion, his eyes wandered mod Soe Be rested 7 ae for : a a chromo of de: ENCHANTRESS. 79 moment on the pile of letters on the table. He turned to Rod. “The morning’s mail from your many admirers?” he queried, indicating the heap of envelopes. “Not quite,” Rod replied. ‘“ They’re a part of my mail for the past week, though.” “A part?” questioned Tommy. “Only the letters which have New York City postmarks,” explained Rod. “Ah!” said Tommy. ‘I understand. You're all set to step out again, I suppose.” Rod nodded. “Well, all I can say is it’s a dumb sort of procedure,” asserted Tommy. “I never could see that there was any sense to it. Now if I had those letters I would sort of hand pick them, and I would know just where I was going when I started out.” He rose to his feet and went to the table where, catching his thumbs through a pair of bright red suspenders, he stood looking at the pile for a moment. He finally reached forward, selected an envelope, and held it wp as he turned to Rod. “Now, me,” he went on, “ that’s the sort of a letter that I would pick out to follow up. Look at the class of it,” he urged. “ Only veal people use stationery like that. And take a slant at that nifty little monogram. And look at that cute handwriting. I can just see a picture of the girl who wrote that letter. And, be- lieve me, it’s a work of art. She’s a débu- tante from Park Avenue, at least. Gosh!”’ he mourned. ‘ Why wasn’t I born hand- some and famous?” He turned to the table and scaled the letter back onto the pile into which he delved again. “ Look at this one!” he exclaimed. “ And this one—and this one. These come from wealth, beauty, and aristocracy, as the sub- title writer says.” He turned and looked reproachfully at Rod, shaking his head sorrowfully. “And yet,’ he continued, “‘ you reach into this heap of letters with your eyes closed and select one at random. You trust to luck when there’s luck here every- where you look.” He went back and slumped in his chair, ndency. fl Jage™ TOTHICDOOKE. com