Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

TOO CLOSE seven fifty yet, have you?” inquired Taffy weakly. “T did better than that!” laughed his grandmother triumphantly. “I sent the whole hundred!” “Your birthday hundred?” “Yes,” she chuckled. ‘‘ They couldn’t get the best of me! I couldn’t see why I should pay them forty-seven fifty to put each story in shape, when I could get their whole course for only fifty-two fifty extra, and learn to do the work myself.” “ When did you send the money?” “To-day, as soon as I got this letter. Why?” she asked. “ Isn’t it all right?” Taffy gave her a reassuring hug. ‘“ Why, of course it’s all right, dear, only—why didn’t you tell me about it?” She laughed self-consciously. ‘“ Well, once I read ‘ Severed Hearts’ to you and Sheila, hoping you’d see its possibilities, and though you were both very nice about it, I could see that you only praised it to be polite. We never think much of the abil- ity of our own kinfolk, you know. It’s too close to home.” Taffy shudderingly remembered an eve- ning when he and Sheila had sat, outward- ly decorous, but inwardly convulsed, as Gran read her masterpiece. Mirthful quo- tations from its stilted dialogue had been part of their lovemaking ever since. ‘You don’t act half pleased enough!” scolded his grandmother. ‘ To think that I might have gone along contentedly enough, in my humdrum fashion, and never realized my talent. Why, I might ever have been discovered,- if I hadn’t happened to read one of Mr. Stockton’s folders. Doesn’t it open your eyes?” “T’ll say it does!”’ shouted Taffy, pick- ing his grandmother up, chair and all, and U NEXT U TO HOME. 283 kissing her violently. ‘As an eye opener, it has the real pre-Volstead kick!” He grabbed his hat. ‘ Got to go phone Sheila the good news.” ‘“‘ Can’t you use our phone?” His grand- mother looked puzzled. Taffy gave her an ingratiating smile from the doorway. ‘This is sort of private. Soft stuff, you know, Gran.” ““T understand,” she smiled. along!” Taffy’s hand shook as he took down the receiver, and gave Sheila’s number. Of course she wouldn’t be home. But what should he say if— “ Hello!” came a soft, little voice over “ Run the wire. “ Hello! Is it you?” “Yes. Is it you?” Whereat they both laughed foolishly. “Sheila, are you listening?” “No ”—blandly—‘“‘ I’m _ not _ listening. Why? Were you going to say something you didn’t want me to hear?” | ‘* No—yes—er—oh, hang it, Sheila! Do you want a triple-plated, sublimated trans- cendental ass for a husband?” “Why, yes,” Sheila’s voice came back over the wire, and in it was the throaty chuckle he loved. ‘I reckon that’s the kind of a husband that would just suit me. By the way ’—a smothered giggle— “you didn’t tell me your name.” “‘Sackcloth, Ashes & Co.,” responded Taffy promptly. ‘* A very fine firm!” said Sheila approv- ingly. “When will their—their—repre- sentative call on me?” 7 ‘* Be right over!” shouted Taffy. ‘‘ Oh, say, Sheila—I might be ten minutes late. I’ve got to stop off long enough to punch the head off a dear old college friend!” U WEEK U we shall present you with a thrilling Complete Novelette, ““The Nameless Doom,” by Charles A. King, Jr. ; also “* The Justice of Biorg Vaten,”’ an out-of-the-ordinary tale of northern waters, by Herman Howard Matteson ; “Beth Beautiful,” another of Beatrice Ashton Vandegrift’s clever love stories, to mention only a few of the August 16 features. Conn LOOOLK CO