Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF mix into the crowd until they’re used to seemg a shipwreck sailor, Mary. You're me, now, and I’ve been wandering around alone. = ““ We can’t afford to attract, attention by going out together.-I’!! join you inside of two minutes and we'll skip; only—start, Mary! Swagger 4 little. I did.” And now, as it appeared to Thomas, the -_poor little bride had collected herself at last, for with one great sigh she was mov- ing. He permitted himself another chuckle as he followed, half a dozen paces behind, through the passage, and into the smaller roam. Really—and _ this without the slightest treason toward the imperious and unrea- sonable Miss Dolly Hayes—Mary was one’ of history’s greatest little girl8! Serving her was a joy. Thomas lurked in the shadows and watched, grinning contented- ly, while Mary, with a queer, slightly tot- _. tering gait, moved bravely to the ballroom ” itself—hesitated suddenly—stopped short, apparently rooted in her tracks! | Mary indeed, for no plain reason, seemed to have run down. Young Mr. Henning “was about to step forward and wind her up again with a few sharp words when the flutter of a Dresden China costume, just before the armor, gave him pause and caused his heart to thump. That was Dolly Hayes herself, fast enough. Yes, and she was smiling famtly at the armor, too—she was smiling in a fashion tHat brought a smothered groan from Thomas, as the prospect of the im- mediate future flashed upon him. Dolly, in fine, had sought him out to patch up their recent misunderstanding. “ Well?” he heard in Dolly’s soft voice. “Say youw’re sorry!”’ CHAPTER XIII. TOM SHOULD WORRY—AND DOES! N the very queerest way, the armor seemed to sag and settle! How it might appear from the front, Thomas Henning dared not surmise, but from behind, the whole structure appeared to shrink, as if the occupant were collaps- THE BRIDE. 355 ing. Nor was something of the kind at all beyond the bounds of probability! Mary, palpably, was suffering the high- est kind of nervous tension just now; young women in that state frequently faint. So what if the armor should topple over suddenly, landing on the hardwood floor with ‘the crash of a thousand steel rails, drowning even the distant band? What if anything -from two dozen to two hundred people should pile in here and raise the hel- met to learn just what had happened to the knight? _ What if Horace, among them—well, none of it had happened so far, anyway. Thomas, whose throat had grown peculiar- ly dry, took a grip upon the casing of his doorway and stared fascinatedly. “Well?” Miss Hayes repeated. The knight said nothing. “Oh, don’t be absurd and sulk like that!” Dolly pursued, and dimpled very charmingly. ‘I may be silly, Tommy. I am. But you were downright rude. know you were.” The knight said nothing, yet the faintest little shudder stirred his armor for a second oY so. “Don’t you know it?” Miss Hayes asked wistfully, unbending to a degree which, for her, was downright ‘astonishing. The knight offered no comment at all. Dolly, after brief hesitation, came closer and laid a hand upon the mailed arm, and Mr. Henning caught her poke more dis- tinctly. “Tommy, please ont sulk. Don’t spoil our whole evening, dear. I was hasty and as nasty as I could be. I admit all that. Now I’ve come'to you of my own accord, to tell you that I’m sorry and have - you tell me that you’re even sorrier!” The person in armor declined to tell her anything whatsoever. From the person’s expressionless iron face emanated that per- fect, utter stillness which one finds inside a country tomb. “‘ And I’m going to forgive you, Tommy, if you'll tell me who that girl was and why you rushed off to her, even the second time!” said Dolly, who really adored her Thomas and seemed bent upon going to the very limit! , You a) AICS JOO S C@ riginal from THE Ot 10 STATE Nase R