Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

el Bae eee ie OO! en : ee a APN eS “ * eT J i t ‘ us j 4 THE YELLOW EMERALD. meant was to ask you not to try to see it— as a favor to me, You'll do that, won’t you?” “You did say I mustn’t see it,” he in- sisted. ‘ You said it was dangerous—it wouldn’t do me any good. Of course, that’s nonsense. I’m not a child. How could a magazine article hurt me?” The girl sat down again. She looked suddenly weary, it occtrred to him—par- ticularly the soft, gray eyes. She turned them up to him. They were weary. Com- passion pricked him. “YT might have said anything, at that minute,” she murmured. “I was so sur- prised. Forget it, please. Just promise not to look for it any further—you wouldn’t be successful, anyway.” “Why wouldn’t I?” he insisted. “ Do you mean that—”’ “T mean,” she said, “ that no matter how hard you try, you can’t get hold of a copy of that magazine.” ‘“ Because—”’ ‘““ Because—you just can’t, that’s all.” “ How do you know?” “ That—I can’t tell you.” ‘You asked me a moment ago to promise to drop the matter, if you remember,” he said hesitatingly, after a pause. “‘ Well, why? For your sake or—mine?” He laughed shortly. ‘“ Of course, the latter would seem quixotic, considering the length of our—”’ She flushed, but answered bravely as she got up: “ Our—acquaintance—has been longer than you realize, Mr. Tarton,” she said. “T do care—for your sake —no matter what you think. That is—the principal reason why I ask you—”’ “What!” He was half-way round the table, but even as he started, she had slipped away. Regardless of amazed glances, he pursued her into the hall, just as the elevator door clicked mockingly. When he reached the street floor, vie three flights of stairs, she had disappeared. Slowly he toiled up again, and back into the quiet research library with its dim hght, long tables, and rows of bent, silent figures. Rummaging the floor, he recovered the slip and carried it to the attendant. 5 Arcosy a ‘““ Are you sure,” he inquired in his most ingratiating tone, “that this magazine is not on the shelves? being made—”’ The sandy-haired curator looked at him twice and smiled curiously. ‘““T don’t believe there’s much chance of your finding that—here or anywhere else,” he vouchsafed dryly. “ Tat’s no error— we know it too well.” “Why?” demanded ‘Tarton. about it?” ° ‘““ What I’ve known of errors Again the official eyes swept him ap- praisingly up and down. ‘““ Well—” the officer perched on his desk corner and squinted mysteriously—*“ that book has been stolen out of here—that’s_ why.” 7 “ But other libraries—surely—” ~ “ What ones, for instance?”’ “Why any of them — towns about here—”’ “They've all been to us, looking for a spare one,’ he _ continued relishingly. “Theirs have been stole, too.” He got to his feet and waved his fore- finger at Tarton. “T don’t think, mister, that it’s possible to get a copy of that—anywhere. We’ve tried. It’s out of print. The publishers haven’t it, even. No library that I have ever heard of has kept its copy. All gone!” “ Well—I’ll be—” “Sure!” His palms separated expres- sively. “ Just what I told you.” Tarton’s fingers gripped his arm. “Why? Why?” he demanded. “ What’s the trouble? What have they got against it? What’s—what’s in it?” The other blinked at him. “ Damned ’f I know,” he gurgled, as he turned away. CHAPTER II. ANSWERED. "TARTON spent about all the remainder ‘ of the day and a good share of the night chewing the thing over. In “the end, it finished as it had begun—by being a flat poser. 3 It was easy to see that the girl herself eC HME 241 © 3 2 el el ee 7