Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

ee ee, ee Oe ae OO ee Se OO Se 510 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. swiftly to the door. At her command he came back. ‘“ These men are our guests,” she cau- tioned. He went out, anyway. Laird seemed to have waited for him. The two eyed each other up and down. “ You are a friend of the family, I take it,” said Laird. “ A better friend than some,” said Steve. ‘Don’t be too sure of that,” was the city man’s cool retort. It was upon Steve’s tongue to demand what the strangers had meant by proposing something to Frazer that had brought tears of shame to Nell’s eyes. But Laird’s quiet tone disarmed wrath as he said: “ A pathetic case, Frazer’s. Reminds me of one in my wife’s family. Chap came home from the war with his personality in rags. Physically and mentally he was sound as a dollar. Psychologically he was a wreck, like poor Frazer. Will you smoke?”’ Laird held out an opened cigar case. as No.” _ “You were in the service?” “ Yes.” “Then you know about shell shock. Well, this chap got over his, thanks to an emotional jolt such as Frazer has had this afternoon.” Steve’s eyes rested on a service button on Laird’s lapel. “A relative of yours, you say?” “ My wife’s sister’s brother-in-law.” Around a corner of the house Lutwell came bustling, with determination in his face and manner. He made for the door, but Laird intercepted him, led him down the hill to the garden, and kept him there in vigorous talk until Janet rang the supper bell. CHAPTER IV. A BARGAIN. FTER supper—a stiff and silent meal, A during which Daniel Frazer contin- ued asleep on the couch—Steve Brown repaired to a big rock under the spruces, and there sat down to brood over the misfortunes of his friends. What had Laird meant by his talk of shell shock? The chap he mentioned was his wife’s sister’s brother-in-law. Was Laird talking about himself? But what had shell shock to do with the present matter? Daniel Frazer had not been in the war. He was just a half-sick, broken old man. Swarthy Miguel drifted near with the milk pail on his arm. ‘““ Meester Steve, now.” “ Yes, Mike.” “Is it so that we gone be reech?”’ “Not right away, Mike. Don’t order your piano yet.” ‘But how can that be? I hear them say it is maybe worth meellions, our claim.” “ You heard them say that?” “Yes. When they was at the forge these afternoon I come quiet to get my file for sharp my hoe. Maybe that I leesten.”’ So these smooth ones who pretended friendship for Frazer were practicing upon him the usual tactics of greedy investors. Their talk of taking his mine off his hands as a kindness was bunkum. They would buy the property for a song—and it was worth millions. “Just what did they say about it, Mike?” ‘They say it is only need to show what the mine can do, then planta reech men will be crazy to buy heem. They say it is beeg companies in France that is now afraid of Russia and got to have mines some other place.” ‘* What else?” “The leetle fat one, he say what good is a meellion dollar to a man if he is always gone be a nut. And then they talk seeck soldiers, and how Meester Fraze’ was a beeg man once, and got lots friends yet where he leeve long ago. And sometheeng will be a cruelty to his girls, but yet it must not do to tell them, for they would say no.” With a soulful sigh Miguel ended: “TI tell Nita they are gone be kind to heem, gone buy the mine. And you say not?” Shaking his head, he went away to his evening chores. CORMICELOOOKS s : ~ om =e oe - 2 Se or. Se ee com = > eT re em