The Argosy, January 1906 — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

se «Lr Pace a slight suspicion,’ Saneveied ae reporter. “The description an- ‘swers that of our landlady, Mrs. Jarvis. I know that she feels very friendly to- _ wards Ladd, and is sorry for his plight. I might confess, however, that I can’t - see what her object would be in going taking hee? “Perhaps they took her in the ca- _ pacity of chaperon,” suggested the de- — tective dryly. “Maybe. At anv rate, we will soon find out if my suspicion is correct. Mrs. _ Jarvis ought to be up at the boarding- 3 house if she hasn’t gone away with = -4hem,” And the very first person Perriam encountered when he let himself into - Jarvis. The reporter had so completely made up his mind by that time that the _ stout, red-faced woman of the Grand - Central Depot was no other than his landlady that he started with surprise oe he saw her. “Why, Mr. Perriam,” said the good woman, “how you did jump! Did I startle you? ” =A little, Mrs. getting nervous.’ — “Yordy me! You getting nervous, Mr. Perriam? T’ll not believe it. Often - Pve remarked to the other gentlemen in = this house that I don’t believe Mr. Per- iam, who writes for the papers, knows what nerves are. By the way, Mr. Per- riam,” she continued, lowering her Z ‘voice, “have you heard anything new about the murder? Have they caught poor Mr. Ladd yet?” “No, Mrs. Jarvis,” Perriam replied, - “there’s nothing new regarding the ~ murder. Ladd is still uncaptured. = Jarvis. I guess I’m ae solemnly. - Perriam shrugged his shoulders im- = patiently. “Tt is only proper that a criminal should be dealt with according to law,” he said coldly. “Your sentiments and your misplaced SE do not do you —eredit, Mrs. Jarvis.” = know it, ‘sir, but I can’t elo it. Lalways liked y young Mr. Ladd so much. ey was on a nice Quer _ with them, or what theirs could be in the. house with his latch-key was Mrs. “Thank heaven!” said Mrs. Jarvis - Somehow THE B ARGOSY. ——s that he really did it. I think he’s in- nocent, Mr. Perriam—I do, indeed. Or if he ain’t innocent, he must have been sorely tried and tempted to have done a thing like that.” Perriam impatiently shrugged his shoulders again and went up- “stairs to his room. : He came down an hour later, dress- suit case in hand, and Mrs. Jarvis met him on the stairs. “ Going away, Mr. Perriam?” she in- quired. “Yes; ’m going out of town, and may be gone a few days,” answered the reporter. “ Hold any mail until I get back, please.” “He’s going after poor Arthur Ladd,” said the woman, as she watched his tall form retreating down the street. “He didn’t tell me so, but I know it. You can’t fool a woman’s intuition. He is interesting himself mightily in the capture of that poor young man, and since I’ve met that sweet-faced girl I know why. To think: guessed before that poor Arthur’s sweetheart and the girl Perriam sighs for and has a picture of in his room were one and the same! That’s why he looks so mad when [I tell him that I hope Arthur won’t be caught by the police. I reckon nothing would please him more than to see that poor boy go to the chair for that crime. . “Oh, he’s a cold, clammy sort of man, is Perriam! Sometimes it fairly makes me shudder to think of him. I don’t blame Arthur’s sweet-faced girl for not taking to him. He’s a human icicle— that’s what he is. Well, anyway, I do hope that Arthur will give him the slip.” Perriam reached the Grand Central Station for the second time that day, and bought a ticket for Clayton. He stood in the waiting-room, dress- suit case in hand, mentally trying, while waiting for his train, to solve the mys- tery of the stout, red-faced woman wha had accompanied Ladd and Rosa, ac- cording to the man in the pees office. “Now, who could it be?” fated = Perriam. “I can’t think of anybody except Mrs. Jarvis, and it positively couldn't ne been che. ie pr oe or other I conve get myself to Feleta <= that I never.