Argosy, Vol. 119, No. 2 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

we'll talk about after breakfast, THE ARGOSY. eas “T was, but that’s another of the things Dave; I heard Foo Chah come back, I think. Ex- cuse me for a minute.” . Left alone, David considered the situa- tion. His appearance of extreme youth was not borne out when one looked closer. ‘There were fine lines beneath the eyes, marks of pain at the corners of the nostrils and the temples. It was still the face of a -young man, because David Cortland had something a the old, indomitable fighting spirit that never ages, but it was not es- sentially a young man’s face. Still, the lines of humor were strongly marked, and as David considered the situation he re- laxed, until even his eyes-were smiling. ‘““Must have been something of a knock- out for Tony,” he said to himself, “‘ but he certainly is a sportsman. What a time Robin ‘ll have over it when I tell her. Whew! If I had left that stand under the clock just one minute sooner, none of this - would have happened, and I should have felt sore and as if nobody cared, for long enough. Poor old Tony, expecting ‘to find a stranger, a down-and-out, desperate vil- lain! I never shall forget how he looked when he understood I was the man. If there is any wey on earth for me to make it up to him— His soliloquy was interrupted by the breezy entrance of his host. “Lord, David!” he said. ‘Foo Chah must have known you were coming; he has mushrooms and lamb cutlets for break- fast. If you can’t eat a whale of a meal when Foo Chah cooks cutlets and mush- rooms, — s something wrong with you, believe me.’ David laughed. “I can, but I’ll call it lunch. I ate my breakfast at seven— Robinetta is very severe with me, now that she has me back again ’—an expression that Tony could not decipher flitted across his face—‘ she makes me keep early hours at each end of the day.” “Makes?” said Tony. makes you do anything?”’ _ “ Baby? Well, don’t let Robin hear you, that’s all; she was twenty last birthday. 1 bet you a box of cigars, Tony Fane, that “That baby _ Robin could make you, or any other rea- sonable man, do aniihtite she made up her mind to; and what’s more, you'd enjoy . doing it.” - CHAPTER It. AN AMAZING DISCLOSURE. BREAKFAST had been over for an hour when at last Tony turned in his chair and looked at David with as*direct, alert gaze. “Well, out with it, old man; I’ve made you Snalien your story long enough.” David Cortland took a long pull at his cigar, watched the cloud of smoke disap- pear, and looked at his friend. His expres- sion was keen and searching, but his eyes smiled. ‘‘ Have you found. em yet?” he countered. ‘Found what?” ‘The marks of the jail- bird?” “Rot!” Tony stood up impulsively. “I don’t care what you were imprisoned for, David, because I know you never did a thing in your life to be ashamed of, but 1 want you to know that I am going to earth out the dirty scoundrels who made you suffer, and beat ’em up. I'll do that if it’s the last thing I do on earth, so. help _ me God!” He changed to a lighter tone. “And don’t tell me anything you don’t want to; I Saad mention it because in your ae “What letter? Have you it with you?” — “Certainly.” Tony laughed uncomfor- tably. “It gave me a bit of a jolt, you know, finding it came from you. Was there any need to tell me in such a round- about way? If you’d sent me word where you were these last five years, do you think it would have taken me long to get to you? Has every one turned you down so that you distrusted the whole world, even me?” — Tony Fane, forgetting the dictum of old Abraham, stood with his back to the fire, and said what was in his mind. His color was high, his blue eyes flamed. - He re- minded David of the boy who had won the college Marathon, seven years before, who, cheered and lauded by the crowd, had stood so, and yelled for the university, turn- ing the chaps: away from himself.