Argosy, Vol. 119, No. 2 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

178 <= all the gaiety gone from her eyes, though she forced her lips into a smile as she saw ~ Tony Fane standing, waiting. In his hand _ was a small automatic pistol. With a mur- mured word of thanks Robinetta took it from him and slipped it into her pocket. “Tt’s loaded!” said Tony, as if he could not help the comment. Robinetta’s clear eyes met his. Was it fancy, or did he see a troubled mist back of their seriousness? He could not be sure. But all through dinner her reply echoed in his consciousness, giving a thrill of added adventure to the adventure of falling in love with another beautiful girl. “Tt has to be!” she said. CHAPTER VI. ROBIN THE RECKLESS. DvD CORTLAND had an appoint- ment that took him away from Ara- minta’s side shortly after nine o’clock. Tony had promised him to see Robinetta home, but the girl turned to him, laughing. _- “T can drop you anywhere you wish, Mr. Fane; I have the car, and shall be glad to, but I’m quite capable of going home alone.” “My dear!” said Miss Letherby, her fine brows raised in amazement, “ you couldn’t drive yourself, alone at night in New York.” * But of course—” said Robinetta com- posedly. Araminta shuddered. ‘“ You might be sandbagged; murdered; anything,” she ex- claimed. ‘I should be scared to death.” She gave an unmistakable shudder. Tony was looking at Robinetta—he had done little else the whole evening—and he saw an expression of amazed inquiry come ~ into Robin’s face. ‘“‘ But 1 thought—David told me you were a Western girl,’ she ex- claimed. ‘‘ After the prairies, what is there to be afraid of in the city? An old man I used to know told me there was nothing in the world big enough to be afraid of, and he guessed there was nothing outside of it, either. He was a very wise old man; he’d seen a lot of life; he’d been a convict.” ‘“‘ Good gracious, how did you ever meet him?”’ Miss Ferndale said. Robinetta considered. ‘I think it was THE ARGOSY. ~ at a chicken supper at the church,” she said, and smiled at the laughter following the | announcement. ‘ He was a very good old man, too, and quite religious.. Those things don’t always go together, of course, but they did with old Scart.” Her eyes were upon Araminta as she said the name, and the most beautiful woman in New York raised a white hand and care- fully covered a yawn. ‘ My dear,” she said, “ you really mustn’t talk about persons of that kind in the city. People won’t understand.” “Qh, as to that,” Robinetta chuckled, ‘“ I think they would. You see. Scart was very rich. He could have come into New York any day and broken up a few millionaires. He made all his money after he left Sing Sing. People here would have said that he was quaint, after they knew how much money he had.” She faced Araminta roguishly, laughing at her own cynicism. “I was at school in the East, Miss Letherhy; I understand more than you think. “T’ve forgotten hae you were edu- cated,” said Araminta. There was a gleam of malice in her eyes. Like most beauties, she did not care to see a younger and less » lovely woman win admiration that she had enjoyed. Robinetta was interesting to her because she was David’s sister; but now that David had gone, she did not relish seeing Tony Fane worshiping at her feet. It had been a nice game to flirt with him; it was always worth while, because it made the other women so wild. Tony was the wealthiest and most attractive bachelor in town. She was not without forethought when she asked this question. Tony was demo- cratic, but he could make distinctions. He must know that this girl was quite impossi- ble, in his heart of hearts. To hear that she had been educated in a little two-by-four school would cure him of his infatuation for her absurd naturalness. “Did David tell you?” asked Robinetta, surprised. “I was at Miss Selden’s, of course.”’ Anita Ferndale made a sudden coughing sound and buried her face in her handker- cGomicbool