Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

A NEW GIRL IN TOWN. Randal that stood him in bad part at this crisis. Dogged and despairing he watched her go. As she approached, Diantha saw the col- onel, bareheaded, on his doorstep, looking toward her with an extraordinary expression of anxiety. “ Diantha!” he cried. Here you are.” How her sore heart warmed to him! How it reproached her for deceiving him! His eyes were upon the overcoat. She had to account for it somehow. She began to rattle off the same tale she had told the footman. «. . Nota beggar. A poor, shiver- ing man who hadn’t any overcoat. But when I came back with it he was gone. I “Thank God!” looked everywhere. I hope you don’t mind my taking your coat.” “Oh, the coat! That’s nothing!” He was looking at her with a peculiar sadness. Diantha had an uneasy feeling that her story had not made good. “ The house was so hot!” she went on lamely. “I just wan- dered out for a mouthful of fresh air before dinner.” “ Diantha,” he said softly, “ I was look- ing out of the front window.” “ Oh!” she cried, instantly crushed with shame. “ Forgive me for deceiving you! I soon repented of it. Indeed I did, I did! I have sent him away.” “Diantha,” he said gravely, “I have never told you the name of the lady we are working to save.”’ This sounded so oddly irrelevant, she lift- ed her shamed head to stare at him. “Tt is Randal Guyon’s mother.”’ “Oh, Heaven!” breathed Diantha, aghast. “Oh! Now I understand!” CHAPTER XIX. MANEUVERS. became daily more enamored of her réle of Diantha’s tender, wise, humorous mentor, and she played it aie n. What a treat it would have m to one of Myra’s a male friends with her own sensuous, isse: osophy. But if Diantha’s nid sen rit | was as hard as crystal also. Only the col- onel could have appreciated how well the © girl played Aer part when she was alone with Myra. : During all their talks Diantha never ceased trying to find out whether Myra had ~ some particular object, or was just bent on mischief generally. Myra was very chary of introducing Kirwan Sutliffe’s name, but it had to come up in the end, and then with all Myra’s cleverness, Diantha perceived that the older woman was acting as a sort of emissary for the man. Diantha told the col- onel, and they had a good laugh over this odd development in their favor. ‘Help her out! Help her out!” he said. One day Diantha asked Myra with an in- nocent air: “‘ What do you think of Kirwan Sutliffe, really?” ‘““Oh, my dear,” drawled Myra. “I only know him as one of hundreds. A tall blond youth, isn’t he?” “Not a youth,” said Diantha demurely. “Very much of a man. Very handsome in a masterful sort of way.” Myra concealed a smile. “JT place him now. Hawk nose. Thinks pretty well of himself.” ‘Well, that’s better than humility in a man,” said Diantha. After that Sutliffe was continually” the subject of their talk. Diantha probed Myra for information. She did not get much. Diantha had no doubt in the world but that these talks were all duly reported to Sutliffe, and it amused her not a little to shape che talk in the way that Sie: ia him to get it. | “ Wouldn’t you call Sutliffe a very pas- — sionate man?” she asked Myra one gor — “ Why do you think so?” » ee “ He makes furious love to re os “T thought the most passionate men generally dumb.” a