Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

922 “How should I know?” she said tartly. “ Why do you come here? And what is your interest in him?” Nora smiled disarmingly. She un- derstood the other girl’s manner. “None in Mr. Colter, except in con- nection with Mr. Lucus. Mr. Lucus has vanished.” “Oh,” exclaimed Hilda, ‘‘ so that is it? He has decamped with Arthur’s money.” ‘Most certainly not. Something has happened to him, and I am trying to find out if Mr. Colter has disappeared with him. May I ask when you last saw Mr. Colter?” ‘Why, not since Saturday,” replied Hilda. ‘Do you mean foul play of some sort? Arthur was to take us to the theater Monday, but we did not hear from him.” “Then they are together. I know you are interested in their business af- fairs, Miss Brinker. Lester told me. ‘To-day I passed their stand, and two strange men were running it. They told me that they had been hired by Lester, and both he and Mr. Colter were away.” “ Please sit down. Your name is—” “T beg your pardon. I am Nora Meagher, a friend of Mr. Lucus.” “Thank you. Why do you consider that cause for alarm?” “T had hardly left the stand when I was accosted by a tramp who said he was a friend of Mr. Lucus’s, and that he had recognized the men in their lit- tle shop as criminals. He said he had warned Lester against them, and he was sure they had done something to Lester.” b Nora’s voice broke a little as she’ finished, and, tender-hearted, Hilda reached for her hand. “But a- tramp!’ “ Surely—” | ‘“T think he was an honest old crea- ture. He gave me Lester’s address, and I called up. The woman who answered said he had not been home for three or four days.” she protested. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Hilda jumped to her feet. — “Good heavens! This is alarming. Arthur Colter hasn’t much sense, though he is a dear, but I thought Mr. Lucus was very capable. It doesn’t seem possible—do you think they have been mur—” Hilda’s composure left her. A sob stopped her speech, and in a second the two girls were weeping upon each other’s shoulder. “Of course it can’t be so. They may have gone away somewhere—a stroke of business. Wait till I call my sister. Fran,’ she called loudly—“ oh, Fran! Come downstairs quick.” Francesca’s cool contralto floated down from the upper floors. “Whatever is the matter? I'll be down as soon as I can throw on some- thing.” The girls in the hall waited in si- lence until the older sister tripped down the stairs in a negligee. “T was drying my hair,” she called. “This is Miss Nora Meagher,” in- troduced Hilda. ‘“‘ My sister Frances- ca. She comes to tell us that Arthur Colter has disappeared. What shall we do?” “Arthur? Absurd! Why do you think so, Miss Meagher?” asked Fran- cesca, throwing an incredulous look at the bearer of such tidings. “He failed to keep his date with us Monday night; you know that,” cried Hilda. “And he hasn’t been seen since. And Mr. Lucus has disappeared with him. Miss Meagher is a friend of Lester Lucus.”’ “Indeed,” acknowledged Fran more cordially. “Are you sure those two boys haven’t gone off on a lark of some kind? Men do sometimes.” Nora briefly repeated what she had already told Hilda, and made a pro- found impression. “But why?” demanded Fran. “ Do you suppose somebody is trying to get their twenty thousand dollars?” ‘“‘T know that it is safe in the bank. Lester said he would not touch it until COL MUC JOOS (C@