Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

BACKGROUND. 987 “It’s lovely here,’ she breathed, looked the tan, spread itself to the roots af his up at Roger with eyes softly bright, “isn’t hair. For a moment he remained: motion- it, Roger?” less, then said m a flat voice, “I congrate He had been gazing at her with a steadi- late you,” turned and walled swiftly away! ness which, in itself, spoke worlds, but now he said: “‘Anne—Anne! I—I—oh, you The-gil stood likea statue, watching him must know what I want to tell you.” until he disappeared around the bend in “What is it?” she whispered without the path between the rose trees. looking at him. “God have mercy!” she moaned. “I “ It’s—it’s—that I love you, Anne! I love him! Oh, I love biml” can’t find any words to tell you how I love you—how I have loved and worshiped you VHL for—for—oh, ever since you came to me in ; the garden. You just walked in and swept Wen Roger marched into Pineciiff, everything else away except—just that—I packed his kit and departed, no questions love you, Anne, and I want you to marry were asked by those who saw him go. They me—you must marry me, Anne!” had seen his face as he entered and ac- He leaned over, took her hand in his and cepted: without comment his brief announce- held it gently. Anne sat as if pondermg ment that he was going back to New York. what he had said and when she spoke she § After he had gone, Jessup voiced the did not raise her eyes. Her voice was very thoughts of the others when he whistled low, but there was in it evidence that she and remarked: “ Well, I'll be damned! She was controlling it with difficulty. threw him down!” She said: “I’m glad you told me this, Roger. I’ve waited for you to say what The battle Roger Bassett fought with you have said. I’ve wanted you to say it himself was terrific and it was not suc- from the moment I met you there, on the cessful. He tried to convince himself that club veranda. I have hoped—oh, that day, it was, but to no avail. I deliberately made up my mind. that you He went over the ground, step by step, should \ove me!” from the picture which Anne’s words in the She paused a second, went on, picking summer hovse had thrown on his mental her words carefully, repeating them slowly: screen—the scene that day at Wellston— “You know, Roger, I hardly needed an mm- to his retreat from Rockledge—to. the pres- troduction to you then. I’d met you be- ent, when he sat in his private office, the fore.” Here her speech quickened, so that office of Capewell & Hodges’s new partner, he had not time to put the question that and tried to sneer at women with what he was in his eyes into words. “ It was four told himself was fresh cause. years ago when I was visiting Jeanne Met- There was an ironic justice im the thing, calfe, in Wellston. I went to call on you he granted. But it had borne out every- one afternoon and—” thing he ever had felt, he argued. Another She snatched away her hand, rose swift- example of the calculated meanness which ly to her feet. Very straight she stood, was the principal element in woman's her face flushed and her violet eyes blazing. make-up. Oh, hell! He’d been bitten and “ And now—and now—you get to hell out it served him right! of here!” But there was the other side. The hours Gone black inside, Roger stood there, when he writhed in torture. When the mute. His ears could not believe what his sweet face of Anne rose before him and staring eyes had seen, those lovely lips form- would not be thrust aside. When there was ing those coarse, horrible words—the words a glowing tenderness in her eyes and her he had once used to her! voice was as soothing as the sigh of a sum- There was hate in the blazing eyes that mer wind. held his so steadily. Slowly, a dull red When. he could see her, a glorious thing wave crept over his face. It showed through across the tennis net, smashing the ball like conniclooolkks Co