Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

MOORS END. come again to-morrow. Now, for the next patient.” He looked more grave over Clinch Murphy. “ He’s Rad a big dose of morphin. Make the strongest coffee you can and pour it down him, then keep him awake, and in constant exercise if you can. The knock on the head doesn’t amount to much.” He left some medicine to. give him if he seemed too weak, and took his leave, Peter offering to row him over to the mainland. CHAPTER XXVI. _ CLINCH’S STORY. HIRLEY and I were left to the job of S waking up Clinch. We gave him the coffee as the doctor directed, and then, one on-either side of him, dragged him up.and down the room until we were near- ly worn out. He would not do anything for me, but he made a real effort for Shir- ley, of whom he seemed rather to stand in awe. “ Gee!” he moaned at length. “It’s worse ’n having to get up for the twentieth round when you're greggy. Leave me lie, can’t you?”’ We walked him remorselessly, until I decided that, if he were not out of danger, we were utterly worn out. He-was sweat- ing profusely and his pulse was normal, so we let him go back to the bed again, where he fell into a natural sleep. It was now past three o’clock and none of us had had anything to eat since break- fast, so when Peter came back and sug- gested luncheon, we accepted it gladly. We were both very quiet during the meal; I because I was hungry, and Shirley for reasons of her own. ‘* See here,” I said, as she rose to go up- stairs, “ you must sleep for a couple of hours and I will stay with Uncle Gregory. I had my nap this morning, and your rest was broken last night.” She protested she wasn’t sleepy, but there were circles under her eyes that told another story. We arranged that the two of us were to take elternate watches with Uncle Gregory, Peter announcing that he jtized by (SO ogle 667 was going to take the night. In this way we got along very comfortably, and as both our invalids began to recover rapidly, by the next day things looked decidedly brighter. Only one thing troubled me; my relation with Shirley, already difficult, was growing more so every day. She not only openly avoided me, but steadily resisted any at- tempts to get back to the old familiar foot- Ing. There was certainly something she was hiding, and I made up my mind I must dis- cover it and find what was keeping us apart. It struck me that Clinch must know something. He was still weak, but con- scious, and consuming inordinate quantities of food, according to Peter. I went into his room that morning determined to see what I could find out. He looked up surlily as I came in. ‘“* Good morning, Murphy,” I said cheer- . fully. ‘Is there anything I can do for “Got any suds?” “I’m afraid not. The island is dry, and the ne only whisky in the house seems to have been doped by your friend, the Big Swell, and you ve had enough of that, I should imagine.. Have a cigar?” He took it with a shade. = of surliness, and I lit a cigarette. “‘ He thought he had me fixed all right,” he grunted, “‘ but I was onto his game.” “T wish I had been as wise as you— he fooled me completely.” He shot me a quick look. “Say, weren’t youse in the uncle game, too? I thought youse were covering the lay with him.” An unpleasant light passed over me. So he thought I was a confederate! The ex- plained why he had been so suspicious of me when I tried to keep him from seeing Shirley, while I, on my part, had also thought him a confederate. Another thought struck me, dispelling the annoyance I felt at his absurd suspicion; it Shirley, as I thought, was in league with the man, then it was impossible for her to be aiding her father’s plans. It was the most pleasing discovery I had yet made, so I fairly beamed on Clinch. COI COOK g= = () | | ) ~T]