The Argosy, Vol. 83 No. 1 — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

46 turned him about, and he faced the high fence on the eastern boundary of the farm. The fence was like a black wall banked with blacker shadows, but there are a thousand shades of black, and the watch- er’s eyes, slowly adapting themselves to their task, found one that was distinct from the others. It was motionless, but he felt instinctively that it had the power of movement. “Who is there?” Jerry demanded. There was no response, and he picked up one of the stones under his feet and pitched it with some force at a chosen point in the darkness. There was a gasping grunt, either of surprise or pain, and something rushed upon him precipitately. He sidestepped and threw himself forward, and in an in- stant was rolling on the ground with a man who seemed to match him. in size and strength. | Jerry was not versed in the tricks of the wrestler, but he fought hard, with spirit and determination; and it was the same apparently with his opponent. They grappled fiercely, writhing and kicking, feeling for each other’s throats. The unknown man began panting almost at once, and he battled with the fury of despair, evidently knowing that an early victory was the only one he could hope for. Jerry sensed this and grew cautious. He kept the other’s hands from his throat and face, and strove merely to hold what little advantage rested with him from sec- ond to second. They floundered into the thick grass and weeds back of the poultry-house, first one uppermost, then the other; and Jerry found an arm free for an instant and drove his fist hard into his antagonist’s dia- phragm. The blow was followed by a sharp grunt and wheezing in the throat, and directly the man’s strained muscles relaxed and yielded, and Jerry held him fast. The stranger caught his breath again and groaned. His muscles knotted, and he heaved and tried to rid himself of the captor’s embrace, ° THE ARGOSY. ' “There are policemen close by,” said “Shall I call one, or will you giv Jerry. in to me?” The other gained breath enough to swear with feeling. “Who—who are you, anyway?” he gasped.. “Introductions should begin with you,” returned Jerry; “you didn’t come here at my bidding. If you are interested in fancy poultry you might better have writ- ten to me and asked for an appointment. The fowls look better by daylight, too.” He got to his feet as he spoke and al- lowed the man to rise, but watched him cuardedly. “You think I came to steal chickens!” the stranger exclaimed. “There’s little else here,”’ was the reply. “You could scarcely hope to get the cow over the fence, and you couldn’t lead her out at the gate without being caught by somebody.” The stranger paused, breathing heavily. “Tt would be idiotic for me to make up a story to explain my being here,” he said presently; ‘‘only a drunken man could say that he got into such a place as this by accident.” “How about the insanity plea?” Jerry suggested. ‘“That’s usually good when everything else fails.” The man grunted—whether with dis- gust or amusement could not be deter- mined in the darkness. “That comes painfully near it in my case, I guess,” he replied bitterly. “I sup- pose I shall have to give you some ex- planation. I came here to—to find a man. I wanted to find him to-night; to-morrow won’t do.” “We can hardly pass you on that,” said Jerry. “If this were a hotel, or something like that, your story might sound reason- able, but we don’t have men quartered in the poultry-house or the cow stable. I am the only man in the house, and as it ap- pears that I am not the man you were looking for, we are back where we started from. You'll have to try again.” ‘TY don’t believe that you are the only EORNICGLOOOKS (C@)