The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

708 He fumed quickly to look at Helen, but she was engaged with a tear in the hem of her petticoat, having caught her heel in it as she sat down. “Just a second, Helen.” Lansing stepped quickly toward the place where he had seen the figure disappear, and found a man rising to his feet. At the same instant the lurking person threw open his coat, revealing the shield of the United States Secret Service. “Not a word,” he whispered. you, Lansing.” “T don’t know you,” Lansing returned. “But your face is familiar. I want to tell you this: I have Miss Granger in charge now; she is my fiancée, and hereafter if I find you skulking about her, the results be on your own head; understand?” Helen’s voice came to him. ““Stewart—oh, I see you. you talking?” “T’ll be right there, Helen;”’ Lansing. re- “T know To whom are plied in a casual voice. “Now then?” And he turned again to the man. “Lansing, I like you,” was the reply. “Youre game, but your head is turned. Wake up—keep out of this, understand? Let that girl alone—don’t let her make a fool of you, too.” “Of me, too! What do you mean? Who else is there?” “There’s her brother, for instance,” was the reply. “I thought you were Captain Granger; that is the reason I trailed you both out here. It’s a bad case, Lansing; on the level I am satisfied now that it is a case of love with you, but—listen—you drop that girl!” Before Lansing could reply, and he meant to reply angrily, the other turned his back and was walking toward the house. Lansing now remembered who he was— Clarkin. In the darkness he had at first failed to place him; but it was Clarkin be- yond doubt, a secret service man, and hence a shrewd person, who was not given to ex- pressing empty opinions. Lancing walked toward his. fiancée with a troubled face. He had not yet fully cleared his mind of the doubts engendered by the enormous sum of money the girl was to receive for participating in this play. Yet she seemed to accept the whole thing as perfectly reasonable. Well, he would know more upon the mor- row. THE Soe ~ “Who was he, dear?” Helen’s voice came to him sweetly innocent. “Tt was a man who fancied he had the right to dance with you,” replied Lansing, “but I convinced him of his error.” CHAPTER XIII. CALLING ON GOVERNMENT HELP. ANSING looked at his watch and found the hour approaching eleven. The girl noticed that his manner was distraught and rallied him merrily. Lansing responded in kind, and thus the two went back to the house, entering by the conservatory, where Helen paused. “Stewart,” she said, “I want you to know how big and fine you are to understand what I am trying to do. I was silly, I sup- pose, but I believed, brought up as you have been and moving with the crowd you do, that you would be disgusted to learn that you had taken up with a movie ac- tress.” “Oh, I’m not so conventional as all that,” replied Lansing laughingly. “Theil, anyway, you are not a movie actress, and even if you were—” A couple were entering the conservatory and the two walked on out to the ballroom. “Aren’t you going to dance?” she asked, taking his arm and pressing it. “If you don’t I shall have to dance with Mr. Nealis, who is coming this way now.” “Helen,” Lansing answered, “I’ve had a rotten head all day. Oh, it’s nothing,” he added, seeing her concern, ‘‘but I haven’t had as much exercise over the week-end as I usually get. Do you very much mind if © I turn ine” “Why, no, Stewart, certainly not. But I hope you are not going to be ill?” She was regarding him uneasily. “Never fear. Only the excitement—and you made me forget all about my head, but now it is throbbing like the mischief.” She confronted him with sympathy glow- ing on her face. “T wish,” she said, “I could rub your poor old head; I have so much success with mother’s headaches.” But, thrilled as he was by her solicitude, he declined her services. “T shall be perfectly all right with a few hours sleep, dearest,” he whispered. “My only bother is whether you mind my cut- ting out the dance this way. I—” GO NOOKS AMG (C@