Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH. liam fumbled along the. side and all but toppled over again. His foot had caught in something that time. He stooped and felt about and a thrill went through him; here, even without the trouble of entering the structure, was a ladder! Aye, and it seemed to be as long as the barn itself. He felt along and felt along the thing, lying there upon the ground and resting against the barn’s side. He chuckled richly. The center would be about here. He lifted cautiously and poised the length of timber. He had found the center fast enough. And now there was nothing at all to do but slip back, erect his ladder, rescue the beautiful little lady, and flee! Though his back was breaking under the strain of the thing, William hurried onward—hurried safely, too, although there were trees to hit and bushes over which to fall. Men have been decorated with war crosses for less nervous expenditure than William made upon that little hair-raising journey. Yet he had accomplished it safely. Up there, a slightly lighter dot on the black side of the house, Annabel was leaning out of the window, breathing audibly. William stood back, and, his whole strength in the task, erected his ladder with never a single scrape. Up it, too, he ran noiselessly. Joyfully he gripped the cold hands of little Mrs. Elton. “We're all right!” he hissed quite madly. “We're safe! Did you ever see luck to beat that, kid?” “You're not hurt?” “Not a bit. Never mind that part. Come along! Ill start down first; you follow instantly. I want to be there to steady you on the down trip. Come!” He fumbled outward for the ladder, which stood six inches above the sill. He gripped at the side, chuckling insanely. He —well, he sagged forward and recovered himself with a gasp. The ladder had moved outward under his very fingers. He reached after it, choking wonderingly. Again his finger-tips touched the wood—again the thing slipped farther into the night, away, away! And then, with a mighty crash and a crackling of small branches, inconsiderate hands sent the precious ladder headlong into the bushes, and Dr. Baiswell’s clear, cool voice floated up: | “Get back from that window, Mr. and Mrs. Otis. Close it. I shall be up to attend to your cases immediately.” CHAPTER VI. HOPE DEPARTS. TEN terrible seconds passed. ‘“ We—we—we might just as well turn on the light,” Mrs. Elton quavered. ‘Yes, we—we might!” William agreed, and stumbled across the room. S The switch snapped. Once more the vast chamber was brilliant; but such color as either of them had enjoyed during its last brilliant spell was quite gone now, Annabel’s cheeks were snow white; it can- not be said that anything like an apopletic flush was upon the cheek of William. ‘“T guess we’re up against it now!” he said thinly. ‘What will he do?” “That’s what we’re going to find out,” muttered William, and regained some of his composure. ‘ He can’t—”’ ‘“He can drug us!” Annabel submitted wildly, although with sound sense. ‘ He has his attendants, and he can have us held down while he drugs us and keeps us here for—forever!”’ Her hands stretched out pitifully. Wil- liam caught them in a commendabiy firm grip. 7 ‘* Nothing like that will happen,” he as- sured her, although there was small convic- tion in his voice. ‘‘ You’re right, though. He has the better of us on the force propo- sition. We'll have to be diplomatic and— psst! Here he comes!” It was really wonderful, that smile of William’s! It was submissive to the extent of admitting complete defeat; it was frank- ly rueful and slightly humorous in its con- fession of that defeat; and.at the same time there was a sufficiently jaunty es to excite admiration. Nor was this artful expression wasted. Even as, entering, he met it, Dr. Baiswell’s AS cComicbooks.c