Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

346 “You'll wake’ me up, d’ye hear?” her uncle corrected astonishingly and thumped the table with his fist. ‘‘ Maybe there is and maybe there ain’t something queer about this flying visit of yours, Mary; like enough we'll find that out later! But no respectable girl goes wandering around alone. after dark and particularly no girl in the Lawson family!” “* See here, uncle!”” Mary cried, with con- siderable warmth. fully able to—”’ “ Huh?” snapped her uncle. ‘“ So. much the worse! You'll stay inside this house till you’re ready to go, and then you'll wake me up and I'll ge with you!” Muttering, he shuffled away. Once more the springs of the faithful old couch creaked their welcome to his anatomy, Once more, after two or three minutes of suspense, the opening snore of the barrage vibrated through the house and—oh, it Mary bounced from her ~ ‘was impossible! chair and sped to the dark, soothing still- ness of the veranda, breathing hard and with eyes snapping. How did that ridiculous old—er—how did Uncle Arthur dare speak’ to her like that? What on earth did’ his suspicious old mind think was afoot? Mary grew warmer and warmer. And it wasn’t Uncle. Arthur alone; it was Billy, toe! Why, from the way Billy Emerson had spoken to her only yesterday, one might have fancied that she was about the most abandoned flirt in the world! Was it -Mary’s fault if people liked her and she liked people? Why, if her dad had ever heard either of those men speak that way, he’d have rolled back the sleeves from his powerful arms and just—yes, he would! What was really a savage little laugh came from Mary’s lips. In this world of sin and suffering, if one has the name, one might just as well have the game, too! And the impertinent still small voice, which suggested that this was just about the ex- cuse Mary had been looking for, might go and do its whispering elsewhere! Mary declined to listen. No, indéed, if that was what they thought of her— In a cozy living-room on the fifth floor of the Cypria Apartments, presently, a t “I’m marsied now and - Tor yust then. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. cool, handsome, fine-featured young’ wore an, who was Miss Helen Nobile, laid aside her book and went to answer the buzzer at the door, the spangles of her Gipsy cos tume jingting the while. Whatever doubt may have existed in Mary’s mind as to her ultimate arrival at Peter’s flat, there had been none at all in the mind of Peter's. sister.. She had, in fact, been expecting Mary: these last ten minutes; she had been think- ing in her own cool, ‘unimpassioned way. that it was just a shade foolish and risky, in a town like Braydon, for a visiting bride to de her dressing in the flat of a male friend, however perfect the chaperonage: Yet, at the very first sight of Mary’s sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks, as she slipped in with her big bundle, Nelly pat her arms about her and kissed: her joyfully. That was the way people in. general felt: about Mary. They chatted briskly as Mary dressed in Sally Noble’s little boudoir. They pinnéd- and buttoned on the aged gown for a time; until Peter’s sister had done her part and— ever the soul of punctilious. neatness— gathered up Mary’s lovely light-gray traveb ing suit, draped it carefully upon a hanger and said: ‘* See, dear! ii put it right in this. cleset, m f “T see, Nell, ” said Mary, whe was rather absorbed in her own reflection in. the mrir- “How. do I look?’” . Miss Noble turned a. critieal eye upow the party dress of 1840 and nodded ap- proval; she examined the queerly-done _hair and the searf and nodded again; but her eyes, roaming downward, contracted. suddenly and she frowned. “It’s perfect, ail but the feet and legs,” she said candidly. ‘“ They'll never do!” 66 Why?” ‘““Pm sure they never wore high gray- suede shoes like that in these days, Mary,’ said Helen. ‘“ Those shoes spoil the whale get-up. And by the way, everytedy in town will recognize you’ the second they see them, too!” ¢é But—”’ ‘““Qh, yes, they will, my child! There isn’t another female in our crowd who Original fri Or IN 6 MUI OO (0) S C@ TH HIO S STATE U Ne |