Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

100 “Then I don’t suppose you know Bill Tate.” The first speaker gazed-but of the window at the straggling houses of Junction City’s suburbs, abutting the railroad tracks diagonally. “The man that’s responsible for my being here to-day.” “ Bill Tate?” The traveling man wrinkled his brows. ‘‘ Seems to me I’ve heard the name. Isn’t in business, is he?” The other man laughed softly. “Why, not exactly,” he said. ‘‘ More of a professional man, I reckon. If you read much fiction, you’ve probably read some of his stories.”’ The traveling man’s brows cleared. ‘ Oh, yes,” he exclaimed. ‘ He’s the fellow that writes the yarns about London, Michigan. But—he doesn’t live in Fenville, does he?” “‘ He sure does. Fenville, you see, is the London he writes about. old burg famous, Bill Tate has. I read every story he turns out, and so does every other Fenvillian, you can bet, whether he’s at home or abroad.” ‘““T see. And you’ve come back to see your old home, on account of Tate’s stories?” “ Partly. But I have a lot better reason than that, my friend. Bill Tate pulled me out of the financial mire and made me rich. I’m going back to give him the time of his life—see? I’ve shipped two of my cars. to Fenville. Bill Tate’s going to see more high life than he ever dreamed existed. That’s me!”’ The prosperous looking stranger em- phasized his declaration with a vigorous slap on his right knee, which act caused a large diamond on the middle finger of that hand to scintillate, and his thin watch chain to dance. “ But—I don’t exactly understand,” re- marked the traveling man. ‘If Tate is rich enough to help his friends financially, how is he going to benefit by your—” ‘“‘ He isn’t rich,” interrupted his com- panion. ‘I doubt if he has more than a decent living. These writer chaps don’t make fortunes, you see. I’m positive that he’s never been away from Fenville, unless it was to run down to New York some time or other to see an editor. So I’m go- ing to show my appreciation by doing some- ~ THE ARGOSY. He’s made the © thing handsome for him. He’ll be some surprised, Bill will, to find out what he’s done for me.” “‘ Why—doesn’t he know it?” The trav- eling man stared at the other, who chuckled comfortably. | ‘“ Not much, he doesn’t. one of the surprises.”’ The train came to a grinding halt before @ grimy station. Porters began trundling baggage trucks along the brick platform. A . thin stream of people passed the window, their faces turned up expectantly after the manner of passengers about to mount the coach steps. The prosperous looking man looked at his watch. “Tt ‘ll be pretty nearly an hour before we.get to Fenville,” he volunteered. ‘“ If you haven’t anything else to do, I’ll tell you — a story that I’ll guarantee to be interesting. It’s about Bill Tate and myself; and it didn’t begin to happen until Bill and I were a thousand miles and twelve years apart. Want to hear it?” The traveling man tendered his cigar- case. “* Shoot,” he said. That’s to be I can’t say that I ever liked Bill Tate. Neither did anybody else in town, for that matter. He was one of these big-toothed, fish-mouthed boys, who grinned most of the time, and looked like he was grinning when he wasn’t. He talked a good deal, too, which didn’t add to his popularity. Some fellows can talk and get away with it; but Bill Tate wasn’t that kind. Every time he opened his mouth he said something to make some- body mad. Used to brag considerably, I remember, and wasn’t above stretching things, or lying outright. His big teeth, which stuck down over his lower lip a good half-inch, made a broad slash across his face and were constantly in evidence. He had little, dirty gray eyes with a per- petually inquisitive expression in them, and a nose that turned up. His ears stuck out from his head quite a way. Altogether, Bill wasn’t exactly prepossessing in ap- pearance. Even his hair used to make me mad. It came to a sort of a point behind, especially cComiclsoo