The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 2 — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

LADIES DON’T COUNT. up and gave two of them back-handed cuffs and forced plenty of room for the scrap. After a few minutes of indecisive fight- ing a look of intense disgust came to Red’s countenance; reaching suddenly, he threw Ross back into the crowd of spectators. As Ross’s opponent rolled over and rose on his hands and knees, Red picked the logger up and threw him broadside against the wall. The windows shook; the lights flickered; the glassware behind the bar jingled. “ Thar!”? Red remarked. difference in the echo!” Red sauntered into the hallway. He stood absently gazing around when a low, shrill voice giggled in his ‘ear: ‘Why, hello, Red. <Ain’t you dancin’ to-night? Me ’n you ain’t danced none since I seen you to Noblesborough!”’ “Eh? Why, Dory, is it you?” ‘Sure it’s me. Who’s cookin’ to Big- gers’s camp now? I’ve ben up to Dod- ders’s all the fall, but, you know, I’m sick of them fellers up there. They ain’t no good.” Dora sniffed. Dora Hearn was a tall, rounded, wavy kind of a person, with forty kinds of wriggles and twists and tippings of her head and rollings of her bright, blue eyes. She always had liked Red Hamblin. ‘We got a good, husky crew over to Black Creek,” Red told her; ‘and Jim’s up-stairs somewheres. Like’s not he wants a new cook, but I don’t know about that. I hearn somebody say ourn was goin’ out before the spring drive.” ‘Hear the “Would you like to have me over there?” Dora asked, rolling her eyes. “T could stand it if you could,” Red erinned, ‘‘ You never séen such an awful bunch of eaters as we be over on Black Creek.” ‘“ Oh, well, you’d come in an’ help peel ‘taters sometimes, wouldn’t you—er wipe dishes?” ‘“T’d wipe the tin platin’ right off ’em,” Red laughed. ‘“ Let’s go up an’ dance.” “Oh, I don’t know, Red—yes, I will.” Leaning heavily on Red’s arm, she went up-stairs, where they found a place to dance. While Red danced like a man of tangled watch-springs, she lolled and swayed through the figures, rolling her eyes around and resting on Red’s arm like a bale of animated cotton. ‘““ Look at Bill Bright,” she whispered to Red with sudden interest. “I never seen him with a white collar on before. Ain’t he a handsome man, Red?” “{T could spoil his looks with two side-swipes and a punch,” Red grumbled savagely. For retort, Dora giggled and crouched up to Red’s elbow, but rolling her eyes to- ward Bill nevertheless. And Bill Bright, being a gallant, and probably not noticing who her partner was, slipped into the set during a ladies-to-the-right and stole a swing with her on a youth who was not alert. Red, at the opposite side of the circle, saw the incident. When Dora came around to him, he swung with such vio- lence that he lifted her off her feet. ‘““My lan’! You'll throw me across the floor!” she gasped when she had recovered her equilibrium. . “T can’t stand seein’ the way them namby-pamby fellers swings a girl. They go mincin’ around like they was walkin’ on nettles.” ‘ But Bill Bright’s real gentlemanlike,” she retorted, seeing the drift of Red’s com- ment. ‘T likes kind of fat gentlemen—to eat,” Red grimaced. ‘ Bill’s got brains. Course se don’t have to work,” Dora sniffed. ‘““Tf a man ain’t no muscle, he has to have brains,’’ Red jeered. Dora suddenly changed the subject: “What do you s’pose Bill went an’ married that little Squeen girl for? I bet she don’t weigh more’n a_ hundred pounds.” ‘What ’d she want to marry a feller like him for?’? Red demanded. “Why, he could marry anybody,” Dora smiled. ‘‘ He don’t run down in his CONNIE LOOOKKS 279 (C@)