The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

316 THE BUNKEL MYSTERY. cashier had gone. ‘‘ Where have you been all the evening? Vou did not come in to supper.’’ ‘‘ I was on board of the Dragon when the dam broke away, and I ate my supper in the standing room, on what was left of my last lunch,’’ replied the young gentleman, with a forced smile, as the engineer thought. ‘‘ Were you in the boat when the dam gave way ?’’ asked his father. ‘’ I was ; and the rush of the water carried the Dragon on shore,’’ answered Dolph, putting a good deal of excitement, real or assumed, into his manner. ‘‘ I was thrown down and nearly washed away, but I saved myself by the skin of my teeth.’’ ; _““ Were either of the sail boats damaged ?’’ ‘Not a particle. I left them all right at their moorings.’’ ‘ You left them all right?’’ demanded Mr. Singerlay. ‘*TI did; they both held fast.’’ 3 ‘‘ What do you mean, Dolph? Both of them broke from their moorings, and I sent a man to pick them up before I came into the house.’’ ‘* They were all right when I left them,’’ persisted the hopeful son, though it was evident that he had put his foot in it. ‘‘I left them all right, and went on the bridge to see the water running through the break.’’ ‘‘ When did you leave the boats?’’ asked Mr. Singerlay, with a heavy frown on his brow, for it looked as though there was something wrong in the son’s statement. ‘‘ I left after the first rush of water was over.”’ ‘‘And the boats were at their moorings then ?”’ ew eS, Sir” ‘But I saw them a long way from the bridge myself when I went out. ’ Of course they broke loose at the first rush of water, in less than two minutes after the dam gave way.’’ ‘“Tf they broke away at all, it was some time after the first rush,’’ said Dolph doggedly. ‘“No matter now ; we will talk about it another time,’’ added Mr. Sin- gerlay. ‘‘ Put the keys in my room.’’ ‘IT am going to bed now, for I am tired out,’’ added Dolph, as left the room. Shy te There was something strange about Dolph’s conduct, and as it looked as though there might be a case of domestic discipline, Mr. Lamb had risen from his chair and gone to the door, followed by Andy. Di and her mother had gone with them so far to bid them good night. As soon as the son was out of the room, they took their leave. Mr. Singerlay’s brow was badly wrinkled, and as soon as Di was gone he told his wife that something must be done with their son. The magnate saw that Dolph had been lying to him, but he was unable to penetrate’his object in doing so. He talked of sending the young man to a military school in the State, where he would be subjected to strict disci- pline. The mother objected, and they went to their room still discussing the question. He was so interested in the subject that he did not observe that the bank keys were not on the table at the head of his bed. cGomicbooks.com