The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

t = i > - —— ~~ = . ; r* =“ MESQUITE RANCH. toward the bed. The man made a weak gesture which indicated that he wanted writing materials. Ted took his ad- dress-book from his pocket and adjust- ed his fountain pen. “ P-i-fi-o-n,” Radford spelled aloud as the man wrote laboriously. As if the word were an electric sig- nal, little Mlle. le Fevre sprang toward the bed like a small spirit of hight and energy. She almost snatched the pa- per from Ted’s hand as he was study- ing’ it. “IT think that’s the name of a nut,” he said doubtfully. Bullen’s face twisted horribly. Ted’s solution was not right. But little Mlle. le Fevre bent above him, fairly palpi- tating ‘with excitement. “Non! Non! Eet ees the name of a citee—ees eet not?” Bullen turned grateful eyes on her, and fastened them there as if his hope of being understood was centered in the little lady. ‘“ Bet ees a citee of Arizona,” Mile. le Fevre explained. “Oh, I see! You live at Pinon, Arizona, Mr. Bullen.”’ But Radford appeared to have shaken the serenity that the little lady had established temporarily. Again the hideous contortions with which Bullen accompanied his abortive efforts at speech turned his face from its hu- man semblance to a mask that was so alarming it frightened Mlle. le Fevre and made Radford step back to let the nurse get close to her patient. “Go! Goatonce! You excite him! Dr. Stratton says he must be kept quiet! ’’ Miss Thorpe ordered with the decision of one accustomed to unques- tioned obedience. Ted and Mlle. le Fevre fled from the room with the fear that they had done vital harm.to the patient. “Oh, he looked as eef he could keel you!” the little girl whispered when they were in the hall with the door closed between them and Bullen. “ He must hate you!” Radford felt a sudden, unaccount- able but very intense desire to defend himself. He somehow wanted the little girl to think well of him. ‘He couldn’t hate me when he has never seen me before to-day, could he? You wouldn’t hate me—at first sight, would you?” he asked. Quite without intending it, he spoke as if she were a child. She seemed that —a pale, emotional child, who could flush and glow and be tender almost like a woman. “ Monsieur,” she said slowly, her even little teeth seeming almost to bite off the words, “ eet ees quite possible that I hate you—at first sight—eef you treat me as a child. Because you are beeg ’’—the way she said it insidiously took the conceit out of each separate inch of Radford’s six feet—‘‘:an’ I am leetle ees not a reason that you should fail to treat me as a lady!” Before Radford could reply, she had flitted like a large black moth back into the very room from which she had been ejected. He dared not follow. CHAPTER V., THE DEAD MAN IN THE POOL. “ NATALIE! ”’ It was the stern reproach of the nurse whose patient’s well-being is her one thought. Bullen lay against the pillow so white and still that Natalie’s big eyes grew bigger with fright. “Ah, ma tante, he knows of Pifion, Arizona! [ could not but return!” she apologized. “Well, Mile. le Fevre, I—” Miss Thorpe had begun with a dig- nity which Natalie knew was the intro- duction to a good scolding; but she never reached it. Bullen’s gray eyes flew open, and the expression that illuminated them showed that he knew perfectly what was passing around him, He wriggled a weak finger in a gesture which the eager Natalie took for a command to approach. She obeyed instantly. She seized the pen and book that CORICGLOOOKS 743° (E@)