The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

= might happen to make it unpleasant for her. He began that hideous per- formance of his, and, by George, the next I knew he was stretched out on the floor and I was standing there with my right hand red with his blood.”’ “You struck him, then,’ Midge said, thinking he heard the corrobora- tion of Bess’s information. “ He at- tacked you and you hit him. He's one of those cranks that—” | Stratton was putting the most fa- vorable interpretation on the affair. But Ted immediately spoiled it. “Struck him? I tell you I didn’t. What in thunder would I be hitting a man like that for? J could have blown at him and upset him!” Ted protested indignantly. “He didn’t just fall down with a big red cut on his head, Ted. That’s not probable. It’s not sane for you toa”? Radford scowled at Stratton. “That’s the way it was,” he replied, resenting the doubt that the doctor showed. “Who is he?” Stratton asked. “His name’s Bullen. Nick Bullen. That’s all I know about him. Some- thing’s the matter; he don’t seem to be able to talk.” Radford had turned to look at Bul- len and again his attention was attract- ed to the snakeskin belt. He picked it up. It occurred to him that the belt might be a receptacle for papers or _ something that would identify the in- valid. The beautifully cured and perfectly soft leather was folded several times. . Ted ran his finger along the lap and felt the snap-fasteners. He pulled at them. The belt spread out and a rain of greenbacks fell on the bed. “Look!” he exclaimed.s | Midge was looking, his seyes intent and amazed as he read the figures on the bills. dollar denomination. The snakeskin belt was literally padded with them. Stratton and Radford stared at each other across the shower of money. MESQUITE RANCH, | They were of five-hundred- 735 Then they looked at Bullen, silent and apparently unconscious. They began to pick up the money that had fallen, and Ted counted the bills still in the belt. In all, there was ten thousand dollars. “ He didn’t come to steal!’’ Ted ex- claimed. “TI guess not!” Stratton agreed. But the surprise of finding Bullen the possessor of such wealth could not keep Radford’s mind from returning to the problem of his own future. In- deed, the sight of the money seemed to reenergize his worries. They started up again to painful activity. He must get in communication with Marsh at once and know exactly how nearly ruined he was. “Tve got to be off, Midge. I'll put this in the top drawer of this chiffo- nier. You can give the key to Bullen when he asks about it.” ~ Radford left at once. Stratton had his hands full with Bullen while won- der and doubt shared his thoughts. Ted sought his own room and called up Marsh. Five minutes’ conversation convinced him that his mother’s repre- sentation of his affairs was right. He was completely ruined. The shock of the absolute knowl- edge was scarcely less than the origi- nal one had been. He knew that he had been clinging to a straw only to find even that snatched from him. Groaning with the torture of his posi- tion, Radford flung himself into a chair and gave up to grim despair. Bess, a lovely, unreachable woman, luring him more now than she had ever done in the days when he calmly an- ticipated possession,. moved through every miserable thought that came to him like a gorgeous and withheld god- dess. He tried to face the need of telling her what had happened, of breaking the engagement. If he had seen her as she hurried out of the house that had been his he would have rebelled more than ever against the fate which had taken her from him. Her head was higher than usual. CORMICLOOKS (C@)