Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

176 mitted the man easily. ‘“ You see, I ain’t been doing much all my life outside of fighting men and making love to women. Takin’ it all in all, I don’t know which is the most exciting, but I’d kind of put a woman above a gun fight.” She thought at first that it might be pure banter, but he spoke so steadily and evenly that she was deceived. Then, remembering his manliness and courage of the earlier evening, she took pity on him. “If you’re playing me for the common run of girls,” she said, “ you’re on another cold trail, Van Dyck. Men ain’t a thing to me. Less’n nothing, in fact.” “That just goes to show,” said Dix Van Dyck, “that you’zxe built along my own lines inside. You see, girls have been less’n nothing to me, too.” : ‘What you been doing, then, lying to "em?”’ “Sort of. And mostly sort of angling around and waiting for the right one to come along.” ‘‘T s’pose,” she said scornfully, ‘“ that I’m the right one.” ‘“Nope. Not yet. You look all right, but I got to glance you over a bit more before I take you.” An inarticulate murmur of rage answered him. 3 “You ave mad, ain’t you?” he said with an open delight. ‘‘ Let’s see?”’ And reaching over to the fire he raised a glowing brand, twirled it dextrously till it broke into a small flame, and raised it so that he could look full into her face. winced away a little and obviously wished with all her might that she could cover her face from his sight. For she was scarlet with shame and pride and rage. That pride kept her from turning away; that rage made her drop a trembling hand on her gun. “Van Dyck,” she said furiously, and her voice shook like the voice of a fighting-mad man, “I’ve pulled my gun for,less things than this.” “But you can’t make your draw on me?” he queried, ‘“‘ That sounds pretty good for me, doesn’t it?” She was silent. (To be continued NEXT WEEK.) vw She - THE ARGOSY. ‘‘]T -s’pose,”’ he went on, “‘ that in the whole world there ain’t nothing you hate half so much as you hate me.” “Stranger,” she said, “you must be reading my mind.” “Sure,” he said, “I have been for some time.” His voice changed and grew deeply serious. 3 ‘And now, tell me why it ain’t possible for us to make a team, Jack? I been talk- in’ foolish, but I just wanted to get you worked up enough to begin really thinking about.me. But look at the two of us! Here I am just about the same as outlawed. Here you are with every man, woman, and child in Double Bend afraid to sit down by you. ‘““ Why can’t we hit the trail together and run north? No, I don’t mean double harness or anything like that. I mean travel like man with man. We'll h-t new country where we ain’t new. You'll get a chance to forget that fool cross, and I’ll get a chance to live without fighting for a week or two. Shake on it?” He stretched a broad palm beside the fire toward her, and he saw the instinctive jerk of her arm to meet his gesture. He held his hand patiently. At last he with- drew it with a sigh. “Think it over,’ he said quietly, “I don’t want you to make up your mind too guick.”’ Still no answer. And then, suddenly, so that he stared where he sat and narrowed his eyes to peer at her, she said: “ Van Dyck, are you talking as man to man or aS man to woman ?’”’ The solemnity of it took his breath. The light answer tumbled to his lips’ and fell heavily back again. She was sitting very straight, and he could make out the glow of her eyes as they reflected the firelight. ““Tf it’s man to man, you'll go with me, Jack?” * Right! she said. And the truth came up to his lips. It came and formed itself in words, surprising the speaker more than she who listened. Tell me straight, Van Dyck,” ~ .DOOK (C@) (EC)