Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

g a man bali ya cream. ‘Mrs, Goldie, I we Harvard to come here because of a woman there. She made my love for her the must territle experience imaginable for wre and for her, too. Jealousy on my part— wesane, undearable—unendurable for both of us. Finally she could bear it no longer. She engaged herself to another man. I reatiaed after 1 began playing with the idea of killing the other man that I had better leave the scene. I came here. I might just as well have stayed there. She was with me, in my thoughts, in my dreams, in my very classes! “ Then on Tuesday came the news that She bad married the other man. A\jl that afternoon I planned how to leave no trace of myself. I felt I could not live without her. I planned to put an end to myself in the gorge through which the railroad passes at Bank River. Then I wrote a note to your husband resigning my post, saying I had to leave at once for reasons of health— te travel—would write later, I said. I then removed from my clothes all identifying marks. From among my suils I chose the one I had worn least—once when I arrived here: again when I went to the Beethoven concert. When I should be found in the railroad cut I didn’t want any one to be able to identify me. ‘‘ At about two in the morning I left my house and crossed the campus. I had just turned the corner of the Engineering Build- ing when a man jumped out at me. “Stick up your hands!’ he cried.” Mrs. Goldie waited for him to go on. But he turned his face to the wall. “Won't you tell me the rest?” she urged. He shook his head. “ It’s scarcely worth while. I have only my word for what hap- pened. I don’t expect to be believed. And it isn’t important that I should be be- beved.”’ “ Tf we .ound it possible to find the con- nection between you and that robber we'll find it possible to prove your story.” He remained silent for a while longer. “Well, it can’t do any harm,” he finally resumed. “ Mrs. Goldie, I don’t know if you ever thought of the theory that a man on his way to suicide will defend his life if THE ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, attacked. Yet the moment the man point- ed his revolver at me I leaped at him. “ Tither his weapon did not go off or he was caught off his guard. But we grappled and fought for each other’s throats, each knowing it was to the death. He tore off the collar of my shirt. But I managed to break the revolver from his clutch and with it I struck him over the head. ‘When I saw his body slump at my feet and felt his heart—I knew what I had done. Also I realized—that I no longer wanted to die. One so often learns to want a thing only when some one else tries to take it away. J was horrified. In my ex- cited state of mind I was sure no one would believe my story. In the man’s pockets were many things that might identify him. In mine, nothing, as I thought. I wanted now to hide my connection with this— matter. I dragged the body into the deep shadow and changed clothes. He had on my suit now, I, his. Then I left him lying there, while I stole home and throwing his Suit into the closet there, I got into bed. That’s all there is to my story.” Mrs. Goldie strode to the closet and picked up the crumpled gray suit as Dr. Corley bustled into the room. “T’ve stood enough of this!” he cried, hurrying over to the patient. ‘‘ Interfering with my patients this way!” Mrs. Goldie paused on the threshold, the suit tucked under her arm. “Tl give you one hour, Dr. Corley, to get him on his feet,” she smiled. ‘ Then Ill give him my treatment—over the tele- phone!” Dr. Corley snorted with angry contempt. But an hour later he communicated to his patient a message that had just come over the wire. “Tt’s Darby Colkins, alias ‘ Sticker’ Pete, with a record as a hold-up man. Body and clothes now identified. Coroner finds death due to blow dealt by reputable citi- zen in the course of self-defense against robbery and possible murder—”’ Then seeing the effect of the message on his patient, Dr. Corley muttered, “ Drat that woman! Now I suppose she will want to take charge of all my cases!” END COMIcoooks. Com