The Argosy, March 1907 — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

WHAT - see Isabel at the first opportunity, any- way, and so on this evening, July 15, he trudged up the sandy~road to her father’s house. / Isabel was distinctly cool. When he sought to know the cause, he soon found it. She was, or pretended to be, which amounted to the same thing, deeply of- fended because he had embroiled her name in a vulgar row. He demanded to know what she had heard, and she “ had heard enough,” with a toss of her pretty . head. He wanted to know, then, who told her, and she disdained any answer what- ever. “It was that sneaking Frank Man- ning!” exclaimed Fuller hotly. “Pll fix him this time. [ll get him where there won’t be any interference.”’ Isabel cuttingly advised him to give Frank Manning a wide berth, which was most indiscreet on her part, for when she saw that he was fearfully in earn- est it was too late for her to, restrain him. She begged him not to be foolish: in terms that, had he been in his right mind, . he would have interpreted as evidence that Manning was not as: high in her favor as he had imagined. He might, if he had known more of the world, have inferred that the fair maid. was trying to humiliate him for the sake of fastening him more closely in the -meshes of her charms, for such ‘is the way of country girls, but he could see “nothing except the hated face of his rival, and’ he broke away from her abruptly, repeating his vow that he would “fix” Frank Manning. He started forthwith across the fields, by the shortest cut, to the Manning sum- “mer residence, on the shore. It was some two miles over generally rough, “open country, abundantly rocky and somewhat hilly, but to one who knew the lay of the land it was a much easier and quicker route than by the road through the village. Manning knew the short cut as well as Fuller, for he often took it on his way to and from Isabel’s home. Fuller’s disappearance dates from the - moment when Isabel lost sight of him in the darkness. He did not return to his boarding-house that night, but his ab- 12 4 ? BECAME OF TOM FULLER. 753 sence was not noticed until he failed to appear for breakfast. His landlady, fearing that he might be ill, went to his room, and found that it had not, been occupied during the night. ‘This in itself was enough to start a mild sensation in a country town, and when Fuller’s bench at the factory re- mained vacant the sensation was well es- tablished. Rumor had it, long before there was any real justification in known facts, that Tom Fuller had disappeared. By evening a contribution came from ° Fielding’s farm in the shape of infor- mation about Fuller’s departure with the . intent of “fixing” Frank Manning, and naturally, therefore, when Manning came to the -post- -office for his mail he was questioned. The way the question was put was unfortunate. . Bemis, the blacksmith, asked it. “What happened between you and Tom Fuller?” said he. ‘ Manning was on his dignity instantly. ‘“I don’t care to discuss -it, Mr. Bemis,” he replied. “Wal,” retorted Bemis, momentarily disconcerted, “p’r’aps you'll have to some day if you don’t look out.” Manning was perplexed, and showed it. ‘“T don’t understand you,” he said. “ What happened is doubtless known to everybody in Cranville» I am very sorry for it, and ashamed of* myself. That’s all I care to say, and it seéms to me it’s a good deal.” With this he climbed into his buggy and drove rapidly away. Evidently, Manning thought Bemis was alluding to the disgraceful quarrel of two days before, and some of the hearers so interpreted his remarks, but there were those who felt a subtle allu- sion to the meeting of the preceding evening which everybody agreed must have taken place. For, they argued, Tom Fuller was not the man to back out once he said he would do a thing, and as he started for Manning’s summer home, therefore he must have gone there. ““°*'Tain’t likely,” they said, ‘‘ that he’s still hanging round there waiting for a chance to give Manning a good licking.” Some respect was given to a theory 7 Eomichboo S.con =