Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERY was her nature to play with men. But she would not, he thought, allow herself easily to be caught by them. And he wondered why Jacob Cushing had given her money and what she was doing in Freehaven. “Yes, I have missed you,” she said pro- vocatively. ‘‘ I found you interesting; your friend Mr. Holroyd in one way, and you in another. I know Mr. Holroyd quite well now.” ‘Vou do!” he exclaimed in surprise. “Oh, yes. We had a long talk the other day. He took me sailing in his boat. Hasn’t he told you about it?” “No. He’s been busy, and I’ve been studying the Cushing case.” She might not have heard this last statement. ‘““I wish he would go away,” she said. ‘“ He’s making a big mistake in staying here.” “J don’t think Andrew Holroyd makes many mistakes.” “You don’t know him as I do—or his situation.” He looked at her, somewhat taken aback. “What do you mean? You think he has some special motive in staying?” She nodded. ‘“ Yes—revenge, or the greed for money. You hadn’t thought of him as greedy, had you? But then you don’t know him very well.” “Tf he wants money, it’s some that rightfully belongs to him.” “Oh, that doesn’t follow. He had an object in coming here, and he’s got that object still—in spite of what happened to Mr. Cushing.” ‘‘ What did happen?” “I don’t know any more than you do, not as much, probably. I’m interested in Mr. Holroyd’s safety.” ‘“But—” began Ropes, and stopped, re- flecting that perhaps this girl did know more about Holroyd, and the reasons for his presence in Freehaven, than he did him- self. “Urge Mr. Holroyd to go away,” she in- sisted. “Tm afraid I have very little influence with him,” Ropes answered. “ Perhaps you would have more.” ‘‘ Ah, well—”’ and suddenly her mood al- tered; she was smiling “It’s not a night OF THE OPAL. 230 for serious things, is it? I didn’t mean to perplex you. I ask your pardon, my friend.” What did she mean? he wondered. What she had said about Holroyd made him vaguely uneasy. She seemed to know so much that Ropes was ignorant of. And on his thoughts broke her light, seducing voice. ‘“‘I don’t want to take away your high opinion of your hero. No, I scorn women who try to come between men friends.” She floated away, diaphanous, like a white moth. He watched her go to the open coor of the teahouse; he watched until she vas drawn inside and beyond his view. What sort of game was she playing? he wondered, standing there, his glance across the water at the unwinking eye of the Porpoise Shoals Light. And what scrt of a game had she been playing with Jacob Cushing before Andrew Holroyd and he had come to Freehaven? If there was an old enmity between Holroyd and Cush- ing—something that had arisen in the days when the two men had sailed Far Eastern seas—what part had this girl taken in the feud between them? And why, he wondered, had she now, on two occasions, urged him to induce Holroyd to go away? Daniel Bennett, the fisher- man, had said much the same thing, and Charles Beddoes had made insinuations about Holroyd. Did it mean that, unless Holroyd went, he would be somehow held to be implicated in the murder of Cushing? Presently he turned and walked toward the teahouse. A man in a dark coat and white flannel trousers was just ahead of him and went in at the door. The place appar- ently did a good business—a better busi- ness than one would have expected, so Ropes thought, at this hour of the eve- ning. He came to the teahouse and stopped to lock in at the window. Georgette was not vis:ble, but he saw the back of the man who had gone in. He was going toward the door at the rear, the one on the right, the docr that Georgette had indicated on that other evening when she had told the cus- tomer to talk with Mrs. Ware about the menu for his luncheon or supper party. GOMIGIOO S (C@) nn