Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

414 and my uncle had just said that he was a creature of her father’s. It must be true, as Uncle Gregory had said, that he had terrorized her in some way into—if not giving active service—at least keeping his secret of ingress and exit. Very likely, she had known more about the tunnel to the landing than I, and I remem- -bered now that she had been the one to insist that it must lead to an opening. It seemed to me that it would have been more sensible to watch Shirley this night, rather than look after an uficonscious man; but I had had enough of her for one time, and if my uncle wanted the job, he could have it. | She was a little vixen, and the man that married her would have his hands full. How she had glared at me as if she would like to kill me, and—how her face had softened when I had blurted out the truth about the kiss! Confound it all! I was a silly fool, and she knew it; she might only have been playing on my weakness all the time, and be, even now, laughing at her success with me. The thought stiffened me, and I sat up. She had taunted me with being a poor con- spirator, and it was up to me to show her what I could do. The door opened gently, and Uncle Gregory came in, carrying a lighted candle. He set it down and crossed over to the bed, where he stood for some time. His own face looked pinched and hag- gard, but there was the same feverish strength of purpose in his figure that I had noticed before. He felt the man’s pulse, and nodded as if satisfied. “ He'll do until morning. He hasn’t been conscious at any time?”’ “cc No.” _“ Has any one been here but yourself?” ‘‘T found Shirley here when I came in,” I admitted reluctantly. ‘“‘ She was here with him—alone? Idiot! didn’t I tell you to keep her out?” He fairly shrieked out the words, and his lean figure quivered with anger. ‘“‘ She was here first; I came up directly afterwards,” I retorted sullenly. “She could only have been with him a momertt, and he was asleep all the time.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. He cooled down at once. ““ My dear boy, my nerves are unstrung to-night. Did she say anything to you?” “¢ She said she wouldn’t go out.” ‘Oh! and then—” “‘T put her out.” ‘““Qh!” Uncle Gregory’s eyes strayed, as if by chance, to my hair, which I rea- lized must be sticking up wildly around my. head, and he laughed softly to himself. “e Evidently she had good reasons for not wanting to go; I think you had better keep keep an eye on her, ‘too.” ‘“‘T decline the job, absolutely; the casu- alties were too heavy in the first encounter.” ‘“‘So it seems. Well, I think we can ar- range this without any encounter.” He held up a key, and nodded toward the hall significantly. ‘“‘ T see, you mean to lock her in?” “ After she is asleep, yes. Now, I think I will go to my room and try to get a little rest. You had better do the same on that lounge, yonder, but remember, on no ac- count to desert your charge. ‘“‘T have gone all over the lower part of the house, and everything is absolutely se- cure. I hardly think we shall be troubled to-night.” I had put it off as long as I could, but I felt that it was my duty to tell Uncle Gregory of the note left -by Shirley. It . was bad enough to have spied on her with- out turning informer, too; and I had de- termined not to mention it to my uncle, but his last words left me no choice. If he thought that we should be undis Shirley did not; else she would not have left the urgent message on the safe this very night. It had to be told, and ¢! blurted it out somehow. “I think we shali decidedly be troubled, if this means anything.” I handed him the note and purse, feel- ing like a cad as I did so. He read the lines and his lips tightened. “Where did you find this? it?” he asked sharply. “On the safe in the library. Shirley put it there an hour ago.” “ And how did you happen to see her do it?” -I was angry at myself and the situation, Who left riginal fr KEOMMNC DOCKS a CO THE OF lo STATE UI