The Argosy, August 1905 — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

What an entrancing curve of the cheek that was; and he was sure those eyes, now fixed so moodily on the three- weeks-old Tribune, could dance with Suddenly he had an _ imspiration. Where was it he had seen the name Keeler across the end of a dress sult- case? If he could only recollect that, the way might be open. Ah. he had it now! It was on the sta- tion platform at Botzen, where he had stopped for lunch. “ Aleck,” he remembered now hear- ine the woman say, “you had better keep your eye on that man,” and she had pointed to a traeyer who was walk- ing ahead of them with the suit-case in question. “Tt’s a mighty insecure peg on which to hang an acquaintance,’ Dixon told himself, “ but I’ll risk it. So here goes.” Fate helped him to the extent of his being obliged to speak to the girl in any ease in order to leave the balcony. “JT beg pardon,” he said, keying his voice to a pitch which he thought would not reach “ mother’s” ears. The young lady started, nevertheless, as if a cannon had gone off behind her. “Oh! * she exclaimed, leaping to her feet and turning around so as to face Dixon. Then, with a relieved look, as she took in the unmistakable American cut of his clothes: “ I’m in the way. Pm very sorry. I didn’t think.” She stood aside while Dixon bent over and moved the chair, stepped into the room, drew a long breath, and then made his desperate plunge. “ By the way, I believ: I met some friends of yours this mcerning.” “You did!” she cried, her face alight. “Who were they, and where did you meet them? Not here in Ven:ee, surely.” “No, it was back in Austria, at Bot- zen. Keeler was the name, I think.” “How perfectly jolly!’ Oh, mother, mother, here is some one who knows the Keelers,” and she stepped to the other window and appeared the next instant with the chaperon in tow. Dixon came up to the scratch in fine form. “My name is Dixon, Hugh Dixon,” he eaid in his.casy way.. “I am fram THE ARGOSY. New York, and merely ran into the Keelefs in passing.” “Yes,” said the old lady, who was surveying him through her lorgnette in eritical fashion, ‘“ They were to have met us here, but sent a wire. Was it bad news from home that caused them to change their plans?” “Oh, no,” answered Dixon recklessly. “You see, at the last minute Mrs. Keeler conceived a terror of Italy im the hot weather.” “Mercy, do you think there is any danger?” burst out the old lady, while at the same instant Dixon noted that the daughter’s eyes first grew round in amazement and then began to glint with the fun-lighf that he had wanted to see in them. “Not in the least,’ he declared. * You see how delightful it is here, or at least it would be if we were out in the moonlight on the Grand Canal. Allow me to be your escort. “I think I can secure a gondola.” “Oh, mother, it would be heavenly! * And Dixon flew to the porter to male arrangements, fearing to linger lest the old lady might put more embarrassing questions regarding his acquaintanee- ship with the Keelers. Once aboard the gondola, Dixon as- sured “ mamma” that as daughter was the lightest she must sit in the middle, with himself and mother on either hand to trim ship, and so the ecstatic evening began. _ Dixon recked not of the awful blun- der he had made, and wilfully shut his eyes to the fact that he did not even know the names of his companions. Was he not floating about the Grand Canal under the moon, with music in the air, the stones of magnificent Venice rearing their impressive architecture about him, and a pretty girl, whe was also clever, by his side? Later, when the lights on the water bezan to thin out, they landed at the Piazzetta, and Dixon prevailed upon the ladies to take re- freshments at Florian’s while they lis- tened to the band play in St. Mark’s Square. It was while he was face to face with “mamma” at the small round table that Dixon’s bad quarter of an hour comicbooks.com