Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

140 notice. And she’s watching his attitude to- ward Miss Raynor. She says—Zizi does— that Mr. Rivers is over head and ears in love with Olive, but he won’t tell her so because he is, as he puts it, a self-named man! Zizi heard him call himself that, when talking to Miss Raynor, and then he just looked away, and resolutely changed the subject. ‘But she thinks—Zizi does—that he’s working night and day to find out who he is, and she’s sure he’ll find out. And also, h:’s working to find Mr. Gately’s murderer, and he’s hunting for Amory Manning.” ‘Well, why is he afraid to come here?” ‘“T’m not sure that he is; but you know, Zizi has a hunch that he’s the murderer, and I think, maybe he is. That snowflake sketch proves he was there that day, and as his presence isn’t accounted fer, why may he not have been the slayer? And, why may he not have an inkling or a suspicion of it, and dread to verify his fears?”’ ‘“‘ But, good gracious, Norah, even grant- ing he was in Gately’s office that day, he needn’t have done the shooting. There are about one million other errands he could have been there on. Perhaps he was a com- mercial traveler, selling laces, and drew the design for a sample.” ‘“‘ Sometimes, Mr. Brice, you talk like a tom-noddy! Drummer, indeed! I can tell you whatever calling Case Rivers followed before he fell through the earth, it was far superior to that of a selling agent! I’! bet he was a lawyer, at least!” “At least!” I mocked her. “ Under- stand, pray, I consider my profession some- what above the least of the professions! ”’ “Ves, for you dignify it to a high stand- ing,” and the gray eyes flashed me the smile of appreciation that I was looking for. I may as well admit that I was growing very fond of those two gray eyes and their owner, and I had a pretty strong conviction that after the present case was all settled, I should turn my attention to the winning of the exclusive right to the tender glances those eyes could give. But just now I had to exclude all dis- tracting thoughts, and, forcing my mind back to the present situation, I again mar- veled at the non-appearance of Case Rivers. THE ARGOSY. ‘Perhaps he’s fallen through the earth again,” Norah suggested. By the way, Mr. Brite, what do you think about that fall? Mr. Rivers is, no doubt, under some strange hallucination; but, all the same, may there not be some foundation on which he based his dream?” “May be! There must be! That mind of his is too sure-fire to hang on so des- perately to a-mere dream. He had some experience of a strange nature, and it in- cluded something that he looks upon as falling through the earth.” “Such as—” “T don’t know. But I’ve a vague idea of a motor accident. Say, a motor-car ran into a stone wall, and he was hurled high in the air and landed in the East River—”’ ‘“ But I don’t see how that implies falling through the earth.” ‘Well, say he slid down a high bank to reach the river—” ‘‘ There’s no high bank near the Morgue, and he was fished out in that locality.” “But he needn’t have fallen in there! In fact, he couldn’t have. He must have floated or drifted a considerable distance to have ‘had his clothing torn off him, and to have reached the state of exhaustion and freezing that so nearly culminated in death.” ‘Yes; but even yet you haven’t suggest- ed anything like falling through the earth.” ‘“ All right, Miss Smarty; what’s your idea? JI see you’re dying to spring some- thing.” ‘“Only what I’ve thought from ‘the be- ginning. I believe he, was in some cold country—Canada or somewhere—and fell down through a mine-shaft or into a deep, old well, or perhaps merely an excavation for a new, large building. But, anyway, whatever it was, his last impression was of falling down into the ground. Then, when he struck, he was knocked unconscious. Then he was taken to a hospital or some- where, and as the fall had utterly blotted out his memory, he was kept in confine- ment. Then, somehow, he broke loose and came to New York—or maybe he was brought to New York for treatment by the doctors and he got away, and either threw himself into the river or fell in accidentally, GOMIIGIOO S (CO