The Argosy, Vol. 82, No. 3 — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

538 worked. Buck let go the gun and it dropped to the floor. With a curse the big man. grappled with his opponent. Around the room they strug- gled, knocking over chairs and anything that was in their way, Grayson playing all the time to let the other use and waste his energy, and to keep him from swinging his arms for a punch. They had circled the room and were now near the door. Buck was panting from his exertions in trying to unlock his arms from Grayson’s grip. But Bob was saving his strength as he allowed the big man to struggle and carry him with him. At last he saw an opening. Letting go his hold, he suddenly stepped back and drove home his fist in the same place where he had caught Red. Buck reeled. Bob’s left shot out, crack- ing the thug on the other side of his jaw. With a groan Buck staggered, groped mad- ly with his hands in the air, and slowly sank to the floor, falling over the body of his pal. For a second Grayson stood with flushed face looking down at the two, not seeming to realize what had happened. Suddenly he thought of Marion. There was no time to be lost in getting to her side now, for he knew that if Trent suspected what had happened he would resort to desperate measures to make his getaway. Spying the gun on the floor Grayson was about to start for it when something from behind hit him on the head. It was some- thing heavy and he felt his senses leaving him, but not before in the turmoil of his brain, he heard a loud shout coming from the front of the house, the honk of an au- tomobile horn and the bark of a gun. The third confederate stood in the door- way with a blackjack in his hand as Gray- son sank to the floor beside the bodies of the two men he had felled. V. WHEN Bob opened his eyes he could not realize at first where he was. The room was dark save for a shaded electric lamp sending a subdued light wherever its rays touched. He was lying on a bed which seemed unusually soft and comfortable to his aching bones and the pain in his head. Slowly he closed his eyes again. A de- licious perfume permeated the place. His brain was in a muddle. He imagined he saw a thousand moving picture machines THE ARGOSY. turning at once. He also saw himself put- ting his arms around a girl who called him Bob. She said it very softly, but in such a way as made it very sweet to hear. He opened his eyes again. Some one was standing by the bed. It was Marion. Grayson gazed at her. ‘Did you just call my name?” he asked. She colored and became confused. ‘Did you?” Bob repeated his question. “Oh, you’ve come to,” she murmured. “Thank Heaven. I'll call Mr. Burton.” “Please don’t,” he pleaded. Marion hesitated. ‘You have not answered my question, Miss Mawbrey,” he reminded her. ‘T did speak your name,” she slowly ad- mitted, “but I did not think you had be- come conscious. When Dr. Winthrop left he said you would come to in several hours. It is now eight o’clock and he said no one was to go into your room until he returned at nine, or unless you called.” “And you disobeyed him?” There was a mischievous look in Bob’s eyes. “Not exactly,” she faltered, ‘I was pass- ing and just wanted to peek in to see if you were all right.” At this point the door of the room slowly opened and the dark head of Burton ap- peared around it. ‘“‘Come in—er—Frankie,” Grayson called out; “tell me what’s happened.” Burton advanced slowly toward the bed. “Bob, old man,” he fairly choked out, “thank Heaven you’ve come around.” Marion rose. Shyly she looked at Grayson, “T must go down-stairs a minute,” she said. ‘‘Now that Mr. Payne is here,” she added laying special emphasis on the name as she smiled and watched Grayson’s dubious expression, ‘“you won’t be alone.” ‘Please don’t go,” said Grayson. “I re- member asking that of you a minute ago. I mean it just as much now.” “Tl be back after a while—er—Mr, Grayson.” ‘“T wish you’d call me Bob then if you must go.” “Because you did a minute ago.” “You were dreaming then,” she said, bending nearer to him so that her mouth came close to his ear. “But keep on dreaming,” she whispered. ‘‘Sometimes dreams come true.” Her words caused Grayson to close his (E(0) DOOKS ANIC (©)