Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

212 and his brain reeled. Loomis had been right; Helen had been- right. He himself was a blithering idiot, an ass unmitigated, a clod whose few wits had dissolved in a ray of June sunshine and— “What does it mean?” wailed dizzily at him from across the room. “Mean?” William exploded amazingly. “Mean? It means ruin for me!”’ “ W-what?” “Yes, ruin! Ruin! I’ve got six hours’ work to do in New York, andthe whole fate of my firm depends on it. And I’m jocked up here! I’m locked up in this oe’ He broke the word off just in time. Wildly, he clenched his hands and shook them toward the ceiling. “ That’s what it means!” he repeated. “Tt means that I’m wrecked if that job isn’t done—and there’s no way of doing it now. It means that those everlastingly accursed eggs have put the kibosh on as nice a little business as a man ever owned. That's what it means!” “Yes, and—and how about me?” Mrs. Elton demanded with soaring heat. ‘They were your eggs,”’ William snapped unpleasantly. “ But it wasn’t my stupidity that got us in here,” the young woman retorted with equal vigor. ee Hey?” “No! I never wanted to come into this place! I knew it was no chicken farm! But you’d been so nice about trying to find them that I didn’t want to argue.’”’ She faced him, eyes flaming. “What am I going to do about Aunt Fannie?” “ Pah!” grunted William. “It’s not unimportant, if that’s what you mean,” cried Mrs. Elton. “ It—I wouldn’t offend her for worlds. No, I’m! not mercenary, and it isn’t just because she’s so rich. But my Jackie isn’t very well established yet, and he depends so much on her good will—” Lips quivering, Mrs. Elton panted to a standstill, but the eyes flashed at William, and her trembling hands shut tight. ‘Oh, I wish I’d never laid eyes on you! I wish I’d never laid eyes on youl,” “Yes, and believe me when I tell you that 7 wish 7’d never—”’ THE ARGOSY. Here, since there was some smoldering manhood within him, William caught him- self very sharply. It may even be said that, soundlessly, he cursed himself for a cad, a coward and several new and luridly quali- fied kinds of fool. A slightly unusual situa- tion had enmeshed them, to be sure; but the world was not necessarily coming to an end and the situation itself would not im- prove one whit through hysterical anger on his part. Little Mrs. Elton had collapsed in her chair again and covered her face. Also, she was crying once more. Ten steps took William to her side. ‘I beg your pardon, fromthe bottom of my heart,” he said humbly. ‘“ I’m a born idiot, but I didn’t mean to be a beast.”’ ‘“You—you were right,’’ Annabel sobbed pitifully. “It’s my fault. I didn’t mean to be a beast, either.” “It’s not your fault at all,” William said quietly. “ The blame is all mine, and the Lord knows how you'll ever forgive me. Don’t cry.” - He patted her round shoulder soothingly. The touch seemed to comfort her; ever so slightly and blamelessly, Mrs. Elton snug- gled against the hand and her sobbing died down. William sighed inaudibly; really, she was not much more than a badly fright- ened child. ‘““ We'll have to stop abusing one another and face the thing calmly, you know,” he laughed, with an attempt at bright good cheer. ‘““No, we—we won’t abuse each other any more, will we?” Annabel sniffed. “Most certainly not,’ William said heartily. “‘ Now, let’s see. We're the vic- tims of some crazy misunderstanding. How it happened, I don’t know. It did happen. We’re here and—” “Yes, but they can’t lock people up like this!” Annabel protested warmly. ‘ Can they?” “They certainly cannot, even if they do seem to have done it. However, that’s another point for future consideration. We're here. We want to get out. All we have to do is to find the means.” Annabel nodded brightly. It was really simple when one put it that way. EOPMIC LOOKS (E(o}