Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

144 have moved a finger to put Amory Man- ning out of the way, vet George Rodman may have done so. Oh, it’s all so mysteri- ous, so complicated. But of this I’m sure— Case Rivers is in no way connected with the whole matter. He is a man from some distant city, he is unacquainted in New York, and he—” Here Olive broke down utterly, and fell into a hysterical burst of weeping. Zizi rose and gently urged Olive to go with her from the room. A silence fell as the two girls disappeared. It was broken by Mrs. Vail, who remarked dolefully: “I do hope that nice Mr. Rivers will come back, for dear Olive is still in love with him.” ‘‘ What?” cried Pennington Wise. ‘‘ Miss Raynor in love with. Rivers! That will never do! Why, we’ve no idea who he 1s. He may be a fortune-hunter of the lowest “Oh, no, no!” denied Mrs. Vail. is a most courteous gentleman.’ ‘““That doesn’t count!” stormed Wise. ‘“‘ Although perhaps I spoke too strongly just now when I called him names!”’ ‘“‘ Especially as he has no name!” I put in. “In fact, he calls himself a self-named man!” Wise smiled. ‘‘ He’s a witty chap,” he conceded, ‘“‘ and I like him immensely. But it’s up to us, Brice, to safeguard Miss Ray- nor’s interests; and a possible suitor for the hand of an heiress ought, at least, to know his own ancestors! And then again, unless he recovers his memory and can deny it, there’s a fair chance that he had some hand in the Gately murder. We can’t get away from that snowflake pattern drawn on the blotter. Rivers was there in that room; he sat at Gately’s desk, opposite Gately him- self—I mean, of course, this is the way I reconstruct the matter—and if he didn’t shoot Gately then and there, at least, we have no proof that he didn’t.” ‘“‘T think he did,” I admitted, for Wise’s Statement of the matter was convincing; and besides, Norah thought so, too. ‘Well, you think again!” came in a wild little voice, and there was Zizi at my elbow, fairly shaking her little, clenched fist in my face. ‘‘ Mr. Bad Man Brice, you’ve got a 66 He THE ARGOSY. lot of follow-up thinks a coming to you, and you’d better begin ’em right now!” She looked like a little fury as she danced around my chair and exploded the vials of her wrath. ‘“ That Mr. Rivers is a perfect- ly good man; I know! He and Miss Olive are in love; but they don’t hardly know it themselves—bless ’em! And Mr. Rivers, he won’t tell her, anyway, ‘cause he’s a nobleman—one of nature’s, maybe, and again, maybe he’s a real one from Canada or wherever he hails from. But, anyway, he no more killed anybody than I did!” ‘All right, Zizi; bully for you! As a loyal friend, you’re there with the goods!” Wise smiled at her. “ But after all, you’ve got only your loyalty to bank on. You don’t know all this.” ‘“Tve got a hunch,” said Zizi, pounding one little fist into the other palm, “ and when it comes to certainty, death and taxes have nothing on my hunches!” CHAPTER XVIII. CLEAR AS CRYSTAL. **LJELLO, people! What’s the matter, Zizi? I'll be on your side! Bank on me, little one, to the last ditch. And, by jumping Jupiter, Brice, I believe the last ditch is coming my way! No, I haven’t got a strangle-hold on that eloping memory of mine yet, but I ’ave ’opes. I’ve had a glimmer of a gleam of a ray of light on my dark, mysterious past, and I beflew myself straight to good little old Dr. Rankin, who’s my trouble man every time. And he says that it’s the beginning of the end. That any day, almost any hour now, I may burst forth a full-memoried and properly christened citizen.” “Good for you, old chap.” And thrilled at the elation of his tones, I held out my hand. ‘“ Go in and win!” ‘“Oh, won’t it be fine when you remem- ber?” cried Mrs. Vail, wringing her hands in excitement. ‘ Why, I knew a man once—”’ ‘Ves Rivers encouraged her in his kindly way—‘‘ what happened to the lucky chap?” ‘‘ ‘Why, he was affected something as vou GommiGcboo SS (CO