The Argosy, August 1914 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

54 her feet. At any rate, she arose, grasped his arm in her two hands, and with her face against his breast burst into a fresh fit of weeping. Jack did what any man might have done in such a.case. ‘The spectacle of a pretty woman in tears is moving. His free arm crept around her shoul- ders, which he patted consolingly. “There — there — Vesta,” he said. “ Never mind.” Jessica retreated softly, leaving the scene without witnesses. For a minute the sobbing girl was unable to. speak. At last she said in muffled tones, her face still hidden: “ You can’t help. Nobody can help.” “ But how did you come here, Ves- ta?”’ Jack insisted. ‘‘ Come, brace up. It can’t be as bad as you think. Stop _erying and tell me what the trouble 1s. How do you happen to be on Barra- try?” After a little struggle, she regained her self-control sufficiently to lift her head and reply: “ How do I happen to be on Barra- try?” she repeated. “I came because Butch was here.” “ Butch Horlock?”’ turn to express surprise. The girl nodded. ‘Butch Horlock on Barratry?” the young man said again. “ Why, what is he doing here? And if he is, and you wanted to be with him, what are you crying about? I don't see.” On the point of breaking down again, the girl braced up, bursting 1n-- stead into vehement explanation. “ Oh, Jack!” she cried; ‘‘ Butch has treated me bad. I’ve done everything for him a girl can. He promised to marry me. He ought to marry me, Jack, and now he won't. He says he’s too busy.” Here, at length, was a_ tangible something on which to base a talk. Jack disengaged himself from the girl and motioned to the rock on which she had been seated when he met her. “Tet’s sit down here and talk it over, Vesta,” he suggested. “I don’t It was Jack’s © THE ARGOSY. understand the matter at all. What in the world is Butch doing on Barratry, and why is he too busy to marry you, and—”’ So many questions suggested them- selves that he found difficulty in fram- ing them all. Vesta suffered herself to be seated beside the road and began the explanation. “ You know I’m not the crying sort, Jack. It makes me ashamed for you to find me so. And you're the last per- son I expected to see here. Where did you go? There were all sorts of sto- ries. And those funny clothes you’re wearing—” ‘““ Never mind that, Vesta,” Jack in- terrupted. “If you want to know, I’m a fisherman here on Barratry. What's this about Butch? Why is he here? ” “Oh, didn’t you know he _ was matched to fight Monk Reilly in Au- gust? Sure. Sam Levine’s handling him, and they’ve come to Barratry Island for. training. It’s. a_seeret, though. Sam thought he’d keep him here until about two weeks before the fight.”’ “So that’s it?” Jack exclaimed. The light broke suddenly. Butch Horlock, then, was the great unnamed signed for the fight with the cham- pion. An envious pang wrenched him. This fight would have been his but for the fiasco of his last appearance. “You must have heard about the fight,” Vesta went on. “ The biggest one this year? Butch is sure to win.” ““Nobody’s sure to win till the fight’s over,” Jack returned out of the bitterness of experience. ‘‘! thought I was sure to win the time I went against the Butcher—but I didn’t.” Vesta winced as from a blow, and the young man half repented his thrust. -He turned the conversation into its previous channel. “ But what is your trouble, Vesta?” he asked. ‘‘ Yow say you came here because Horlock is on the island, and that he has promised to marry you. What more do you want?” COnMICLOOOKS (C@