Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

THE GREATEST GAMBLE. toof with her unless you were here. It’s bad enough as it is.” ‘Letty, how can you hurt me so? You say you love me—”’ ‘“Tt’s because I do love you that I see so clearly,” Letty cried brokenly. “ I’m afraid of Julia. She wants to take you from me. If ever she gets the slightest inkling of—-” Again Letty had to clip her tongue. It was forever on the verge of betraying her. But Derrick was too distressed to notice the threatened lapse. ‘It hurts me, Letty, that you and Julia don’t seem to hit it off. 1 can’t believe it’s entirely her fault. She tries. I know she does.”’ “Oh, so she’s talked me over with you!” . Letty’s breast rose and fell in tragic up- heaval. Nothing could be more bitter than to be ‘“‘ talked over” by Julia. She could imagine the sort of things that had been- said. | In vain did Derrick try to comfort her; she was too hurt and angry to pay at- tention to what he said. “ Nobody in this place has a word ‘to say but. Julia. She'll do anything to gain her own way, and when she dislikes anybody She's implacable. You ought to have seen her with that poor Howland girl the other ‘day. She simply forced Uncle Bill to take sides with her against the girl, and now ‘heaven knows what’s become of the poor hing. If Julia makes up her mind that a ‘person ought to be damned she jolly well ‘gees that they are damned. That’s how she feels about me-—” ‘Letty, you ought to he ashamed of yourself! m Derrick was angry, too. Toward him ‘Julia had shown only her brightest and ‘best side. He regarded her as a noble and dhoroughly unselfish character. The quarrel that night did not end in peace. They had had little squabbles be- fore, but always made them up before’ ‘going to sleep. That night Derrick slept in his dressing-room, and in .the morning he was ‘off to the Works with Julia before Letty ‘was up. Nor did he come in to say good- ‘by to her. : “ She’s taking him away from me,” Letty Rhoaned to herself all through that long 327 day. Precious ‘hours were passing, the last two days when Derrick and she could be together for many months,’ and he was Spending them with Julia at the Works, or elsewhere. Also they had quarreled, and it seemed to Letty that they would probably go on quarreling until the very moment of their final parting. How little people knew of life when they could end a story with: “ And then they were married and lived happy ever after.” At tea time Letty established herself in the drawing-room with a bit of sewing. She chose a seat near a window that commanded a view of the drive, and fer eyes were lifted lrequently from. the linen she was embroid- ering. Perhaps Derrick would come home earlier to-day than usual, and she would coax him to have tea with her alone in their own room, Then they could have a really serious ‘talk about last night and the danger of such quarrels becoming a matter of habit. This separation would be a nightmare to them both if they were to part without hav- ing full confidence in each other restored. At last the sound of wheels rewarded her vigil. Sometimes when Derrick did return carly he made use of a cab. She jumped up, and parted the curtains eagerly. Yes, it was a cab-~a closed one from the station. But it was not Derrick who got out of it. The man spoke to the driver, obviously telling him to wait, and when he turned toward the entrance Letty recognized the tall form and suave, bearded face of Roger Fitzgerald. CHAPTER XIX. BLACK NEWS, HAT could Roger be coming here for, unless to threaten or betray her? What could he want of her? Alas, alas, things were bad enough be- tween her and Derrick, but they might be much worse, and Roger was the one person who could make them so. In such a mo-~ ment, with Derrick already angry with her, and Julia to back him, how cruelly easy it would be for Roger Fitzperald ita-demglich CO