Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

THE LOST ORANGE GROVE. shoulders, and shook his head as if baf- fled. He looked up sharply. ‘“ Couldn’t a man work his fingers to the bone for a giri like that? Did you notice how she fixes her hair? Hasn’t she the sweetest damn smile? Did you notice how little her hands are? Honest, Buck, I’m pretty hard boiled, but I’ll admit when I’m walloped. I’ve been looking for that girl all my life! I’m going to marry that girl!” “Whether she’ll have you or not.” “Laugh if you want to,” he said. “ But the minute I saw her—” He stopped and said “ Hell,” very softly. ‘“ Are those her brothers?” The Pomeroy brothers were descending the porch steps. Bathed, shaved and rest- ed, they looked a little less dangerous than they had the night before, but no less grim and, somehow, no less tragic. I had not, after all, imagined the dark cloud. The face of the convict was as waxen, as white; the eyes of the older brother as sullen. Suzanne introduced them to Gene Ban- try, but her happy mood was past. Under the dark cloud she seemed to grow sedate, repressed. Gene answered their questions courte- ously, but he was obviously puzzled. Well, who wouldn’t be puzzled? There was as much difference between Suzanne Pomeroy and those two brothers of hers as there is between sunlight and darkness. She stood for everything that was happy and gay and joyous, and in them was the threat of lightning and thunder and volcanoes. ‘‘ Aside from the patch of jungle,” Gene told them, ‘“ which would take time and lots of hard work to clear off, there’s twen- ty acres of pine and ten of cypress and about three hundred acres of fine open land, most- ly fenced. It’s fine potato and corn land. Where the jungle is, the soil is richer, of course. But if you decide to take the place, you’re welcome to use two or three teams of my mules any time.” The look Bert Pomeroy gave him was a surprise. There was no gratitude in it, nothing but suspicion and doubt. From Gene he looked at Suzanne, who was smil- ing up into the quarryman’s sunburned, eager face, and something about Bert 31 Pomeroy’s eyes tightened. Gene’s admi- ration lighted up his whole face, and Su- zanne’s elder brother sharply disapproved of it. And Gene, sensing this hostility, so- bered. Having had experiences of my own with Gene’s stubbornness, I was prepared for in- teresting deveiopments. And Gene, with the sensitiveness and cleverness of a lover, shifted his attack. Gene was determined that the Pomeroys were going to settle in Vingo. “I hate to see that old Bell farm go to seed the way it has,” he energetically resumed, ‘“ Bell hasn’t the strength left to farm it, and there’s nothing I’d like better than to see two men like yourselves take it over. I’ve never lost faith in Vingo, and I want to see it come back. And you can pick up Bell’s place for next to nothing.” “How much?” Bert interrupted. ‘“* What buildings are on it?” the convict added. 7 Gene Bantry looked smilingly from one to the other, but his eyes were hard. ‘* There’s a house you couldn’t put up to-day for less than four thousand, a good sized barn, and a lot of chicken houses and runs. Ihey’ve never been painted, and they all need a lot of work. Bell paid twelve thousand for the works. I’m pretty sure he’d let it go for two.” The brothers exchanged glances. “What I want,” Bert Pomeroy said, “ is a place where I won’t be bothered with_peo- ple. I don’t like visitors.” Gene chuckled, but his whole body was stiff; and I knew that he disliked the Pome- roy brothers even more than I did. ‘You won't be bothered,” he said. “I would be your nearest neighbor, and I’m too busy minding my own business to butt into other people’s. The Bell farm will give you one hundred per cent solitude. Do you want to look it over?” The Pomeroy brothers silently consulted each other. Bert Pomeroy presently spoke. “Yes, we'll give it a look.” “Well, I’m going down to the quarry now for some mules to pull your car out. I'll be back by the time you’ve finished breakfast. Buck, let me have the commis- sary keys That’s what I came for. My COmiICLOoOoks (C@