The Argosy, October 1906 — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

THE. ARGOSY. | Mr. ‘Rath: Pea Carter: eat “J do not ee more than you about the af-— fair—perhaps not nearly so much,” _ “And you haven’t my little box? oe = wailed the other. ‘You mean to tell aad that, after all, you haven't it?” ee FT can tell you nothing else, for that is. the truth. Se - Rathbone dropped weakly into his eas and sat huddled there. Carter = watched him very narrowly, In a vague way, he felt positive that < ‘there was some well-defined connection between the use of his name in the ad- 5 = -vertisement and the appearance of the ss odd personage before him. At least, he had felt positive until now; studying the - - figure in the chair, his belief ‘weakened. Allowing that some sort of queer - ee Scheme was being worked upon him, Car- 2 ieee ter could not but see that the old man’s ee distress was very genuine indeed. 2 _ Every line of the shabby figure bespoke the keenest disappointment; the eyes were half-closed; the unpleasant face was almost pinched. : _.. Rathbone, Carter came to think after a hardly a party to the scheme. But as he stared thoughtfully at the other and sought for some consolatory ees words, a change came over the visitor. = He straightened up rather suddenly, and his eyes opened. When they fell aon upon Carter they were angry; a moment 2s later, they literally glittered with ‘fury. << His lips were drawn in and a thin line 2 ~ of teeth was visible. Se ‘Mr. Carter,” he said, in a very low tone, ‘you don’t know what you're play- ing ‘with! “TF know nothing about the matter— | but I am certainly not playing with it,” ahaa oe Carter sharply. | cee I = -“What’s that, sir! ” the senior part- ner cried angrily. =. = “ Vou’re “ying { to tell me—trying to oes my case! You're trying to deny that, at You lie!” ee oe you lie! You lie’ : Rathbone, be care- = sane here, Mr. x as Careful Careful of what? bs cried a minute, was—perhaps a victim, but — é oe me believe—that you never found | - God’s sake, give me back. that case!” first, you had that notice printed. And - * “ Careful ee to hae a Eanrbaake: = bring any one in here-to find ‘out that — you, a rich man, would steal the one thing he treasured on earth from a poor — devil like me!” | See “But, my dear -man!?? Carters See = wilderment gained ascendency over his momentary anger. “I’m not trying to” : steal anything From you. I never saw > your case. I haven't the faintest suspi- sy cion of an idea who may have inserted = that advertisement. I tell you, for the _ = -hundredth time, that I know nothing — whatever about. itt” <= “And I tell ‘you that you lie, you: cur!” screamed Rathbone wildly. “ “You did find my box! You did open it. You = ‘Know what it contains zow/ But you ~— didn’t know | it when you sent in that ad- vertisement, did you? “You — = nart <= _know then, or not a soul in all this ‘world would ever have heard a word — about it until—later! Would they, Car SS ter? Would they?” — SS : ‘He advanced ‘threateningly. — “And yet, you sit there and 1 ioe te Hes =e to me about it! You sit there = tell — : He was standing over the senior part- Pe ner. now, and his fists were ‘clenched and ~ = all but ready to descend. = 35 Carter’ rose swiftly. His strong ae hands caught the excited man’s shoul- — == ders and forced him firmly back and into —— his chair. —— = Vie Rathbone,” said Gane costly, == “you're an old man and much worked ~ = up about something or other. We're making all allowances for that, you = —— know, but please don’t try striking me! Rathbone sank down, unresisting, in a = heap as vefore. But his eyes were open now and staring vacantly before him. = = t BY. == > Carter, despite what had - passed, — ——= “patted hith upon the shoulder after a = minute. - The old man looked - up at him = piteously. — a = ‘‘ Please, Mr. Carter!” : - toe ae “ What's that?” ee ee “ Please, ‘sir, give it to” ee For ee z. But I nee t Ou ‘ease, Rathbone, = — 7 any eOlor that Had 4 de so far as Tam able to remember.” SSeS Se eee