Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

PRIDE OF TYSON. the eyes of Margaret. Whenever possible, she talked of the old, poor days. That grated on the girl, she saw. But always Margaret shrugged the unpleasant tales of poverty away, and brought Edward back to thoughts of his great work—the reclaiming of the desert. | They must not marry! She fastened the idea more securely with every stitch of her needle. She felt a cer- tain confidence in her ability to handle her son. Indeed, she had directed the course of his life in far more ways than he himself was aware. Her power was the power of the water dropping upon the stone. In the first place it was her gentle, steady, relentless insist-. ence which had forced her boy to go through school.. She had starved to pro- vide the funds many times, but she had never let him know that she suffered. In times when he was tempted to give up the long preparation, she had been there to lay a hand on his shoulder. She kept her faith in God; and in Ed- ward’s future. She had a vague feeling that she had gone into partnership with the Father, and that between them they had turned out this masterpiece. And now, to have that masterpiece taken from her by thi$ girl—no, that could not be. She stitched the certainty more firmly home. They must not marry! The morning wore on. What would be Edward’s life with Mar- garet? Already he was changing. It be- gan with the dissatisfaction with the fur- nishings for which he had paid so much. Then there had been consult#tions between _ him and Margaret, and then a rearranging of the rooms. The very room she sat in was now so strange to her that she hardly recognized it. There were not half s» many things in it. Also, the girl had strange ideas about harmonizing colors, and Edward had Wstened as if to a dictator. He sat like a pupil at the knee of a teacher, and Margaret grew interested in the teaching. Also, there were the evenings when he played the phonograph, and she talked to him about the music. And there were other evenings when she sat at the piano and played for him, and stopped 613 now and then and talked again, and then played once more. The education of Edward was beginning over again, and along lines in which Mrs. Garth was a stranger. They’ must not marry! . What would it be like if Edward were to have to meet the friends of Margaret, friends who must be like that terrible, proud brother of hers, of whom Edward talked so much, with something approaching dread? , They must not marry! A door opened and slammed, so that she started. Then steps; then voices, gne deep, and one light and musical, playing over the other like sunshine over water. They had returned! CHAPTER XXXII. THE ALLIANCE. HEY did not come directly to her, but she heard them first about the house, the heavy footfall of Garth sounding here and there, and his booming voice, and then the laughter of Margaret. : She hearkened to that laughter as a bird past its singing days might listen to the whistling of a young songster which makes music for its mate in spring. Eventually they came in to her, Margaret first, and Garth, with a roll of paper under his arm, stood back nearer to the door as if he grudged his mother even this moment of delay. With the precision of sadness she noted it all. ‘“* Back so soon?” she asked quietly. “You must come with us now,” burst out Margaret: “ We’ve found the most wonderful place for a house.” Not a muscle stirred in the face of Mrs. Garth. Indeed, she had been schooled in pain; -but in her heart there were ashes and dust. “‘ A house?”’ she echoed carefully. ‘“ Ain’t this a good enough house?” _ “It’s well enough while the dam is build- ing,” broke in Garth, irritated, “ but of course it won’t do afterward. This isn’t a permanent home. Will you come along with us, mother?”’ No life in his invitation. He hurt her HE OHIO STATE Ufo as DOO <