The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

THE GILDED TRAP. “ But, Bruce, we decided that Sunny- ville was the best thing we could possibly afford. We don’t want to live in a cheap flat. We want something better than a collection of rent-receipts.. We—”’ “Tt may have been the best thing we _ could afford,” Bruce put in. ‘“‘ Now we don’t know what we can afford. I cer- tainly don’t intend to saddle myself with a piece of property at this stage of the game.” “What will we do, then?” Ellen asked. “We can get plenty of nice apartments for thirty or thirty-five a month,” he told her. “What will we furnish such an apart- ment with?” she asked in return. “ We were going to use a lot of this old stuff here. It wouldn’t do in such a flat as that. And we can’t save enough in three months to buy an outfit of furniture.” Bruce had not intended to suggest what he now suggested; he had not dreamed ‘that he would want to suggest it; had not allowed himself to think so. But marriage in three months! “ Do we really have to get married in August?” he suddenly blurted out. He wished he had not said it. wound he had given her was too obvious. It was a moment before the girl could control her voice. “ Why—not if you—don’t want to, Bruce,” she answered tremulously. “Of course I want to,” he hurriedly corrected. . Yet, having said it, he could hardly yield the advantage he might press. “Tt isn’t what we want, but what may be best for us. If we get married in August it will end all prospect of saving any money, whether we rent or pay for a place or whatever we do. And I’ve just realized what a man may do if he has a little ready money. “Down there at Mercer’s club there was a fellow who’s managing a branch brokerage office. He put Mercer next to Amalgamated Zinc. Mercer had a little money to put down. And he cleaned up two thousand dollars. “ Now, if we just waited a little while, The | 77 until I could rake together a hundred or two—Mr. Wheelock promised to put me next to something like that when he knows of it. What good would it do, if I had no money, or all I had in a shack on a chicken-yard? Wouldn’t it be better Sas, He broke off. He was not making a hit with his proposition. ‘“‘ What’s the matter? think so?” he urged. “Oh, I suppose so,” Ellen answered Don’t you really wearily. “I don’t want to stand in your way, Bruce. I—lI’ve an awful headache to-night. I really can’t think. I—you’ll excuse me, won’t you, Bruce?”’ She rose and hurried from the room. Bruce got up, stepped toward the dining-room,saw her mother sitting there, heard Ellen close the door of: her tiny sleeping-room beyond. He hesitated. What could he do? He turned softly, seeing that Mrs. Randolph was dozing, found his hat in the hall, and made his way down the four flights of stairs. He wondered if he had been a brute. Of course he would have #0 come back to-morrow and tell her that he had changed his mind, that he wanted to be married to her more than he wanted all the money in the world. Of course they would take the little place. Of course— and he would always stay a drudge. Ellen had the right to say. Five years of patient waiting, in which he knew she had turned away one admiring suitor with better prospects than his—five years had given her the right. But— “Damn it all,” he growled miserably, “why can’t she be a little bit reason- able?” CHAPTER VI. REAL MONEY. E did go back on Wednesday eve- ning, though a wakeful night made him wish rather to retire early. “Well, girly,” he spoke cheerfully—the more cheerfully at sight of doubt in her = Gomice JOOKS (E@)