The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

THANKS TO THE B. R.. T. Whoever lived hereewould see him,-of course, unless they chanced to be down- right eccentric. At the end of ten min- utes, he decided that it would be a wom- an, because the normal man would have been down before this, while the normal lady, in the nature of things would have to dress. At the end of twenty minutes, how- ever, he had ceased smiling and even es- sayed a trip to the hall door, by way of looking about. There was absolutely nothing to be seen, save an empty, expen- sively furnished hall. Dr. Bowen returned to his chair aud glanced at his watch. To the best of his figuring he had been there half an hour; he was irritated and worried, and, hav- ing relaxed somewhat in the stillness, tired,and hungry as well. He had put in a trying day, and as trying as any other part of it was the task of sitting here and wondering what was happening to Helen Catterson. He could not, in ordinary decency, go hunting for her through somebody’s house. He turned to the evening papers and discovered that he had no mind for them; subconsciously his attention had drifted to the soft sounds coming from somewhere else on the floor. Somebody was moving around now, evidently in the next room. Dr. Bowen fell to listening, and, after a little, he caught the faint clinking of silverware and the occasional chink of china. The family was real and material enough to eat, at any rate; those muffled clinkings told of a belated clearing up of the dinner things. Rather hungrily, Dr. Jim’s thoughts wandered back to such elemental things as roast beef and the chickens his house- keeper had cooked so deliciously when, as happened all too frequently, they came in lieu of cash for professional services rendered. There had been baked Indian pudding, too, and— Dr. Bowen looked suddenly to the door at the far end of the room, which had opened with a loud squeak. 25 The butler, expressionless as ever, was standing there, head inclined respectfully. ‘* Beg pardon, sir,” he said in the most matter-of-fact way possible. ‘“‘ Dinner is served, sir!” ns CHAPTER X.. ODDITIES MULTIPLY. ET it not be assumed that. Dr. Bowen’s sudden rising denoted any forgetful- _ ness of Helen Catterson or his mission in the queer house. was born of an eagerness to see her again —hbecause, as Dr. Bowen imagined for a fond ten seconds, many things had cleared themselves in that simple announcement. The family, of course, dined late. They understoed Helen’s condition; they had not: felt inclined to explain it to their butler. They had been preparing for din- ner and the ladies had been keeping Helen with them as a matter of course—and now that dinner-time had come they would tell him, in whatever guarded way seemed fitting, just how matters stood. In the doorway, though, Dr. Jim’s smile vanished suddenly. The dining-room was big enough to seat thirty people comfort- ably; a dozen could have dined at the big, round table in the center. Yet although he saw silver and china and shining glass and a pair of candles, they were as a little dinner oasis in a desert of white linen: a single place had been set at the far side of the table! ‘“ Well—er—” escaped the physician. “If you please, sir?” said the butler, drawing out his chair. ‘““Am I to dine alone?” “Tf you will, sir.” Once more he indicated the empty chair, and Dr. Bowen walked slowly to its side. The door over there was open; he could see the main hallway of the home and the side of the stairs; by lean- ing a little he could, even see the front door itself. Miss Catterson, should she make the attempt, could not well leave unperceived; > P) ECOPMICOOOKS Rather the suddenness~ (E@)