The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 65: 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. you dry up for fifteen minutes and I'll show you what I want to show you.” Grinning, he spun his chair around and reached into the open safe beside his desk, dragging out several big books that looked like ledgers. Grinning, he slapped them to the desk and began to whistle as he turned pages with his left hand and jotted down an item here and there with his right, on a prescription-pad. So that Dr. James Bowen, for the time, was left to his own thoughts. Surely, they were astoundingly differ- ent thoughts from the kind he had been enduring an hour or two ago! Through no fault of his own, he had leaped from the verge of ruin and disaster—not down- ward, but up to the heights of prosperity. This practise of Polly’s was a gold mine, in itself; and once settled in it and able to specialize as well, there was most sure- ly no real limit to the altitude he might reach! Or was it through no fault of his own? It struck Dr. Bowen, after a little, that perhaps his new policy of pushing and grabbing had had something to do with the matter; in fact, they seemed to have served so nicely thus far that he would cling to the policy in a somewhat modified form in future. Or he might go even far- ther back than the policy itself: he might thank the B. R. T. for most of his good fortune! It was a funny notion, causing him to smile, but it held a great deal of justice. Had the B. R. T. not been running cars in this direction, he would never have reached Polly Whinnys’s neighborhood. Again, had his particular Ocean Avenue car not chosen to stop just where it had stopped, he would not even have known that Polly was settled in Brooklyn—he would not have entered the office—he would not have answered Catterson’s call and stepped into the craziest night of his existence! Actually, it was thanks to the B. R. T. that he had passed from a penniless wreck to a prosperous doctor. And to the same B. R. T., however indi- 55 rectly, he might give thanks for meeting the one girl in the world! Curious enough was it at such a time, with his whole life altered and Polly Whinnys preparing to stagger him with details of the business, that Dr. Jim should have forgotten all else and centered — his mind on the elusive vision of that lovely face! He would find her again now, whoever or wherever she might be—yes, if he had to neglect half of Polly’s wealthy patients until the hunt was over, he would still find that girl! He would know her better and, what was considerably more to the point, she should know him better. And if, in the due course of time, Dr. Jim Bowen did not make that one par- ticular girl his wife—the telephone was ringing. “Hello! Hello! What? Yes, Dr. Whinnys speaking!” that gentleman said impatiently. ‘“ What? Dr. Bowen? Yes, of course I know him. He’s sitting here now. Hey? Of course you can speak to him. Here, Jimmy,” said Dr. Whinnys, thrusting the telephone at his friend and turning another page. ‘“ One of your lady friends that couldn’t sleep, I guess. Now, lemme see—’’ ‘“ Hello!” Dr. Bowen said hoarsely, be- cause his heart—without a reason in the world!—had begun to pound. “Dr. Bowen?” asked a voice he knew upon the instant. “This is Dr. Bowen.” “This is—” “Yes, I know your voice! at once!” the adventurer cried. “ Really?” the girl’s tone softened and a queer little laugh rippled through it. “Doctor, I’m so glad that I caught you. I—1I want to tell you how sorry I am about it all.” . “Sorry?” I knew it “You don’t understand, of course,” the © girl went on. ‘I’m a private investigator —or I have been. I’m not any longer. I’ve given it up and I’m going home to Rochester to-day or to-morrow. I’ve been doing some law work for several weeks for COMIC OOOKS (E@)