Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

THE SINGLE TRACK. _— Hoyt followed her in a non-committal si- lence, and when she seated herself upon the steps and made room for him shyly be- side her, he did not accept the mute invita- tion, but stood leaning against the rough, spruce post which upheld the shaky roof, and waited for her to speak. “You see, he’s been buying things at the store—tobacco and handkerchiefs and that sort of thing—and I didn’t know until to- day that he didn’t belong to the Northern Star outfit,” Jane began, angry at herself for proffering the explanation, and still angrier at her companion for making her feel that one was necessary. ‘“When he came in to-day he seemed so furtive and hurried, and so afraid that some one would come in and find him there, that I could not help noticing it; but Mr. Pettinger had told me to sell to any one who came in, no matter who, without asking if they belonged to our outfit or not. I sold him a razor, and he showed me his baby’s picture, and seemed so lonesome and long- ing for a friendly word, like a—a dog that had been abused, that I felt sorry for him.” She paused, but Hoyt merely said quietly: “Go on, please. How does he come to be here?” 3 ‘““T—J] found him just now back of that tumble-down shack in the next lot, groan- ing terribly, and with his face all beaten in. He said that Malison had done it, and had kicked him, too, when he was down! Just to see if my suspicions about him were cor- rect, I told him I would get the company doctor, and he told me frankly that he did not belong to the Northern Star outfit, but to the Unatika.” ‘Jane paused and added: “I haven't been able to find out from him yet what the trouble was about; but I think it must have had something to do with his. coming to our store, for just after he left to-day, Malison himself came in, and he—he was imperti- nent.” “To you? What did he say?” Hoyt’s voice was sterner than she had ever heard it, and Jane replied hurriedly: ‘Oh, nothing worth repeating. He was trying to make friends with me, I think; but I don’t like him, and besides, he be- 8 Arcosy longs to the outfit that has brought all this trouble to the Northern Star.” “Yet you take another Unatika man in- to your home.” Hoyt spoke with no sug- gestion of accusation, but as if he were trying to understand, and Jane drew a deep breath. ‘Well, you see, Mr. Hoyt, he seemed so sort of pathetically anxious for a friendly word and so lonely this afternoon that I thought he might be approachable in time, if | gave him cause to be grateful to me.” ‘““Approachable?” The young engineer seated himself suddenly on the step beside her and looked directly into her eyes. “ Just what do you mean, Miss Peddar?” “Simply that if there is a traitor in our camp, as Mr. Bowers says, it might be as well to have a friend in theirs,” Jane added hastily. “I don’t mean to meddle with things which do not concern me, Mr. Hoyt, but this Pietro doesn’t seem to be a bad sort, and a lonely man will sometimes tell things to a girl who is sympathetic and has been kind to him that he would not let slip to a man in the other organization. “I know it sounds despicable, but it’s only fighting fire with fire, and after that poor boy was hurt in that explosion last week I thought almost any means would be fair enough to use if it would be possible to learn their plans or something that would directly implicate them.” “By Jove, you are right, and it was a very clever idea of yours!” Hoyt caught himself up and added deliberately. “If it was your idea, Miss Peddar?”’ He put the remark in the form of so un- mistakable a question that Jane faced him squarely with widened eyes. ‘“Why, of course! Who in the world would have suggested it to me?” she asked, with an assumption of perfect candor, re- flecting inwardly that she was at least tell- ing the literal truth. It had been her own idea from its inception in those far-off days in New York. ‘I know I am only employed to tend store, but I thought that if there were anything else which I might do to help without meddling too much, no one would object. We—we’re all just working to- gether, aren’t we?” | 289 th ed a Mi | nS Be Gomichbooks:.