The Argosy, Vol. 83 No. 1 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

54 second dbserver to adopt a similar s‘oic- ism. A bird flew into the thicket within a yard of Jerry’s head, then discovered him, scualled indignantly and fluttered out in great perturbation. If Kingsale had been a skilled woodsman or a graduate boy scout he would have read a danger signal in that, but it did not disturb him. Kingsale enjoyed the luxury of moving, of rustling the branches as much as he pleased, for he feared no observer short of the house-boat, but Jerry had to remain motionless, cramped and miserable. Both had a fairly uninterrupted view of the box- like craft, and Jerry resolved to watch it until something happened to break the spell. The afternoon waned, but with tedious slowness. Laborers returning from their work came to the scattered houses swing- ing dinner pails, and it made Jerry hungry to see them. He began to feel resentment toward the boat, the man near him, and most of all toward himself for taking up such an enterprise. As the shadows deepened and the light grew more ruddy he relaxed his vigilance through sheer weariness, but he was sud- denly made alert by an excited movement on the part of his neighbor. Instinctively he glanced at the boat and saw a small skiff coming in sight around its stern. The tender was still moored to the steps, and it was conceivable that the moving boat had started from the far side of the larger craft and come around it in order to mislead an observer. The lone man in the skiff was unrec- ognizable, at the distance, in a black soft hat pulled low on his head, and dark clothes.. He rowed slowly to the shore, drew the skiff up on the bank, and came up the street where Kingsale and the dark man had stood. ; As he drew nearer Jerry could see his face under the sagging brim of the hat, and it was clean shaven except for a close clipped mustache, while the eyes were masked with large-bowed spectacles. He regarded his walk and carriage for THE ARGOSY. an instant, vaguely perplexed, then a sec- ond glance at the face brought recognition. It was Exmoor beyond all doubt, and he had removed his beard and put on spec- tacles in order to assume another disguise. Exmoor passed. along the street, glan- cing neither to right nor left, crossed the avenue at the corner, and kept on west- ward until he was out of sight. Jerry hoped for relief now from his vigil, but some fifteen minutes passed without event; then the cautious King- sale stepped quietly from his retreat, looked about until he was satisfied that the field was clear, and sauntered down the other street and along the bank to the point where Exmoor had disembarked. Jerry stood up and stretched himself with luxurious sighs of satisfaction, and advanced through the brush to a point that commanded a better view of the water. He saw Kingsale enter the skiff and push off, and row deliberately around the stern of the house-boat, out of sight. He was reluctant to make free with the property of other people, but there was a small landing stage at the water’s edge with half a dozen old boats tied to it, and as there was no one in sight to question his act, he ran down and commandeered one of the boats and a pair of oars that lay on the landing. Taking care not to glance at the house- boat again, he rowed slowly down the river as far as Two Hundred and Seventh Street, then circled about and pulled back on the port side of the house-boat, which was facing south. From the corner of his eye he could see the boat tied at the rail, but on board the house-boat there was no sign of movement. The movement, he reflected, was all within the cabin; and he could readily fancy Kingsale upsetting and rifling lockers and boxes with his almost military thorough- ness. He was half disposed to go aboard and interfere, but there were questions in his mind. He was no longer honestly in sym- pathy with Exmoor, much as he had liked the man at first; his actions had been too COPMICLOOKS (C@)