Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

TRACING THE SHADOW. ‘“Qlive tells me, too, that my veice was of a totally different caliber, due, no doubt, a certain vacuity made in my brain by the loss of my memory. Oh, well, that’s the story. And but for my peculiarity of drawing snow crystals—a thing I’ve done just about all my life—and but for Zizi’s quick-witted realization of this habit of mine, I might never have regained con- sciousness of my true personality!” ‘Probably something else would have brought it about,” said Wise, ‘‘ but your drawing of the snow crystals began with Brice’s first interview with you. I ought - (The 151 to have found that drawing on Gately’s desk long ago! Stoo-pid!” and he beat his head in mock self-abasement. “ Yes,” said Zizi, giving Wise a smile that was both impudent and affectionate, ‘you should have, O Wise guy! You ‘ought to have found that snowflake draw- ing for yourself.” ‘“Oh, that’s what I have you for, Ziz; to look up clues for me.” ‘Of course you do, Penny Wise. I’m only your Pound Foolish, but at least, I can see through a clue. that is as clear as crystal!” End.) “ne 7° runette William C. be ngel WO short weeks in each year, Kenneth Howard flowered forth into his real self. For fourteen days he lived— this interval constituting the real essence of existence, his dream of life as it should be. The other fifty weeks on the calen- dar served a two-fold purpose, for his dream to take form and to permit him to corral sufficient coin of the realm to make his dream blossom grandly. In this long, monotonous period, it was as if a huge spring were bemg wound up, slowly, surely, tediously, painstakingly. But always there was the jeyous anticipa- tion of that titillating sensation in store during those two glorious weeks, these two weeks when the spring was released, when it loudly. whirred and wracked dramatically along till its action was spent. Then once again the grind of rewinding. Kenneth was a draughtsman, one of a dozen or more in the great building organi- zation of Bertram R. Dunham & Company. He was a dreamer. His fellow employees wondered how he managed to. hold his job. And when, now and then, from out the depths of Kenneth’s dream state there emerged a vision of architectural beauty and grandeur, the self-same fellow-em- ployees called him a lucky stiff and swore that he had a stand-in with the old man. But Bertram R. Dunham played no favorites. He knew Kenneth Howard’s weakness and also his strength. He knew GoOMmiGc soo (i SS (C(O)