Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

‘ 4 e | | - ten, ”? said Thomas. - grinned. 573 her head in the crook of her arm and found it impossible, and finally sat trembling, lips parted. It was as pathetic a picture as Thomas had ever seen. A certain amount of anger surged up in him, too, and for a moment he was tempted to speak his opinion of Wil- liam, who could think such things and scare such a girl. Instead of which: “Nonsense, Mary!” he Said. “ He'll never think because he’ll never know, You just sit down while I find a collar and tie and conventionalize myself generally and then we'll find the way out.” Mary merely shuddered. Thomas re- tired, whistling cheerily, and made his way to the bedroom; to reappear with neck adorned and his rather elderly smoking- jacket buttoned about him. “Get off some of that tinware, Mary, and make yourself com—” he began briskly. “TI will not!” Mary flared. ‘“‘ Er—I beg your pardon. I had forgot- ‘* All right; let’s con- fine ourselves to finding the means of es- cape then. Um—just what did Bill do when he found you missing, down at the station?”’ “He went on! He—he just cast me out of his life!”’? Mary said. | “ Bill’s not such a _ fool!” Thomas “ At a guess, he got off, looked for you—didn’t find you, and. Jooked some more—and when the train began to start - Bill concluded that you were in some other car and jumped aboard himself, and he’s there now, still looking through the train for you. It sounds likely?” T 4 Yes. ” ‘In fact, that’s what anybody would do and it’s safe to assume that Bill did just that. Next item. WHmat are you to do?” “Tommy! Get a crowbar and break into Peter’s flat; or go down the fire-escape and break a window and—”’ “The fire-escapes are all in front and lighted—ahd breaking Peter’s door-is too risky,’ Thomas sighed. ‘‘ No, unless Pete turns up unexpectedly—and he may—we can almost count that suit of yours out of the proposition.” “But we can’t!’’ Mary cried wildly. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “ That’s the only traveling-suit short of my trunk! I—I—I have to have that suit! I have to have it!” “It isn’t the only suit in the world, Mary,” young Mr. Henning smiled, calmly enough. ‘‘ How about old clothes, up at your old home?” “There’s hardly a rag! And if there were a dozen suits, you couldn’t get to them without Uncle Arthur knowing, and Uncle Arthur’s more suspicious even than Billy!” “Oh? Billy is definitely suspicious, is he?”’ “Yes! And about you he said—never mind, Tom! Go on!” “‘ Exactly!’’ said Thomas, and for some reason was forced to clear his throat. “Mary, there must be some presentable clothes somewhere at hand that will fit you. Where?” - The bride sat up suddenly, with a con- siderable rattle. “In my bag!” she cried! new serge dress in that!” ‘ And the bag’s in Peter’s flat?” “No! It’s down at the station. Peter took it down and checked it!” Mary cried, brightening by the second. ‘““Give me the check, Mary!” Thomas said briefly. ““T can’t!” said the bride. “It’s in there on Sally’s pincushion, I believe. That’s “ There’s a ” where Peter said he’d leave it and I—I for- got to take it!” — She dropped again and her fleeting bright- ness departed. Young Mr. Henning, how- ever, togk to radiating again. “Don’t let that worry you!” he said. “Old Harkness himself takes the night trick in his checking-room nowadays, and I can get his very teeth away from him. Leave the bag to me! That’s settled, Mary! After that—what? Can I hire you an air- plane, to catch that infernal train? Can I—why, see here! Bill’s on his way to New York. He has to put in two hours down at the junction waiting for the through train!” — “Yes, he spoke of that and—” “* You'll be there before that train leaves, Mary!” stated Thomas, and heaved a great sigh. ‘‘ Murphy has two cars down in the garage that will do better than seventy and Original fro Ra C E OHIO STATE UNWE = lNOOKS .CO