Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

746 Even as the boy spoke and hurried for- ward, with Mr. Boom at his heels, the ve- hicle that was their objective left the curb and started up the road. ““ Too late!”’ said the boy, pausing at the edge of the platform. .‘‘ Well,” he added philosophically, ‘“‘ I guess Jeb was. full up anyways.” “Damn!” Mr. Boom, muttered under his breath. ‘‘ Will I ever get away from this station?” “ That’s what I was woidesii’ fer eight years,” said a man who was seated in a buggy near which Mr. Boom was standing. Mr. Boom looked up quickly. The man who had addressed him was tall—one could perceive that, even though the man was seated—and rather thin. He was carefully | attired, his wide-brimmed felt hat, his smart gray suit, his flowing cravat and silk shirt looking as if they had just been taken from the. haberdasher’s window. Mr. Boom judged him to be seme prosperous farmer. ‘I beg your pardon,” said Mr. Boom. ‘Were you speaking to me?” The man nodded. ‘I heard you won- derin’ if you’d ever git away from this here station,” he dsawled, ‘‘ an’ I said that I’d been wonderin’ that fer eight years.” Mr. Boom blinked. The man looked sane! “If you’re goin’ to the Majestic,” added the man, “ why, jest jump in an’ I’ll take you up. I’m headed fer there, myself.” “ Thank you!” said Mr. Boom heartily, taking: his suit-case from the boy and drop- ping a coin into his palm. He climbed into the buggy. ‘ This is very kind of you,” he told the driver. The man made no reply. He clucked gently to his horse; and soon they were traveling up the road toward the distant village. ““T hope you'll pardon my curiosity,” Mr. Boom said after a long period of si- lence, ‘“ but just what did you mean by saying that you’ve been wondering for eight years if you’d ever get away from that station. One might imagine that you had been waiting there for eight years!” “T was,” replied the man. | Mr. Boom, who had lighted a cigar, sud- ARGOSY: ALLSTORY WEEKLY. denly dug his molars into it. He looked at his companion, but the expected smile was not on his lips. Evidently the man was in earnest! ‘“ What—what were you waiting for?” asked Mr. Boom, realizing at once that he must be a bit crazy, himself, to give cre- dence to % improbable a thing. ‘““Fer Bing, Bang, Boom,” the man re- plied promptly. Mr. Boom dropped his cigar from his mouth and fotgot to pick it up. ‘Well, I'll be damned!” he gasped. His host said nothing. He was staring mildly up the road, above the ears of his trotting horse. ‘‘ Say!” exploded Jasper Boom.® ‘“ Whe the devil or what the devil is this Bing, Bang, Boome .What is a Bing, Bang Boom!” : | The man turned his head away and spat carefully into the road. Then he turned to his questioner. “Did you ever read about the battle o’ Gettysburg?”’ Mr. Boom nodded wonderingly. course.” ‘Did you ever see a cyclone?” ‘““'Why—yes; I saw one in St. Louis, twenty odd years ago—”’ ‘“‘ Did you ever see a mad bull in a china “ Of— . shop?” ‘“Why—what are you talking about, sir ?”’ “Well,” drawled the man, “ jest picture all o’ them things gathered together into one package that weighs about a hundred an’ sixty-five pounds. That’s Bing, Bang, Boom.” | By the time that Mr. Jasper Boom ar- rived at the Majestic Hotel, he felt queerly giddy. He had undergone the rare expe- rience of conversing with a fellow man for three-quarters of an hour, in his own native ~ tongue, without understanding a word that was said. Not only was he giddy, but he was greatly exasperated. When he mount- ed the steps to the loggia and blustered mto the spacious lobby, there was battle in his eye. He chafingly waited to take his place before the register. “Mr. Boom,” murmured the blond (C(O) S (C(O) nn nn) (C 6)(0)©)