The Argosy, Vol. 83 No. 1 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

28 bred, ill-mannered, tow-headed, red-eyed, booze-guzzling lout. Tell me honestly!” Exmoor smiled, in spite of his impa- tience and amazement. “Who is the gentleman that you de- scribe in such unequivocal terms?” he in- quired. “The Jady—well, I hope she - basn’t refused you, Hampton! I hope that in a frenzy of self-contempt you are not applying all those compound adjec- tives to yourself!” Jerry looked up at him resentfully. “Tt’s no time for joking!” he declared sharply. “T beg your pardon,” said Exmoor, so- bering instantly. ‘‘No, Hampton, I cannot believe that a lady of such surpassing at- tractions, such charm of manner, such wit, such grace, such consummate loveliness, _ could ever bestow a second horrified glance “upon a creature one-half as hideous as the one you describe.” Jerry ignored the banter, or was too dis- tracted to perceive it. “Milton Delroy has just told me,” he said, in a voice as hard as chilled steel, “that his daughter is engaged to a fellow whom it was my bad luck to see; and the man is an ass, a cad, an absolute lout, I tell you. Delroy said that she was in love with the beast! In love with him!” “Delroy just told you?” queried the other, feigning amazement. ‘Why, you must have spent the night there and had breakfast with him!” “No,” answered Jerry, taking him lit- erally, “I think I left there around mid- night; I wasn’t there so very long. Great gods! Exmoor! you seem to think I am telling you a joke! It’s a damnable tragedy! ‘The man was drunk there to- night when I saw him. ‘The girl had to run away from him. How could a girl like that care anything for a human beast? ‘Now, look here!” he added sternly, as he caught a twinkle in the other’s eye, ‘don’t misunderstand me, have only known Miss Delroy a short time; in fact, we are not even really well — acquainted. Don’t for the world think Exmoor, I THE ARGOSY. that I am taking the stand of a jealous rival. That’s too absurd, you know. She is a beautiful, gentle, sweet-natured girl, and I am simply horrified to think that such a thing could happen to her, just as any man would be. Understand me, please: my interest in her is purely im- personal.” “Poor chap!” exclaimed Exmoor, wag- ging his head sorrowfully, ‘“you’ve had a dreary night of it, haven’t you? Sitting on a curbstone somewhere, I suppose, or by the river bank—anywhere to be alone, I understand it all perfectly, Hampton; it’s odd, in a way, but men will always do that sort of thing when they have a purely impersonal interest in a girl.” Jerry started up, deeply hurt and in- censed and sentenced the other to banish- ment to a region that is not mentioned in the current gazetteers. “T apologize, Hampton, most abjectly,” said Exmoor contritely. “I am heartless and inconsiderate. But now, if you'll al- low me to refer to another matter, may I ask if anything was said, between you and Delroy, about your tenancy of this place? You may remember that we talked about it quite a bit yesterday, and—” A reluctant, whimsical smile broke slowly through the storm clouds in the younger man’s face. “TI suppose it’s my turn to apologize, Exmoor,” he replied. ‘Forgive me if I’ve acted like an ungrateful, thoughtless idiot. You have been up all night, haven’t you, waiting for news from me?” . “Why, yes, I have,” was the answer, spoken without rancor. ‘‘To be frank, I’ve been rather up in the air with anxiety. I persuaded your grandmother to go to bed, after I explained to her that you were away upon my service. I’m sure that she thinks me a selfish brute for sending you away at all hours. “When one o’clock came and you were not back I got impatient. At three o’clock I was convinced that there was nothing short of foul play to be reckoned with. Since then I have tried to be resigned to the rulings. of Destiny, but I intended to EORMMICLOOOKS (C@