The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

THANKS =1TO THE —B. RT. basins, they were close to a thick velvet curtain and Catterson was breathing into his ear: “Stand here, Dr. Whinnys! Right here and look through the little space be- tween the curtains. There, sir! Can you see her?” Dr. Bowen, lips parted in astonishment, nodded. He did indeed see her! He saw, not the haggard, twitching wreck of a young woman that might have been ex- pected, but a girl of such startling beauty that his pulses quickened. The profile, which he could just glimpse as she stood by the window looking out into the night, was perfect in every line and curve; whatever her mental state, even the thick, dark hair breathed physical health. Not that such a condition was impos- sible, of course; the most powerful man Dr. Jim had ever seen had been in a padded cell and that permanently; but this girl—ah, she was turning now! The doctor from Hallas looked more intently, and felt rather convinced that Catterson had not exaggerated matters; for the ex- pression of the lovely eyes was sad and vacant, and the manner in which she shook her head slowly and stroked her cheek as she sighed was far from normal. Catterson pressed nearer to him as she moved slowly across the room, and he felt Catterson’s trembling fingers on him again and heard: “Is she going to that closet?” ‘““ Apparently,” Dr. Jim whispered. “Then be ready to leave, sir,” the elder man whispered, trembling the harder. “‘ She has gone for her hat.” ““She’s putting it on now,” breathed Dr. Bowen. CHAPTER VI. AROUND THE TOWN. D® JIM turned and tiptoed back quickly to the room they had left, and perhaps even the perturbed Catterson noted the change in him. Up to the very “15 moment of seeing the girl he had been puzzled and startled and not at all sure that, in spite of everything, he would not decline the task that had been planned for Polly. But it was otherwise now! That, under any circumstances, they should have been stupid enough to permit . a young and lovely girl like that to wander abroad while mentally subnormal was downright incredible. A thousand things might have happened to her; none of them, he felt certain would happen to her to-night; and when she was once more safely within the house—with whatever result as concerned the wretched cash-box that so concerned her father—Dr. Jim would give elderly Mr. Catterson a ‘talking to” about the case. “We'll leave this door ajar, sir!” Catterson doddered on. ‘‘ She leaves the house without a word, but we'll be able to hear her go down-stairs. You have your hat and overcoat, eh? That’s good! There’ll be nothing to rouse her suspicion as she passes out. Doctor, will you promise—”’ ‘“ T’ll prémise that nothing will happen to her which I can prevent, and I can prevent most things that are likely to happen to her!” Dr. Jirh said briefly, buttoning the coat over his broad chest. ‘‘ And new as to the box, sir.” “What?” snapped the doctor. “It’s a small affair, sir, about so big and so deep, and it’s pretty well worn as to paint. There are no marks of iden- tification on the outside, but my initials are painted in gold on the inside of the lid, doctor—‘ C. B. C.’ I mention this, sir, because if you locate the box it is more than likely to be open, I fear, and—”’ “If I can find your box, I’ll get it back to you,” Dr. Bowen said briefly. “ Listen! Is that the door down-stairs?”’ ‘“That—that is Helen, just pushing back the latch,” Catterson quavered. ‘And now, Dr. Whinnys, I can depend on you to stick until—” “Tl stick until the girl is safe in the house again,” the physician said_ briefly COPMicoOokKks (6)