Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

WHEN A was “‘ gone be reech.” The thought raised a barrier like a plate glass window between them and left him on the outside in the Miguel class looking in. They sat up in the stage for a visit when Miguel had led the horses away. “ Let Janet do the honors,” said Nell, “‘ while I cool off from old Stromboli.” ‘““Who’s he?” queried Steve. “Stromboli? That’s our latest name for the volcano we use as a cook stove.” The unwonted glow in her cheeks did not lessen her beauty in Steve’s eyes. She al- ways made him think of a rose; a rich and self-reliant one, with her dark hair and warm cheeks, and kindness in her eyes. “‘ How’s your mother, Steve?” “‘ She’s well, thanks. She sent her love.” ‘And Boulton?” ** Dead as ever.” Her eyes twinkled as she put her next question. ‘Have you had any more fights?” Seeing his quick frown, she was instantly penitent. ‘ Poor Steve—full of punch, and nothing to punch but police- men.” She alluded to a recent episode in which her young man, bursting with unexpected energy, had thumped Town Marshal Hum- mel in the nose for blackjacking old Abe Whittlesey, the town drunkard. ‘Never mind, Mr. Dynamite,” she went on blithely. ‘‘ Maybe there will be a job for you this summer, right here in our canon. Then you. won’t feel so explosive.” “What kind of a job?” he asked. ‘“« Are you particular? Mining, then. We are going to open a mine, and we shall need a nice young man with nice yellow hair and nice blue eyes and a nice firm chin to help us.” She settled back in the wagon seat with a little sigh of contentment. ‘I can tell you our good luck at last,” she said. ‘“ Bill Watkins has told me already,” Steve remarked. ‘“ When do you hop off for Paris?” “For Paris?” ‘“ Bill says you’ve got a guide book.” “Is that why you are so merry and gay this evening, Steve— because your old friends are happy? Look here, little boy. Look at me and stop sulking.” MAN’S BROKE. 505 No man alive could look at Nell Frazer and sulk. Stephen knew it very well, so he looked instead at her father’s workshop down by the garden. And since the garden was bright with the wondrous flowers of a Colorado June, he thought of roses, and so of Nell. “Steve, do you think all this is going to make a difference? Listen, Steve. You know why we came to Colorado. We came to save papa. eAnd just this summer, after ten years, he has begun to be himself again. It isn’t the money. He doesn’t care about it any more than we do. It’s just that he has found something that will help the world and bring him credit in his old profession. “He is like a new man. For hours at a time he forgets to brood over his memo- ries. You know what they are.” Steve knew, in a vague way, that Daniel Frazer believed himself to have been to blame for Mrs. Frazer’s death. They had been leaving a crowded elevator. Frazer, discovering that the elevator was falling, had jumped to safety. His wife, following close behind, had been killed. “He is even planning,” Nell continued, “to go to London next year to tell the world convention of mining men about the won- derful sperrylite lode he has found here in the hills. That’s why Janet and I are studying guide books. If we encourage him in the plan we help him to get back his lost faith in himself. ‘And still you don’t care, Steve? , You aren’t glad for us? But I know you are.” Before he could find words to confess his thoughts, Janet hailed them sportively from the house. ‘Hi, you love birds down' there, don’t ~ you ever stop to eat?” After supper Nell and Janet entertained the dashing Mr. Laird, who chatted charm- ingly of -his college days, and of the two small girls he had often seen playing on Professor Frazer’s lawn in the old Eastern university town. Steve preferred to listen .to Frazer and Lutwell. He learned that platinum was scarce, the war and the Russian revolution having cut off the world’s chief supply, which came from the Ural Mountains. The . price of the precious metal to-day was ex- CORDIC OOOKS i he Phe J i wen ; —_*s ——- = = — ‘ _® “fi _ "4 be 3 J sofas te — 3 ae ~. ¥ =—* an Ah Ale re ne