The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

THANKS could be forced—or battered down, if he could impress the unfortunate girl with the idea that it was some sort of joke and no cause for alarm. Why the inscrutable forces of this musty palace had to manifest themselves again just when Helen Catterson was calm was beyond his guessing; but they were down now and ready for the trial. And the newest match was not out of Dr. Bowen’s pocket when the big, unsus- pected door beside them opened and bathed the lower hall in light from the billiard#room! Two men were in there and on their feet—one who might have been the second man and the other was in chauffeur’s livery. They had been playing cards on a large wooden chair; cigarettes smoked on the edge, and there was a half-emptied beer bottle at either side; but the sgame had been suspended now, and the ugly-looking chauffeur had stepped before Dr. Bowen. “On your way out?” he ance briskly. “ T think so.” “Take another think, ae: there’s nothing doing,” said the chauffeur. “ Back right up and go up-stairs again before anything rough starts! That’s orders!” — CHAPTER XIII. THE WAY OUT. AJ ATURALLY patient and even- tempered, Dr. Jim’s patience was sorely tried during the few seconds in which he stood face to face with the liveried gentleman. He could lick that man! And the odd man was small enough to be negligible, however wiry his build. And when he had finished licking them both Helen Catterson would have attained a pitch of hysteria amounting to mania, in all probability; her hand on his arm was shaking now as she asked: ‘““Can’t we gor”’ “ Er—a little later,” Dr. Bowen said with difficulty. 34 TO THE- B. RF. “T want to go now.” “Git up there again, mister,” the chauffeur put in. “ You got no business down here. You couldn’t get out in a year till we’re ordered to—” , “Let it go at that!” Dr. Jim snapped. for the hand was trembling more mark- edly. ‘“‘ We'll go up again.” ‘““Up where?” the girl asked, as they climbed once more. In the main corridor and headed toward the front of the house the butler was just passing. “To the room we left, I think,” Dr. Jim said distinctly. “ I’m afraid that we shall have to stay there until they’re ready to turn us loose.” “But I want to go,” the girl persisted. “When can we go?” “Very likely in the morning,” her pro- tector answered sadly, as they passed the man in the hall. He did not follow. when they had ascended the second flight. He failed to see the grim and determined smile which came to Dr. Bowen’s features as he closed 33. the door of the room. He missed the pic- - ture of the doctor holding both Miss Catterson’s hands and looking fixedly into her troubled eyes while he said very gently: “Listen to me, please, and pay at- tention to every word: Will you do that, please?” ‘“T’m going to get you out of here and take you wherever you want to go,” he» said slowly and confidently. ‘“ I want you to sit here just as you are and wait for me to come back. Don’t follow me; just sit here. And then we can go.” The girl nodded submissivel¥. “TI may be gone for a little while, but T’ll come back and then we’ll start,” Dr. Bowen repeated, rising and smiling down on her. “ Just sit still.” One trait that should have made for his far greater success in life was his in- © nate resourcefulness. Many a time Dr. Bowen had gone right on after all hope had vanished, trying this drug when that (EO) .OO AMG cS