The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

MESQUITE RANCH. “Eef M. Bullen has done wrong, he has made eet right now. Eeet was he who gave me the money that enable me to come here.” Natalie le Fevre, for all her bravery, fell back before the fiery-eyed man who advanced on her. Alice Thorpe darted between them. ‘““Hev ye seen Bullen lately? is he?’ The demand fairly throbbed and hissed with menace and rage. It brought an answer from Miss Thorpe Whar which was the response of fright - rather than discretion. ‘“He’s dead! Ask Frederick Rad- ford to tell you—”’ Natalie recovered herself. She shot a warning glance at Alice. Silsby had whirled and confronted the nurse. “ Does Radford know—” Then he, too, paused; but the inter- ruption came from some thought in his own mind. He appeared for a ‘moment to struggle for the stern self- possession that was characteristic of him; then he turned and walked out of the house without any kind of a fare- well. Natalie and Alice stared at one an- other with expressions of horror grow- ing in their faces. “Oh! what have you done? He weel inquire! All weel be known! M. Radford weel—” Natalie sank down into a chair sob- bing. Alice, realizing that the silence she had been admonished to keep had been impulsively broken, was beside herself with anger and fright. “ Fle ought to suffer for what he has done!” she cried, her conscience speak- ing while her heart was torn with the desperate sobs of the little French girl. “He should be punished—” “He ees not guilty! He could mevaire have done eet! Oh! eef he did it, it was in mad anger! He did not know—” Natalie, divided between all the im- pulses of love that inspired a_ blind faith and the knowledge of facts that seemed to convict Radford, suddenly 791 gave up the struggle. She slipped down in the chair; and Alice knew that one of the old attacks that came when mind and body warred was on her. While she worked with all her trained skill to warm -the cold little body and revive the slow circulation, Silsby strode down the trail. The look of his face was like the stillness of the volcanic rock about him, perfectly calm, but showing clearly the mighty upheaval of warring forces. Radford had washed his shirt and was sitting beside the spring while it dried. Silsby saw him, stopped for a moment as if he forced himself to ap- pear as usual, and then came to him. “ Say, Pretty,” he began. “Tl smash your face if you call me that again!” Ted yelled, leaping up, while his strained leg fairly cracked with the effort. ‘Don’t worry *bout doin’ it!” Sils- by retorted. “ Ye won’t hev to look at it long. Ye’re bound for the west range!” “What for?” Ted demanded, see- ing his hopes of ever being able to get near Natalie tumbling down with the information. : “These ladies can’t stand you ‘round. I jes’ got the right to use the water by promisin’ to git you out of the neighborhood.”’ “ Great Scott!’’ Radford exclaimed, realizing with renewed force how little chance he had with Natalie. “Say, whut d’ye know ’bout Nick Bullen?” Silsby demanded, unable to repress any longer the question that clamored for an answer. “Me?” Ted asked, surprised. know precious little. Why?” “*Cause I want to know,’ Silsby replied with an imperative and appeal- ing intensity sO curiously blended that Ted answered promptly. “He came to my home in New York. I haven’t the remotest notion why. He keeled over in the library, and [ had him put to bed and got a nurse, this Miss Thorpe. When I left he was still there, so I don’t—” oe * EOPMICLOOOKS (C@)