The Argosy, Vol. 61, No. 4 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

THE IMPOSTOR. Still Lame Creek had an idea that’ he was not lingering there solely to pursue his investigations, but was waiting for the appearance of Miss Burke upon the scene, when he would again urge his pretensions. With this suspicion in their minds, he fell into still greater disfavor, while predictions were freely made as to what would happen to him if he sought to stir up any trouble for the ‘ Hairess.”’ So, the days passed on, with the camp on the gut vive of excitement, until at last arrived the eventful Thursday mark- ing the advent of the new owner of the Gladys B. At five o’clock in the afternoon Jake Long, the stage-driver, reined in his foamirtg. steeds in front of the Waldorf- Delmonico, and immediately found him- self almost mobbed by a clamorous throng. - “Yes, she has came,” he finally an- nounced when he could make himself ’ heard above the storm of eager ques-" tioning. ‘“‘ Dropped her at the old man’s cabin O. K., and turned her over to Wunna. An’, say, boys, she’s ez purty a piece of ‘goods ez I ever handled in my life. Ez purty, an’ ez sweet ez—’’ Words failing him, he dived headlong for the bar, and in his abstraction swal- lowed two full tumblers of ‘“‘ Sudden Death” before he remembered that no man save Pete Jenkins, the local tank, had ever taken that amount at a single draft without afterward throwing stones at his own house. Indeed, as he turned from the bar, he felt sure that the fiery potion was al- ready starting to get in its deadly work ; for, to his amazement, the crowd which a moment before had been thronging so closely about him was nowhere to be seen. It had vanished completely. ‘Oh, that’s all right,” Dan Groesbeck assured him with a laugh. ‘ The boys has simply skinned out to git into their best bibs an’ tuckers, an’ make ready fer a little social call we has on the carpet fer to-night. 7 ‘An’, by the way, Jake ’’—a note of impatience creeping into his voice— ‘““s’pos’n’-you quit blinkin’ yer eyes, an’ peerin’ ’round like a owl in the daylight, an’ beat it yerself. I gotta close up this shebang, ef I ’spect to have any chance to make my own twilight.” 613 Such a washing and dressing and rum- maging over of scanty wardrobes as there was within the next two hours! Grimy faces were scrubbed until they fairly shone, tangled locks were ‘“slicked down”’ to such an extent that the yery air reeked of bear’s grease. The man who possessed a “ b’iled ” shirt was an object of envy; and when the Whiffet .proudly appeared in a frayed and rusty froek coat, such was the feeling aroused that, if anybody else could have got into it, that paragon of fashion would have been denuded in ten seconds, and a free fight engaged upon for the prize. - By seven o'clock, however, everybody was ready, and the camp, marshaled into line, started for the trail. Ordinarily, Jim Hart could not have been kept in ignorance of their under- taking. His keen eyes would have taken note of their extensive preparations, and his shrewd mind detected the purpose they had in view. But to-day he had fish of his own to fry, and he had paid, but little heed to what was going on within the camp. Betaking himself to. the mountains about noon, he had hid himself behind some bushes along the trail, at a point whence he could gain an unobstructed view of the old prospector’s cabin. He had there maintained a watchful vigil, until at last he Nad seen the stage stop, and a slim, girlish figure alight to pass within the door under Wunna’s pro- tection. Then, carefully screening himself from the cabin’s observation, he had hurried back by another path to his own bachelor diggings, and from that time on until sunset was as busily engaged as any of his- fellows in effecting an _ elaborate toilet. : Nor, as he gazed at his reflection in the square of looking-glass nailed to the wall, did he feel that he had any cause to be ashamed of the result. His broad-shouldered, stalwart figure - was set off to excellent advantage by his pioneer garb of belted trousers tucked into high-topped boots, and soft, blue flannel shirt, above whose collar and loosely knotted neckerchief rose the shapely pillar of his throat, the strong, bearded jaw, ani his dark, handsome OO (Cc (©