Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF Miss Hayes’s head went one inch higher and.she smiled dangerously. “Qh, I’m that, too, am I?” she said. “ Just let me tell you something, Tom: I like to do that sort of thing!” ‘“ Ah—what sort of thing, Dot?” “ Rescuing you from any amateur vamp who happens to fasten her clutches on you. Dragging my dear fiancé away from other women by main force!’’ Dolly said, hotly. «e Dolly—” “Where were you taking her?’ Miss Hayes hurled at him, and this time fury set her voice to vibrating so terribly that Thomas gulped. “Why, she—she—that is, she said she wanted me to take her over to the flat and—” he stammered, quite irresponsibly. “What did you say?” his _ beloved gasped, unbelievingly. “Tm trying to tell you what she said and—” “ Don’t try, please! I’m afraid that I don’t care to hear that sort of thing!” in- - terrupted Dolly Hayes, ana the vibrating quality was gone now and her words clinked like Polar ice. ‘‘ I—I can’t credit my own hearing! J—” “ Dolly, listen!” Thomas cried. “ You’re all wrong! You're making me talk like a lunatic! You—”’ “Oh, don’t malign yourself!” said Miss Hayes. ‘“ Be honest—that’s better! Just say that I startled the truth out of you! ” “ But it’s not the truth!” “Ym afraid that I can’t believe you, even when you talk in that agonized gur- gle!” Dolly smiled, quite horribly. “ Do you mind—”’ “Look, Dolly!” Thomas broke in. “Look at them now! He’s talking to her and she’s trying to avoid him. There! See for yourself!” ° ‘“* Well, run to her, and beat him good!” ‘“‘T don’t want to do that—I’m not going to do that!’’ Thomas protested. “ I’m only trying to show you, Dolly. There—see that? She’s trying to get away from him and he insists on walking with her!” . Miss Hayes threw back her head and laughed, and if the laugh sounded musical to people a dozen feet away, it held no music for Thomas Henning. Digitiz iby Google™ a terrible hiss. | we'll settle the details later—or my father THE BRIDE. 351 “Try not to burst into tears, at least!” she ‘said. ‘‘ You'll rust all the inside of your nice armor!”’ “* Dolly, all I’m trying to do is to show you what’s happening and why I went when she beckoned me!” Thomas said, hoarsely, and his own temper took to climbing despite himself. ‘I don’t know the woman! It’s nothing to me if he chooses to take her and wring her neck. ‘I’m not a cad or a villain and I’m try- ing to make you see. Use your eyes, Dolly! See her shaking off his hand!” ‘Miss Hayes glanced across the room and the sneer curled her lips again. ‘Yes, I’m using them. [I see,’ she mur- mured coolly. “ Pathetic, isn’t it? If I were you, I’d leap across and—” She stiffened suddenly and her voice lowered. “Oh! Here’s Harry Foster coming to me!” | “Well, when you’ve finished the dance—”’ “That’s what I want to say! Just eliminate me from your card for the rest of the evening, please. I don’t care to dance with you!” _ “But Dolly—” , “Oh, I couldn’t even think of robbing your friend of your society!” said Miss Hayes, and her voice dropped farther, to ‘‘ And as for the rest of it, will settle them for me! Do you hear?” “T hear, but—” — “Hello, Napoleon!” Miss Hayes said brightly, as the great emperor approached. ‘“‘T thought you’d forgotten me and gone off to fight another war.” And now she sailed away with him. Now Thomas, the slightly misguided knight, was privileged to stand by himSelf and reflect that, out of a perfectly blue sky as it were, had come the thunderbolt of their first real quarrel! He gazed blackly after Dolly; he watched her gorgeous smile, which was all for the benefit of Napoleon now. Doubtless his soul should have shrunk in contrition and humility for the dreadful thing that had happened; yet it failed to shrink one millimeter—which was entirely because Thomas, like many another badly berated man before him, was innocent! NoVOL UN SLIOO) S C@