The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 195: what you’re looking at

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

BRICKS WITHCUT STRAW. poaching on his preserves. For hadn’t Ralph finally decided on Madge after con- siderable dangling after several viliage belles? And wasn’t it Ralph’s sincere con- viction that any girl in the place or within some miles of it would be glad to be the chosen bride of the son of its chief mag. nate? He had, and it was, are the answers to these questions. And so he considered Jack Harding an outlaw, and not entitled to the least mercy. When he began to run into Jack at Madge’s house, and could no longer pooh- pooh him as an unworthy rival (for Jack had a college-athlete record, and was hand- some, as well as being endowed with what Ralph called “the gift of gab,”’) Ralph took a little trip to the city on inquiry bent. This journey failed to reveal any un- sound spots in young Harding’s career. On the contrary, it threw a scare into the ama- teur detective, for he met only enthusiastic praise of handsome Jack, and assurances that he was “white all through, and sure to make good.” Ralph realized then that he had met a foeman worthy of his steel, and set about finding crevices in his rival’s armor, or se- curing the services of something in the na- ture of a Fairy Godmother. Naturally he sought Mrs. Albert Ram- say, his backer and adviser—the able and powerful president of the Papyrus Club. She had long advocated his choosing Madge, and was aroused to wrath when warned that this city hawk, Jack Harding, was hovering hungrily over this, the tender- est little country chicken of them all. With a snap of her cold blue eyes she announced: “This whipper-snapper must be crushed at once!” Whereupon she and her nephew devised - a scheme beautiful in its simplicity and based, as all such schemes should be, on the weak point of their victim. Briefly, the plot was this: At the very next meeting of the Papyrus Club she and Ralph were the members ap- pointed to furnish the literary feature— which, according to custom, was not to be announced until the evening of the per- formance. They had decided to make the theme “Calderon, and His Influence.” As was usual, Ralph would first “say a few words to the club ” on this theme, and then Mrs. Ramsay would read selected passages from the works of the author. 761 Of course Vatgse wou's Se tr ve, for she Was secretary an oifice ae awarded to the prettiest and most popular young- lady member who was a good speller. Also of course (and Ralph ground his teeth with jealous rage) Jack Harding would be there as her escort, since Ralph had some time previously been turned down for that precise reason. “Now,” Mrs. Ramsay said, “‘you must arrange to be a little late that evening; come, say, at nine sharp. I will manage it so that when you do not appear I will call upon Harding to take your place.” “He will say he can’t do it,” objected Ralph gloomily. “Not he!” Mrs. Ramsay insisted. ‘‘And if he does, why, so much the worse for him! I’ll show him up as an ignoramus!” “Well, when he begs off, what then?” Ralph demanded. “Then you speak your piece in good style —and when Madge sees you going up like a rocket where he has just come down like a stick, she will see the difference between mere showy smartness and true culture! Trust me!” The plot being thus perfected, the con- spirators separated—Ralph to exhaust the town library on Calderon, and Mrs. Ram- say to practise gestures and expressions be- fore her mirror, so that she might grace- fully render the reading of the extracts from the more dramatic portions of the plays. On the way back from the library, Ralph happened to meet Jack in the drug-store— where Jack was buying a large and fancy box of candy. Ralph strolled up casually, and after a moment’s talk remarked: “Oh, by the way, I have been trying to find out something about Pedro Calderon. What do you know about him?” “Calderon? Seems to me I’ve heard the name somewhere, but blamed if I can tell where. Pedro Calderon—no. Try the tele- phone-book, and if he isn’t there, call up ‘Information.’ That’s what T’d do. So long!” “Well, that’s all right,” said Ralph, chuckling as Jack departed. 1. THE world turned over twice, the shades of evening descended on Somers Falls, and the members of the Papyrus Club (except- ing Ralph) made their way to the Ramsay residence. (€(0) DOOKS AMG Gon