Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

THE LOST ORANGE GROVE. 33 the blue dress and looked up at me with the clear, steady gaze of puzzled girlhood. “J suppose you think things are— queer,” she said in a soft, low voice. I told her I had tried not to be curious, and that I could not let her brother say what he had about Gene Bantry, knowing Gene as well as I did. Suzanne pushed a lock of curly chestnut hair away from her temple with a slim forearm, and bit her lip. “Tm sorry it happened,” she said. ‘““When he takes these sudden dislikes, he loses all sense of judgment. I don’t think we’d make very pleasant neighbors.” She plunged a plate into soapy water and washed it lackadaisically; leaned the plate against others on the drainboard, and placed her moist hands on her hips. ‘‘ Look here,” she said with severity, “ if we should buy a farm here, will you try and be good friends?”’ I waited in silence. ‘You think my brothers are bad men. They have never done a wrong in their lives. They’ve been victims of persecu- tion—so have I! I didn’t intend to say this much, and I can’t say any more. But I want you to know why they act so— strangely. When we started for Florida we solemnly agreed that our past was a. closed book. We want to forget our past. If you’ll be our friend—in spite of the way Bert acts—it will help. I mean, if some- thing out of our past—” “Out of Phil’s past?” I interrupted. She was, for some seconds, unable to go on. “Tf anything should bob up out of our past,’ she said in a frightened voice, “ won’t you—won’t you—” “ Keep my mind, for example, on the Jost orange grove?” Her eyes brightened hopefully. “You want me to forget my solemn oath of office?” I said sternly. “T want you to be just. After all, it was such a little thing—such a trivial thing!” “Well,” I decided, borrowing Gene Ban- try’s words, “ Jet’s not jump that fence till we come to it. You haven’t bought the Bell place yet. You may go on to Cocoa or Kissimmee.” 3A Suzanne Pomeroy shook her head. “ We will stay here. I know.” _ She was right; and a Florida summer rainstorm was responsible. While the three Pomeroys and Gene Bantry called on old man Bell in the rescued and resuscita- ted flivver, I opened the commissary to the throng of negroes who were patiently wait- ing to buy rations, snuff, and cigarettes. The rain wind had come with the Pome- roys, and the clouds that rolled up from the southwest that mofaing might have been some emanation of Bert Pomeroy’s sullen spirit. noon, all night, all next day. By morning Vingo was a dreary swamp, and the rain frogs were shrilling for more. Gene Bantry rode up on a mule in the evening to inform me that the Pomeroy brothers had been dickering with old man Bell all day long. They had been looking over the farm when the rain started, and had intended to pull out for Vero; being shut up in the house with nothing else to do, Bert had begun ‘haggling with old man Bell over the price he was asking, had beaten him down from twenty-five hundred to seventeen fifty. They were going to Majolica as soon as the roads were navi- gable, to sign the necessary papers. Bert Pomeroy’s first act on assuming ownership had been to request Gene to stay — away from the property, using his pet phrase, “I don’t like people buttin’ in on me.” I reminded Gene that the path of true iove was notoriously rough and full of detours. “ We will be married,” Gene said dream- ily, ‘‘ inside of three months.” “Ts Suzanne aware of it?” I asked. “‘ She has an inkling,” Gene dryly admit- ted. ‘“‘ We went into quite a few things be- fore that cinnamon bear handed me my walking papers. She told me about the talk she’d had with you, and just between you and me, Buck, I want to know what yow’re going to do about it.” “Tf that fellow’s wanted for murder, what can anybody do about it?”’ “Tt was something else; she told me so. For her sake,”’ he pleaded, “ give those two. grouches an even break. They’re, hard workers, and if they farm that land right, COmicloooks It rained steadily all after- _ com