Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

514 doing—something must be wrong with her. So I treat them all rough. The last caller [ had climbed a tree, too. I kept him up there until noon the next day.” “You might have used a little judg- ment,” Teddy said, hotly. ‘‘ You know I’m not a cracker.” “All men are alike,” said Miss Wood- stock, wearily. ‘I’ve been fighting for my existence—fighting men—ever since my father and mother died. There isn’t a man in this section I haven’t learned to distrust and despise. As a matter of fact, there isn’t a man‘on earth I don’t distrust.” ‘“‘T can assure you,” said Teddy, bitterly, “that there is one man in this section you won’t have to worry about.” “Climbing a tree in a hurry does make most of them think twice,” she agreed. The lemon tree remained silent for sev- eral seconds. “T am sorry for you,” said Teddy. “You’ve had some unfortunate experiences and they’ve soured you.” “ T’ve had to fight every inch of the way,” said Miss Woodstock. ‘“ Fighting friends isn’t going to get you anywhere,” pointed out the philosopher of the lemon tree. ‘““T haven’t any friends.” “That isn’t their fault.” “1 don’t want any friends. I’m willing to carry on my own fight alone—and capable, too. I love to fight! Life has always been a fight to me. My father and mother were always fighting. How can a girl with a name like mine help being quar- relsome? He was a Northerner; my mother was a Southerner. I’m a mixture of the blue and the gray—of oil and water. They finally agreed on Georgia Michigan.” “Will you kindly call off that dog?” “No, Mr. Armbister; I’m going to keep you up there until morning.” “Chain up that dog!” Teddy snapped. “T’m coming down!” “You’d better not! pieces!” , Teddy wrenched the nearest ponderosa lemon from its stem. The round, hard fruit must have weighed at least two pounds. He leaned out from his branch and aimed it carefully. He'll tear you to Pe ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. He hurled the lemon with such force that he all but fell out of the tree. But the mis- sile sped true to its mark. It struck the ferocious monster full on the nose. Cesar howled, tucked his tail between his legs © and slunk off toward the house. “So that’s the kind of a dog you own!” jeered the amazed and delighted young man in the tree. Georgia Michigan Woodstock appeared to be too astonished to say anything. She kept the white beam on him, however, while he shinnied down the tree with an arniful of the giant lemons and hurled another at Cesar, who had paused at the porch steps and faced about with an air of extreme uncertainty. As the lemon thudded on the ground near him, Cesar yelped and vanished moaning under the house. ‘“ Don’t shoot,” said Teddy, sternly, in the voice of one now thoroughly in com- mand of the situation. “I am going—and I am not coming back. May my parting words ring in your ears for a long, long time, Georgia Michigan! Here they are: It’s a damned shame you aren’t as nice as you look! Good night!” “Both barrels of this shotgun are load- ed,” said Georgia Michigan Woodstock. “TI am going to count five, and at the end of five, I am going to pull both—” ‘Don’t be silly!” Teddy gasped. “One!” said the deadly voice. “IT want to tell you—” Teddy began, hotly. “ Two! 3 Teddy Armbister was not a coward. He simply knew when discretion came before valor. The time was now. Georgia Michigan had turned off her flash light, and her slim figure seemed to emerge from black nothingness into the light of the honey-colored moon, straight and self-reliant and more than a little menacing. The moonlight gleamed on both barrels. Miss Woodstock wore a white dress. Girls in white had always exerted a strange and powerful influence on Teddy Armbister. Girls in white in the light of a moon had always been irresistible to Teddy. But this one filled him with the hot, gnawing rage of bafflement and humiliation. (E(0) .OOKS AAI (E)