Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH. “We could bribe that man!” “Have you any money to bribe him with?” William asked dismally. “There is twenty dollars in my coat- pocket, but that’s down in the car.” ‘Yes, and there’s a respectable pile in my bank, but that’s down in the city,” William sighed. ‘I have a bad habit of carrying mighty little cash. I haven’t more’ than ten dollars on me, and Peter doesn’t look like a ten-dollar man.’ He scowled. ‘““T wonder how far it is to the ground?”’ He hurried to the window at the far side, opened it and peered out for half a minute. He found little Mrs. Elton on her feet, all expectancy, when he turned. ‘““We can jump?” she cried. “We could jump off the Woolworth Building, if we happened to be on the roof,”’ William said grimly. ‘‘ What would happen to us when we landed is another question. This must be the tallest house in the world. ._ It’s about a mile down to the ground.” “Oh!” .said Annabel disappointedly. “Well, we—we could send for the doctor and reason with him?” William shook his weary head. “We may have to try that later. I’m afraid it’s not much use. He seems pretty certain that we’re people named Otis and —well, let’s sit down and rack our brains for a while.”’ They were still in the process of racking when dinner appeared on a tray, borne by the massive Peter. No meal could have been much more vile. The very soul of the tin-can lurked in that soup. Tin was upon the breath of the indescribable, minced corned-beef; even the soggy potatoes suggested that they might have made recent escape from some air-tight container. William, having sam- pled the soup, addressed Peter. ‘‘ This is meant for human consumption?” OT eat ath’ “That doesn’t answer my question, you know,” William said gently. “Is this stuff meant for food?”’ “You'll have some trouble getting better while you're here.”’ William sighed. ‘““Tf they’re not crazy when you get ’em, you drive ’em mad with hunger, eh?” to quit theorizing and get out. observed. “ Eat!” ‘You needn’t stay around, you know.” ‘“T got orders always to stick when they — send up knives and forks,” said the attend- ant, and, drawing his chair another cautious two ‘yards nearer the feast, sat alert and ready for trouble. They were young. hours in the open air. Hence, William and Annabel sought to still the pangs of hunger with the curious materials before them— Even the younger stomach has its limitations, - sought, but only for a little while. William sat back. ‘““T never understood before to-night how food could start mutinies on ships,” he mur- mured. ‘I think you may take the rest of © it out and bury it, Peter.” Without comment, the attendant lifted the tray. ‘You wouldn’t accept a ten-dollar bill and permit us to escape, Peter?” William — asked drearily. ‘From what I understand about the length of time your relatives want you kept here, and the amount of money they got, I wouldn’t take a thousand to let you go down in the office,’ Peter stated, quite flatly. ‘‘ Now, listen, and take a tip from a friend.” 4c Eh?” ‘Turn out your light and hop into bed and stay there, both of you. What you need’s sleep more than anything else, and the doc ‘ll see you get it here—natural or otherwise. And he’s no boy to fool with!” Then he stalked out, locking the door carefully after him and apparently dropping a cup or two from the tray in the process; and they were permitted to gaze at each other with whatever amusement they could muster. William spent very little time in smiling, though; close to Annabel again, he spoke swiftly: “This isn’t any place to be. We'll have out the lights.” ee Rat” “You don’t want to be jabbed full of holes with a hypodermic, do you?’ No, neither do I,” William went on, almost Gomichoo (E fi: bear were super-. abundantly healthy. They had passed some © Let’s turn’ YA Peay 4d . AN ye) AEF { \ 213° i “You're quite a bright young guy,” Peter ; Vhete AS A val ited ia? { PUMAR AyD, Sek te \y hy Uprhis 7 Aes Pa PSE BO uh oe