The Argosy, December 1905 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

NO WAY OUT. Arthur Ladd; but if you should sud- denly decide to stop paying before your indebtedness is settled, or to try any funny business with me, as other young men like you have done before now— well, I think we shall know how to apply the screws.” CHAPTER III. A TRAGEDY. Lapp,” said Mrs. Jarvis “would you have the goodness I de- “MR. sharply, to step in here a minute, please. sire to talk with you.” “Certainly,” replied Arthur Ladd, following his landlady into the parlor. “Anything I can do for you, Mrs. Jarvis, will delight me greatly.” “Then you can pay me your board bill for the past three weeks. That would delight me greatly, too, Mr. Ladd. I am getting sick and tired of being put off and put off, I can tell you. You are the only gentleman of all my boarders who is behind in his payments, and I do not intend to stand for it any longer. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” “My dear Mrs. Jarvis,’ expostulated Arthur Ladd gently. “*« My dear Mrs. Jarvis’ nothing. Don’t you ‘my dear Mrs. Jarvis’ me. Pay me the thirty dollars you owe, like a gentleman, and then we can talk dif- ferently to each other.” “ Next week, my dear Mrs. Jarvis, I hope to es “ Next week nothing, young man. My mind is fully made up. Hither you pay me the money you owe, which you can’t deny, or out you go this very day.” Feu wouldn’ t do anything hike that, Mrs. Jarvis,” said her boarder per- suasively. “ L’ve lived here so long that V’ve come to look upon you as a mother.” “ Well, you wouldn’t rob your mother, would you?” retorted the landlady briskly. “Rob, Mrs. Jarvis! Don’t talk about robbing. Vl pay you every cent I owe you. Honestly io wilk Fact i Pm little pressed for money just now.” “Then you ought to be ashamed of yourself, young man, that’s all; and you 73 earning a nice comfortable salary, too. I know yow’re courting a young lady, for I’ve seen the letters you receive every day in a female hand; but that isn’t any excuse for getting into debt. Look at Mr. Perriam, the reporter on the Star, who rooms on the same floor with you. He’s never behind in his payments, and he’s courting a girl, too.” “Perriam courting a girl!” cried Arthur with great interest. “ You don’t mean that, Mrs. Jarvis. How do you know?” “How do I know?” replied the boarding-house lady proudly, her de- light for gossip for the nonce overcom- ing her desire for money. “I want you to understand, Mr. Ladd, that I have a pair of eyes in my head. Don’t I see every day how Mr. Perriam is getting more and more lovesick? Haven’t I seen the picture of the girl on the mantel-shelf in his room? MDidn’t I happen to enter the room the other day without knocking, and didn’t I come across Mr. Perriam sitting in a rocker, with this girl’s picture in his lap, star- ing at it and sighing as only a man in love can do? ‘“ However, Mr. Ladd, that isn’t here nor there. To return to the matter of the board-bill. If you can’t pay all, you must pay part. Otherwise, out you will have to go. I should hate to do it, for I will say that I like you, but I can’t be imposed upon any longer. Too much is too much.” “ll give you five dollars now. It’s all I have, Mrs. Jarvis,” said Arthur desperately. “ I expect to be able to pay you the rest in a little while.” “All right. It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing. Give me the five and I’ll give you a little more time to settle the rest. As I said before, I would hate to see you go.” She examined closely the five dollar bill which Arthur handed to her, hold- ing it up to the light to see that the silk threads were there. “Thank goodness, she’s settled, for a little while at least,’ muttered Arthur with a sigh as he climbed up-stairs to his room. “It took my last five dollars to-do: 1f thoush<. guess that con- founded jeweler, Meyer, won’t be so easy CORmMICLOOkKSs (C@)