Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

ad A” A ty, > € oS Cd poe i ice <p the stone Benth upon vo d left. Mr. Benkard seated on reviou when the latter an- c ‘the eee wot lock tp. He dently forgotten to do so, but it ve do to have him come down and minded of it by finding now that the had been left open on the shoreward I night. ‘Pp hurried across the sanded stone skirting the fountain and the end of -wide-armed marble bench. Then he ed all at once and a shrill, high-pitched tore its way from his throat. ary Carp, have you gone crazy?” A eatured housemaid of indeterminable > appeared hurriedly at the head of the a ; adjusting her. apron as she came. x ag you want to wake up the house, yelling Ke thot? What is it?” t Carp could only wave to her inar- ely. He was grimacing in a horrible on and seemed to: be staring down at hing at his feet, something which was concealed from her by the high back of the ‘seat. She hurried down and across to him, ther 's tifled the cry which rose to her own Ds. Lying face downward at their feet was the body of a man in dinner clothes vi the whole back of his head a shapeless, ‘spongy, congealed mass and the white sand ao it stained a hideous, reddish- ‘ala: — 4 < } x “It isn’t—it can’t be Mr. Benkard.” et - lips barely formed the superfluous jestion, but the old man nodded, gripping ee - arm for support. 10 else? He was the only gentleman ise after Mr. Lane started back to y and T left him here smoking when ‘and the young ladies had gone E left him here smoking on that : oa y ss eae risen in a cracking fal- : tty, wha could ha’ happened?” Ee lips to speak, but 1 Te g the futility of pels to offer. At . apd — . — \ S93¢-58 ee , -— 4 u ’ ‘ * 2 porn 2A Ses ~ * ae we 'Y ho — ~ ARGOSY. ALLSTORY WEEKLY. oa eo co ee Soe concrete blocks just beyond the open glass doors. “Leave go my arm!” Letitia exclaimed. * Geoff! Geoff, come here, will you?” The workman turned, revealing a long, lantern-jawed face with mild, ruminative brown eyes and a shock of sandy hair be- neath his cap. “ What’s up?” he asked in a slow, nasal drawl as he pushed the doors open and en- tered. Then at sight of the body he halted. “Land o’ Liberty!” “Tt’s Mrs. Cayley’s brother, Mr. Joseph Benkard,” replied Letitia. “You know him, don’t you?” “‘T know him, all right.” The man called “ Geoff ” was still staring down at the body. “ T wouldn’t swear that was him, though, unless I seen his face.” “ T left him here smoking last night, and he said he’d finish locking up!” Carp re- peated the only fact which his stunned mind seemed still able to grasp. “I'd already tended to the ground floor windows and big front entrance door over there on the other side of the house. “ The ladies had all gone to their rooms and there wasn’t anybody else on the place but Letty and the cook and me! He was right there on that bench lounging careless- like and the terrace doors were standing half open, just the way you found them when you came in a minute ago. He—he couldn’t have fell over backward and hit his head on something and then fell forward again—” “Henry Carp, stop talkin’ like an old fool!” Letty seized his arm in her turn and gave it alittle shake. “ There’s been a—an accident, or somethin’. What do you think, Geoff?” “ He’s dead, anyways,” the individual ap- pealed to responded laconically. ‘‘ Better let the folks know and mebbe Doc Hood. ’'Tain’t my business; got to get back to my work.” He turned as though to go out on the ter- race once more, but at the word “ dead ”’ Carp had reeled. and would have fallen if Letty had not caught him. “ Geoff Peters, I s’pose you’d be mixin’ _ concrete if the skies fell!” she exclaimed “S SI D