Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

454 ‘I beg your pardon,” stammered Brent. ‘“‘ Phil!’’ was the frightened exclamation, and Brent found himself facing Peggy Archer. CHAPTER XVIII. PEGGY CONFESSES. EGGY ARCHER’S approach along the -corridor that led to the judge’s cham- ber had driven to cover a man who had been hovering there restlessly for the better part of an hour. The man was Bob Genroe. Genroe, his dirty, ragged clothes of the road replaced by a cheap new suit, might have been there for any one of several reasons. Perhaps morbid curiosity had drawn him to the place where “ Shufflin’ Joe” Madden was on trial for his life. Genroe was a sallow, shrunken man, with eyes that burned feverishly bright. The left eyelid drooped, his nostrils were abnor- mally wide, and the thin lips twitched ner- vously. Morbid curiosity may have ex- plained his presence in the court-house. Or, again, it is possible that Genroe had some half-formed intention of surrendering himself in Madden’s place, for it was Gen- roe and not Madden who had gone to the little cottage in Maple street. ' Just why Genroe was there perhaps even he could not have explained. The thin vial of white powder in his pocket may have had something to do with it. But he was there, in that corridor, when Peggy turned into it. Geriroe did not see her. At the sound of the footsteps he shrank into a doorway. And it happened that the door was unlocked, and swung open. Genroe stepped inside. The room was dark. In the darkness Genroe made out that it was an antechamber of the main court- room, separated from it by a solid door. But above the door was a transom. Al- though Genroe did not know ff, this was the room of tHe court clerk and stenogra- pher. The light of glass above the door was his sole interest. With the transom opening into the court, he saw at once that it exactly suited his purpose. Genroe had meant to seat himself among — ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. however, had decided advantages. Genroe locked the door to the outer cor- - 8 7 the spectators at the rear of the co room. But he had arrived to find that summing up was already in progress, a the doors locked according to custom. Thi ridor and cautiously pushed to the other door a desk that stood~against the wall. This done, he lifted a chair to its top. Be- fore mounting to his post at the transom Genroe shook some of the white powder onto the back of his hand and drew it into his nostrils. : Then he climbed to his perch on the chair atop the table. The room in which Brent discovered Peggy a short time later was like that in which Genroe in seeking refuge had found a place of vantage. But it differed from the other apartment in the detail of the door leading into the court-room From the judge’s chamber a short corri- dor led to the court-room. There were doors at both ends of this passageway, and neither of them was fitted with a transom. Both doors were closed. Before Brent recovered from his surprise, the girl was speaking. “Oh, but I’m glad you’ve come, Phil!” she cried. “It’s such a terrible thing. I don’t believe—alone—”’ Brent took her in his arms. ‘ Why did you run away from me?” he asked softly. The girl shook her head. ‘I’m going to tell you—”’ Brent soothed her. “ Phil, dear,” she sighed gratefully. He kissed the eyelids that closed those brave, tired eyes. And he waited in silence, for he knew that when the strength came she would speak. Peggy stirred, then be- gan, in a low, uncertain voice. “ “Just as I told Pendleton,” she said, “when I found the money was gone I thought that perhaps my mother had been the victim of thieves. But I never sus- pected it was Bob until the last I heard of him he was in Seattle, Washington.” “Yes,” Brent urged quietly. . ‘“‘T never imagined it might be he,’”’ said the girl, “ until that night—we were all in the kitchen, you know—I fainfed—my brother had looked in through that win- dow—” Pages ( ASO Goole =) a Se CO THE OHIO STAT THE OHIO STATE