Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

+t 9 - 4 “Vv 1 | rd *% ee . 7 — ehh bh = , ee “ Don’t you like this work?” “ Like it! Oh, my good gosh!” Kitty laughed—a warm, sympathetic laugh, and applying a bit of pressure to the riding crop, moved her captive back inch by inch until he was standing near his old place by the peck measures. Something was disturbing the wild goose on the lawn, for he was cackling and hissing and making a row that would have driven Tom Osborne to murder. Springtime waved his hand helplessly and said: “ That’s me. He wants to get out, and so do I.” “ Don’t vou think it,” said Kitty with an- other laugh, in which there was no sym- pathy. “ He'll never leave as long as the cornmeal holds out. His wanting to be up in the cold sky is all bluff.” “What does your dad want to do with me, anyway?” asked Springtime cautiously. “What is he up to? Why does he lock me up in this tin shed with all these darned beans? He did something for me; took me to a bonesetter and had my back fixed and gave me a place to sleep, and he’s been white about a lot of other things, and I’m willing to do something for him to pay it back—that is, something within reason. I told him so, and he brings me down here to work on beans! I can’t stick it!” “Why not?” asked Kitty. “Well, I can’t, that’s all! things to do!” “What other things? I’m asking because I might be able to help.” “Well, it doesn’t matter!” blustered Springtime. “I won’t stay any longer than I want to stay. Just as soon as I feel like drifting I drift, that’s all. If he had given me something decent to do I would have done it, but I’m darned if I don’t think all bets are off when he puts me on a job like this one. When I get ready I go!” There was something in Kitty’s look that made his words seem hollow even to himself —as though there were an echo somewhere omiees eoduiaie on him and was mocking courage whis- s vas tub re and if it I have other we * g ~iag as, aoe, . 2 om > < ae Re LF fad 8 as" a ai » + * * % ee ee * A ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Kitty quietly. tricks one up his sleeve. Something is in th I don’t know what it is, but I’m that it’s about the bullet holes in romped of the machine. I know he had a long talk with Mr. McCabe. The chief asked him a lot of questions, and he answered some of them. You're probably under observation.” Cold wave after cold wave went up Springtime’s back and the sweat stood out on his forehead. His start toward the door was a pure reflex action, as unconscious as would have been the winking of his eye if Kitty had thrust her riding crop at it. Again she laid the bamboo across his arm and he stopped dead. “You can’t escape while I am here,” she said firmly. “ After I’m gone you can do anything you can, but not now.” “Under observation!” gasped Spring- time. “Slim McCabe! Oh, my Lord!” ““Yes,” said Kitty as quietly as before. “Dad told me all about the affair, and while you must believe that I don’t for one second think you had the slightest connec- tion with it, you will have to admit that there would be some justice in—well, in suspecting you. You saw my father go to the bank and get some securities and you rode with him to Hanover and there you looked into a window just in time to see him putting thirty-eight hundred dollars in his pocket. When dad comes home it is dark and you have had plenty of time between seeing those notes and dark to spread the glad news that Tom Osborne was. driving home loaded with bank notes.” “Dream on!” “T’m not dreaming. I’m telling you how it would look. There never was @ squarer man than my dad, and there never was @ man who would be slower to suspect amy- body falsely, or quicker to help any one he thought was being falsely accused. But he is sure bad medicine on la and: he’ll move heaven and earth to get that holdup man. You can be — in everything and Dod Now Pll tell — how ine est 0 2. mt eo i Oe a ‘ 3 oe ray’: " es - » | * > oe a % * Ps — ee ee