The Argosy, December 1905 — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

126 The man _ departed, locked the door quickly. With light step he hurried through the rooms. Somewhere at the rear there was the butler’s pantry, and between that and the man’s sleeping-room an entrance to the servants’ stairs. He found the door without trouble, jammed on his hat, and turned up his collar—and left! Not many seconds later he was in the open air, chuckling with angry satisfac- tion. What a luxury it was to be free, even if only for a little walk! He hurried out of the Exmoor neigh- borhood’ and tramped along until he reached a cab stand. Here he hired a hansom, and commissioned the driver to take him slowly up-town and slowly back again. He wanted time and an opportunity to think things out in solitude, for he was half inclined to the belief that he should soon throw over his role. The jaunt up-town was accomplished without incident. Well into Harlem the hansom turned and jogged downward again. Dunean leaned forward after a time and smoked and watched the vehicles passing with absent eyes. Here and there an automobile whirled by; one particularly huge black car thundered along from the opposite direction, and even the hardened cab horse shied a little. They were passing an electric light at the time, and Duncan started forward at the jerk for a view of the machine that had caused the trouble. He caught a glimpse of a mass of gray fur on the front seat, which passed for a man—and the car was gone again and the horse trotting quietly. and Duncan THE ARGOSY. Farther down he started again. What perverse fate had impelled his driver to turn down the very street that held the Havers home and Louise? Duncan stared moodily at the house | ahead, and his eyes did not leave the windows as the hansom came abreast. But quite suddenly he found other matters for his attention. Some little distance behind, a heavy chug-chug became audible. Duncan glanced back indifferently. Unless he was much mistaken, the same big black car was coming down the side street after his cab. For the moment he attached no im- portance to the episode; then he grew — most intensely interested. Was the car becoming unmanageable?. . It came almost up with his hansom on ‘the other side of the street, and running at a furious pace. It wheeled abruptly and steered straight for the cab! In a second or two there was going to be a smash, unless one vehicle or the other made way. Duncan shouted, and his driver pulled the horse to his haunches and made a frantic effort to back out of the danger zone. ‘The automobile veered a trifle and plunged squarely at the body of the cab! Then came the crash! Dunean felt the whole vehicle rise suddenly from the ground. For an instant the face among the furs was above him, and he recog- nized—Chambers. And there all things seemed to cease. Dunean felt himself hurtling backward. His head struck something very hard, and he felt himself shooting through a haze of stars into unconsciousness or— death! (To be continued.) WORDS. WORDS are mighty, words are living: Serpents with their venomous stings, Or bright angels crowding round us, With heaven’s light upon their wings. Every word has its own spirit, True or false that never dies ; Every word man’s lips have uttered Echoes in God’s skies. Adelaide A. Procter. COMMICLOOOK (C@