Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

318 Watson as Blake pocketed the automatic, and Stanton scrambled to his feet. ‘Off this land!” ordered Blake as he pointed to the path, at the bottom of which Watson’s car stood. ‘“ You may have a mortgage on it, but you don’t own it. The mortgage will be paid when it falls due. Now get off and get off fast.” Back in the house Blake found his little mother all flustered up over the excitement; she had never been used to seeing rough stuff applied, and wasn’t quite sure whether she should be angry or pleased with her son. She compromised by letting him take her on his lap in a rocking chair and kiss her until she wasn’t quite sure what was going on. “They did my dear old dad in oil, but they’re not going to do my dear old mom in sand,” said the young roughneck as he set her down on her feet on the floor. “ I’m going back to the gravel bank. If you want or need me before supper time, just send Elmer to the brow of the hill to whistle for me,” and he went off to his Eldorado. At the bank he found Grant Rice, whom he told what had happened. “ Are you sure that mortgage is worded as you say it is?” ‘“¢ Absolutely! ’’ answered Blake. ‘“‘ Then you have nothing to fear. I don’t mean by that that they won’t try to frighten you. I mean that if they pull you into court, you can beat them to a frazzle. Come up to the house to-night. Betty Lambert’s been asking about you. Remember Betty, don’t you, the spindle-legged girl who sat across from you in school who wouldn’t tell the teacher on you when she saw you scatter Limburger cheese in the aisle? You remember, Betty and Helen were twins; I married Helen. If the information’s any good Betty is still unattached. The doctor can probably give you some good informa- tion about this Ezra Watson. He knows a lot of people over in Cherry Ridge, which is only about ten miles from here.” “Tl come, may I bring mother with me?” “Do. You may need a chaperon. Betty’s just as nice as she always was, only a little nicer. Don’t fail now,” and Rice moved away to direct an excavation activity. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. True to his word, that evening young Blake, with his mother, arrived at the Lam- bert home, about a mile distant. While Mrs. Lambert was consoling with Mrs. Blake on the loss of her husband, Grant Rice and his pretty wife had taken Blake in the library, where they showed him Betty Lambert,, who was reading a book, and then thoughtfully went out in the living room. It didn’t take long for the young man to attract the young lady’s attention, after which they shook hands, blushed and stam- mered until both could recover their equanimity. The girl was the first to speak. “So you ran away to get into the war. Well, Sanderson Blake, I am glad to see you safely back.” ‘And I, Betty Lambert, am glad to be seen.” The girl replaced a wisp of vagrant black hair, which had fallen against her pretty oval face, and looked tantalizingly at the young man in front of her. ‘You didn’t carry out your intention of being a pirate captain, did you, Sand?” ““ No, couldn’t get a crew. If I remember right, you applied for the place of cook on the ship, didn’t you?” ‘“ Yes, and you said that girls never made good pirates, and refused to consider me.” ‘Say, Betty, you remember those notes we used to write each other and pass pack and forth across the aisle?” ‘“* Gracious, Sand, do you remember shea things yet?” ‘““ Remember them! Why, I have some of them tucked away in my old school books at home yet. Of course, I remember them, I don’t want to forget them.” At this point Dr. Lambert brought his smiling self into the room. ‘Well, young folks, I see you have re- newed your acquaintance. Hope you don’t disappoint my little girl again the way you did when she came home crying because you wouldn’t let her go as cook for your pirate crew. Speaking of pirates, I under- stand you have been having some experience with Ezra Watson and his shyster barrister, Stanton. If ever there was a man who CORMICLOO S (C@