Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

THE BULLY OF The sobs were coming with greater fre- guency now, and there was but one course that a gentleman could pursue: he must do something about it. Teddy Armbister arose with a certain grimness from his desk and strode into the small adjoining room, where he found his beautiful new secretary, golden head pil- Jowed on arms, slender little shoulders quiv- ering with sobs. He gazed upon that pathet- ic spectacle with severity. ‘“* Miss March,” he said. The sobbing did not cease. Not by the slightest sign did she acknowledge his pres- ence. “Miss March,” he repeated, a little sharply. ‘“ What—inff-fnff—is—inff-fnff—it?” Teddy Armbister cleared his throat. “IT wouldn’t cry like that.” “ Whuh-whuh-whuh-why?” “Tt will ruin your complexion.” The girl continued to sob. “ ‘Yuh-yuh-who cuh-cuh-cares?”’ “Tf I had a complexion as beautiful as that,” answered her employer in the man- ner of one dealing with a child, “ /’d care.” Miss March promptly sat up, wheeled about in her chair and fixed him with very wet, reproachful blue eyes. ““How do. you know I’ve got a beautiful complexion?” she wailed. ‘‘ You’ve never even seen it!” Teddy Armbister was blushing. He was at least five times as attractive when he was blushing as when he wasn’t blushing. ‘“‘ Of course I’ve seen it!” “ Well, you don’t care whether it’s ruined or not!” the lovely girl accused him. “‘ Of course I care,” he declared doggedly. “Well, you don’t seem to care. If I'd thought you cared, I wouldn’t have cried. Why didn’t you say you cared? You’ve acted like an ice man. I mean, a man made of ice. I mean, to me. And you’re mak- ing dates all day long with every girl who calls you up and wants to wrangle a free Junch. Can—can I borrow your hanky, Teddy?” Teddy whisked out his handkerchief, a corner of which was protruding from his outer coat pocket like a rabbit’s ear. The nymph dried her tears with it. BISCAYNE BAY, 501 She had drawn him irresistibly into her web by placing a double meaning upon the simplest words, and she was now no doubt going to toy with him, as a spider toys with a freshly caught fly. “Teddy—” she began, clutching his handkerchief firmly in her left hand. “ It — it’s all right to call you Teddy, isn’t it? I mean—now? You know what I mean.” “Yes,” said Teddy, “I know what you mean.” The door of the outer room slammed. Miss March compressed her rosebud lips in vexation and Jimmy, the office boy, came swaggering in. He glanced cynically at the moist- eyed golden blonde and addressed Teddy Armbister. ‘““ Here’s a registered letter for you, Mr. Armbister,” he said. ‘And Mr. Juveen wants t’ see you right away.” “Tl be right in,” Teddy gasped. And he followed Jimmy out of the office so closely that he almost stepped on the office boy’s heels. Teddy examined the registered letter as he went down the corridor toward Mr. Ju- veen’s office. It was addressed in his Aunt Priscilla’s familiar handwriting. He opened the letter and found himself star- ing in astonishment at a check—a check for twenty thousand dollars! Why was Aunt Priscilla sending him a check for twenty thousand dollars? It was months away from Christmas and months away from his birthday. Always, on Christmas and his birthday, she sent him a check for five hundred dollars. He read the letter eagerly. My pearEsSt NEPHEW: IT am sure that you will find some use for the inclosed. My wants are so simple that I find it more and more difficult to spend my income. I am sending you this out of the principal. The interest on the balance of my principal will more than keep me in comfort out here in California, where everything is so cheap. I know that you will spend this money worthily. With love, AUNT PRISCILLA. Teddy Armbister tucked the check away in a vest pocket and proceeded on Gomichboo Ss — =