Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

JUST RELAX, PLEASE. but nobody answered. She ran out in the hall and rang the elevator bell. When the boy came up she told him to get a doctor as quick as he could. Then she went back and put wet cloths on Miss Benjamin’s head, rubbed her hands, tried to get her to sit up. But the woman just lay there, limp and lifeless. When Annette slapped her hands she moaned a little, and at that Annette be- gan to weep hysterically. She had no idea what to do. She thought of calling a neighbor in, but dreaded to. People got so excited at such times. They might do the wrong thing. “ Benjie, how could you? But it’s my fault—my fault!” she cried over and over as she rubbed the limp wrists. She kept wetting the still white face, trying to force some water between the pale lips, and rubbing the lifeless hands and arms. “Listen, Benjie, I didn’t mean— anything,’ sobbed Annette. “ You— you got to get well—can’t you hear me, Benjie?” IV. ‘THEN somebody knocked at the door and walked in without waiting. An- nette jumped to her feet and saw that it was Jerry. “Dr. Wharton telephoned me,” he explained. ‘I was uptown and could get here sooner than he could.” He jerked off his coat, opened his bag and began working over the pros- trate woman. Annette ran to the bath- room and kitchen for various things he wanted. She hardly knew what she was doing. After a few minutes Miss Benjamin opened her eyes. “ Oh, Annette, An- nette—how good—or you—to come!” she gasped. Annette began sobbing again. She knelt beside the bed and clutched one of the thin hands to her lips. “ You—must get well, Benjie!’ she cried. “ We—we can’t get on without o61 you. I—I’ll come and see you—often, so you—won't get lonely!” “She'll be all right. Don’t be a goose! Stomach pump fixed her,” mumbled Jerry. “‘ Go and get me some warm water.” The doctor that the elevator boy had called came in just then. A few min- utes later Dr. Wharton arrived, and they all decided that Miss Benjamin should go to the hospital. ‘“ Better for her there,” said old Dr. Wharton. “ All she needs is a good rest.” So Annette hunted up a few clothes and things to take along and Jerry called an ambulance. ‘I’m going with her,’ Annette an- nounced, when the white-coated in- ternes arrived with a stretcher. “She'll be all right now. You bet- ter not go. They wouldn’t let you stay at the hospital,” Dr. Wharton told her. “Anyway, I’m going,” insisted An- nette. And Miss Benjamin clung to her hand and wept, gratefuly now to have escaped the dark nightmare. Jerry didn’t say anything. Just stood around staring at Annette as if she were a stranger. She did look different. Her usually smooth bob stood up wildly all over her head. Her face was dirty and tear- stained and her make-up quite gone. She had slopped water over the front of her blouse and down on to her pumps and stockings. One arm had a red welt burned across it where she had reached over a steaming kettle. The internes put Miss Benjamin on the stretcher, took the bag that An- nette had packed and started down- stairs. Annette jammed on her hat, grabbed her coat and trailed close at their heels. “Tl be right with you, Benjie,” she called, skipping after them like a brisk and blindly devoted puppy. Both of the internes growled at her : reprovingly, and one of them said that there would be no room. : “T can sit right beside her. She’s COMIC OOO KS (E@)