The Argosy, Vol. 82 No. 2 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

GETTING AWAY FROM THOMPSON. “To identify Thompson,” her uncle re- peated patiently, ‘‘and—” “Uncle Horace,” Miss Fayre said swiftly, “T wouldn’t identify that man for—no, not for fifty million dollars!” tS 1M «aes “No! Even if he were handcuffed and had an armed guard on each side of him, I wouldn’t knowingly come face to face with Thompson again for all the money in this world!” “But that’s absurd. You will be here and—”’ “T shall not be here!”’ Jane announced with absolute conviction. “I shall be somewhere else! I’m going away!” “To-night?” “Early to-morrow morning!” She was, according to Uncle Horace’s view, quite hysterical. She would have to be quieted down and that tactfully. Uncle Horace tried gentle argument. ‘But if this Thompson is such a terrible person,” said he, smiling, “he would find you anyway, Jane. He’d learn your ad- dress and—”’ “He shan’t!” cried Jane. “But he would, you know, and—” This time Jane shook her head wildly and grew wholly unreasonable. ‘He shan’t!”’ she panted. place without any address!”’ “Tl go to a CHAPTER IIT. THE PLACE WITH NO: ADDRESS. N certain exalted circles it was common ‘gossip that, on occasion, Jane’s mama caused her prince and all his family to walk a chalk-line. Jane, happily, inherited her father’s more lovable and less arrogant dis- position, but it impressed Uncle Horace quite suddenly that hints of the maternal strain were not altogether lacking. Jane, indeed, seemed to have lost much of her fright in the wave of determination that had engulfed her. Her full lips were compressed, her soft eyes astonishingly de- fiant, as she shook her head emphatically at Uncle Horace. Mr. Porter-Preston caused his voice to grow even more soothing. “Jane, dear,” said he, “‘you’re really ex- citing yourself about nothing at all. [I’m afraid they haven’t invented a place with- out some sort of address and—”’ “Then Ill invent one!” Jane declared 203 forcefully. ‘Because I'll never stay here and come face to face with that monster! You can do what you like with him, if he doesn’t kill you first—shoot him or poison him or torture him to death—but I will not be here to see him!” “But, my dear—-” Aunt Martha began. “And I know where I’ll go, too, and it hasn’t any address,” Jane hurtled on. “Tl take to the road!”’ ‘As a tramp?” Uncle Horace asked in- dulgently. ‘““As the hostess of an automobile party on tour!” Jane said triumphantly. ‘You'll chaperon it, aunt?”’ Aunt Martha’s eyes opened suddenly and with a dismal horror. “September, you know—we were going to rest?” “That was before I had any idea of Thompson turning up,” her niece said. “I’m not going to rest now. I’m going to get out of this town and move so fast that he couldn’t find me if he hired all the de- tectives in the country!” “Tf you insist upon running away,” put in Uncle Horace, who was a great believer in cold reason and an appeal to the better nature, ‘‘your aunt will have to accompany you, of course. But the whole idea of flight is perfectly ridiculous, my child. Just calm yourself and think for a moment. If you wish it, I can have the house sur- rounded by a cordon of police. The com- missioner is a friend of mine—” ‘And the newspaper notoriety?” Aunt Martha asked breathlessly. “T hadn’t thought of that,’ confessed Uncle Horace. ‘And it wouldn’t do a particle of good,” Jane submitted. “I know that seems silly to you, but that’s because you never saw Thompson. Truly, he’d mow them down and come straight in—and I don’t want to be here. I’m afraid!” said Jane. ‘And an automobile trip will not be so bad, aunt.” “YT detest hotels,” that lady remarked sadly. “We're not going to any, dear; what would be the use of that, when Thompson might get track of me from the registers? We're not going near a hotel or a town either, if I can help it; at night we’ll run in off the road and camp.” ‘Hundreds of people are doing it this year and they say it’s no end of fun. I'll ask Jack Weston first, because he had a CORMMICLOOOKS (C@)