The Argosy, August 1914 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

74 “ Hold on a minute. Did you know he was on Barratry? What's his busi- ness. here?” “T saw him last Sungai He told me he’s a fisherman. As I was saying, he acted like he was waiting for some- body, too. He sort ‘of stuck around right under where I was sitting. By and by Butch came down the beach. I couldn’t hear what they said, except one word. I saw Jack slap Butch in the face, and then they fought. Oh, it was terrible!” “What was the word?” “it wae. * dime.” A smile stole across Sam Levine’s face. He was glad to learn that the formalities had been observed. “That’s all I want to know about that. Now let’s go back a bit—back to last spring in New York. You say you are Butch Horlock’s girl; but Jack Garrett thought you were his then. Now didn’t he? ”’ “ He—I—-Butch—” the girl stam- mered. “ Didn’t he?’ Sam repeated. “Well, for a little while.” “ About the time of his fight with Horlock—just before it? Was that the time?” “T guess so,” tingly. “You was a showgirl in ‘ Bung Voyage’ then at the Buckingham?” he went on interrogatively. ¢-Ves--l- was’ “And the night before his fight with the Butcher, Jack and you went out to supper together? And he lost his fight? Is that right? z “Ye-yes, Mr. Levine.” “All right. Now I’m going to ale you a question that ] asked Jack after that fight, and he ain’t answered it yet. Why did he lose that fight?” He fixed the girl with a gaze so piercing that she felt he was looking into her inmost soul. Still weak from her fainting spell and suspecting him of knowing more than he did, she told the truth. “Oh, Mr. Levine, I—Butch didn’t she replied hesita- THE ARGOSY. mean any harm. It meant so much to him to win that fight. Look what it’s done for him. You wouldn’t have taken him on but for that, would youE He held his: peace, waiting for her to continue. “ Well, Butch got me'to help. Jack was a nice boy, and I liked him. I tried to make Butch see it wasn’t right to put that stuff in his coffee, but he made me. I—I had to do it, Mr. Le- vine. You don’t know.” “Dope, eh?” exclaimed Levine as the truth came to the surface. ‘ And Butch Horlock’s trick! Did Jack know?” “ Not then he didn’t. afterward.” A few more direct, insistent ques- tions brought out the remainder of the tale.. Vesta laid much more of her soul bare to the keen inquisitor, schooled to human nature, than her words alone confessed. Ere he had finished Sam had the story’s last link. If only he could have known all this before, how differently the current of his affairs would have run! And _ it was not yet too late. But was it not? He wrinkled his brow in thought. Vesta’s voice reminded him of her presence. ‘“T guess I’d better be going, Mr. Levine. I wouldn’t like for Butch to find me here.”’ He was brought back to the manner in which she had introduced the sub- ject. He felt sorry for her, knowing Butch as he did, and would have liked to be of assistance. “So you and Butch are going to get married, eh?” he said. “Oh, you mustn’t let on what I’ve told you, will you?” she begged. “ He would never speak to me again.” “Come, now,” returned Sam as kindly as he could; “ you started to say I should advise you, or something, and about the Butcher having a swelled nut. It don’t quite get to me what that’s got to do with you and him getting married.” He guessed it COMMICLOOOKS (C@