Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

216 quite admirably in so doing, ‘‘ where they’ll do the most good, about the milkman.” “T guess as I'll go get it,” muttered Tibbet uneasily. “I guess as how you will,” agreed Miss Vail. Miss Vail crossed to the window and looking out let her eyes rest upon the Prin- cess, brilliant in the flare of her cluster lights, and upon the scene of tireless activity surrounding her. It was a strange activity, a small world of machinery that moved and purred and accomplished its results with the ease of a silent giant. Block by block throughout the day the great slabs of beryl green coral rock had risen swiftly from the hold, curved for a bold moment aloft at the derrick’s end, swung with precision onto the railed runway that tilted downward along the pier, and slid smoothly to the shore where a second derrick piled it gently into place on an ever increasing mound. And throughout the whole efficient still- ness of the operation had moved only one lonely man, a most insignificant looking figure in his dirty dungarees and greasy singlet in comparison with the mighty giants he held beneath his lone control. Genius? She laughed the word to scorn and told herself a hundred times he was a super- man, a god, a well built and healthy look- ing one at that, which was more than lucky as the two entities rarely went to- gether. The illusion, however, had been carried to an annoying degree of apt seal tude. _ Mr. Swift was, she felt, her own show and as such she wanted a free pass to the works. She had made several efforts to approach him and had found his vicinity as unassailable as the heights of high Olympus. Even cinnamon buns at tea time had failed as baits. He had simply done as many a wary fish has done before—swallowed the bait and ignored the hook. Miss Vail, and quite properly too, had felt most indignant. Moving a hill was im>ortant enough, but what—and what woman 4s there who has not felt it also? —-was the moving of the greatest mountain ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, on earth in comparison with the importance of the planting of a single seed of love? Along that particular line of argricultural endeavor her technique was:far from slouchy and it annoyed her in the present instance to be balked. It appeared there was no getting near the fallow field. She could feed him cinnamon buns al! day and all that he did was to eat thenm— not a little caress, not even a little bite at the hand that fed him. But Miss Vail was not the young lady to stay balked very long. Tibbet came into the room and shut the door hurriedly behind her. “I have the collar button,” she said, “‘ and will you or will you not, miss, promise you will say nothing about the milkman now?” Tibbet produced an authentic specimen in collar buttons. ‘“* Very well,” said Miss Vail, taking it. “You didn’t think I’d say anything really, anyway, did you?” “Yes,” said Tibbet firmly, “I did.” “Then you’ve more sense than I thought you had. Help me on with these things and get some pins.” ““ Never! So help me God, miss, never!”’ *Mamma—” began Miss Vail in the ascending scale. “* Hush, miss!” “Then hold them for me.” “ Tl never live through the night, miss.”’ “Yes, you will—pin the buttons up straight, at the sporty height—and you'll sleep very well, too. The air at sea is very bracing.” ““ The—sea—air—miss—”’ “That’s what I said, and don’t drop them again. I was almost in them.” “You ain’t thinking I’m going with you?” “If you think I can spend two or three days on Coral Isle alone with a strange man, Tibby, I'll tell vou flat I can’t. What- ever would my mother say?” Tibbet gave Miss Vail what is commonly known as a “ look.”’ She was incapable of words for a full minute. ** Not in a pair of them!” she whispered. “If I could have gotten another pair you would, but as I couldn’t you’ll wear your dark plaid shaw! and your black bonnet S CORICLOO (C@