Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

THE HARDER RIGHT. night after an exceptionally fine dinner of baked ham and golden yams. Daphne alone had seen him to the door, Mrs. Blodgett taking leave of him in the living room and shooing the couple off to the privacy of the vestibule with a queerly knowing smile. Jim accepted an invitation to come again the next evening and bring his precious “ Howitzer,” the West Point year book. Daphne so wanted to see what life was like there as they might be going there some day. She said this with her head very near Jim’s and her lips accessible. The first thing he knew they were on his and he had kissed her, through no will of his own. No thrills played tag down Jim’s spine. He got away from the kiss as soon as he could. “T’m sorry, Daphne,” he murmured. “ I didn’t mean to do that.”’ “ Why, that’s all right,’ came her voice, close to him in the dark. “I don’t mind, Jim.” Pickering bolted and ran. All night he went over that kiss in his mind and tried to analyze it. Was it pleasant? Had it given him a thrill? Was it necessary? Why had it hap- pened at all? Toward morning he went to sleep and woke two hours later with the roll of re- veille in his reluctant ears. No one happened to see him enter his company’s orderly room that morning, as he was a little early, least of all the com- pany clerk and the top sergeant who were conversing earnestly on the other side of the thin partition. “T know it, sergeant,’ came the nasal tones of the clerk. ‘‘ I know that us en- listed men ain’t supposed to criticize of- ficers. And I ain’t criticizing him, sergeant —honest. For Lieutenant Pickering is a mighty fine officer and gentleman. But I’m certainly hoping as how he gets away from the entanglements he’s in. That Miss Daffy and the missus certainly is hum- dingers. It ain’t the colonel’s fault, no more’n Lieutenant Pickering’s. Them two men is just helpless. But I certainly hope he breaks away, sergeant, now, don’t you?” 939 ‘“ f certainly hope you shut your mouth and type them new orders,’”’ snapped the sergeant, though his tones were not un- sympathetic. But he thought he had heard footsteps on the other side of the wall, and a good sergeant takes no chances. Pickering flushed, and something hot crept along his spine. Even the men in his company were gossiping about him! What was the idea? He’d find out from Red or some of the other fellows who had been acting so mysteriously ever since he had hit the post, though they seemed to like him well enough. He found opportunity just before sup- per as he was opening his locker to get out the “ Howitzer’ for Daphne’s perusal that evening. Red had come in to borrow some shoe polish. ‘“ Red,” began Jim abruptly, “‘ you were acting mighty wise and mysterious that first day when I went to the colonel’s for dinner. You seemed to know a lot. What’s it all about anyway?” Red calmly lit a cigarette and slowly blew a long cloud of smoke from his lips. ‘“ Nothing, old man,” he answered, em- barrassedly. ‘‘ At least, nothing that we could tell you. We thought you’d find out for yourself.”’ “Find out what?” queried Jim. “Oh, the lay of the land,” said Red carelessly, making an idle smoke ring. “ We all had to go through the same thing— every darn bachelor that’s come to this post. They rushed us just like they did you, but we got on to it and broke away in time. We thought you’d wise up and do the same, but when you kept on going, why, we supposed you were in love with the girl. Anyhow, it was none of our busi- ness.”’ Jim flushed. “T didn’t know—it was like that,” he said at last, slowly. Red crunched out his cigarette and re- sumed, with eyes averted: “ We couldn’t very well tell you, old chap. There are some things you can’t discuss, you know, and your colonel’s daughter is one of them. ‘Daphne! Perhaps you’ve heard her nickname around here and perhaps you haven’t. It’s ‘ Daffy’ and you can draw Go _OOKS mie (EO)