The Argosy, Vol. 82 No. 2 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

268 “And now about the justice himself— Codd, was his name?” OV os)? ‘And his office, Jane,’ pursued the cross-examiner. ‘‘What part of the house does that occupy?” ‘“Why—it’s an extension, I think. It runs out from the back of the building proper and has a side porch, with an en- trance and a little sign—‘Justice of the Peace,’ or something like that.” “Tt has a safe?” “A big, old safe—yes.”’ ‘““And the man is justice and coroner and license clerk and everything else, in that neighborhood ?” ‘“T’ve heard them joke about that.” ‘“‘Now, when this nightmare ceremony had been performed, he set down the record of it, | presume? In a book, Jane—or what?” “In a great big. book. We—we signed something in the book, I think, and he put it back in the safe.” “That settles it!”? chuckled Mr. Farn- ham, and his tone indicated that the exami- nation was at an end. “That’s probably the only existing written record of the crime, beside your certificate. Jane, dear, I don’t want to startle you, but I’m going to turn burglar!” “You’re not going to try—”’ Jane began quickly. “Listen to me, my child!” commanded Mr. Farnham. ‘Thompson is gone—that much we are bound to assume. We’re pur- sued, so that even if he was there and wait- ing for us, we should have to hand him his complaint in about three seconds and then flee again. We might as well look the thing in the eye and admit that Thompson cannot be served for—oh, weeks, perhaps, if ever. That’s item one settled!” ‘“T suppose it is true,” Jane sighed. “Passing, then, to item two,” Mr. Farn- ham went on steadily. ‘I don’t know much about law, Jane, and very likely if any one of the half-dozen legal friends I cherish were here, he’d say that I was insane and begin to explain it in Latin; but it seems to me that, along about next Wednesday, it will be up to somebody to prove that you’re married. And little as | do know about law, I know that the unquestionable writ- ten records of a thing have a lot more weight in court than anybody’s mere say-so!”’ THE ARGOSY. “Nobody will ever produce the records of this marriage, Jane,” the large young man said calmly. ‘I’m going to steal and burn them!” “T_T will not permit it!” Jane said weakly. “Oh, yes, you will, my dear!” the stern voice assured her. ‘“‘To my possibly dis- torted vision, that’s the only possible chance out of a terrible mess in which you were absolutely blameless; and while the stunt may have a few unusual aspects, I honestly believe that I am justified in going to any length short of murder to save your patri- mony.” “But if you should be caught?” “YT shall not be caught, Jane,” the des- perate one said placidly. “And now, by way of beginning the good work, we'll re- duce that accursed marriage certificate to bits about one one-millionth of an inch square!”’ “Did you keep it?” ‘“T tucked it away most carefully, Jane— in here among several quite important let- ters.” Mr. Farnham began exploring his inner pocket and produced a dozen enve- lopes bound together with a rubber band. “Tt is between the pink one and the one from my bank and—no, I guess it’s some- where else, after all.” He stooped and held the package in the light of the little lamp on the dash, slipping off the band since the certificate seemed to have strayed from beside the pink envelope. Cautiously, Mr. Farnham turned his en- velopes over, one by one; the certificate did not appear. Muttering and frowning, he set about exploring the envelopes them- selves. Letters came out and stray papers; he flattened them and shook them. And when, for the second time, he had worked from end to end of the package, Mr. Farnham said blankly: “It’s gone, Jane! breathing, the thing again!” ‘“You’ve put it somewhere else.”’ “T haven’t. I don’t do that sort of thing. I stuck it between these two envelopes and they haven’t been out of my pocket since— and this coat hasn’t been off my back, either, except in the clearing. ‘The infernal thing’s bewitched!” cried Mr. Farnham. “Tt went back into the thin air it came from, and—Jane!”’ Ves?” “Hapworthy As surely as I’m has disappeared couldn’t possibly have CORmMICLOOoKS (C@