The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

AN AMATEUR IN DYNAMITE. ; 131 “Vou let me? What did you know about it?’”’ ‘Everything. I made the dynamite.’’ He passed a hand over his brow with a gesture of hopeless confusion. Of course, he said to himself, none of this was real; the reality was the other— the horrible things; he had just gone crazy, and simply imagined Ottilie was with him, trying to soothe him by saying such kind but absurd things, and how strange it was that he could imagine all this and yet know he was crazy in doing so; and how good God was to let him be crazy this way, instead of making him hear that bomb and see that poor woman and the children ! But Ottilie, who had no idea of the gruesome fancies in his tortured brain, only saw that he was quiet and thought complete control of his mind was coming back to him. So she went on and told him all she had done ; how she had divined the evil he was being led into and had watched him, had made the innocent dynamite and substituted it for the infernal sort “No, no!’’ he interrupted her, with a wild, frightened look, ‘‘I heard it. I lighted the long fuse and ran away very fast, far off, but I heard it! Oh ! It was terrible! It seemed right behind me and the echoes followed me a great while.’’ ‘‘ Gottlieb, you heard nothing but your conscience. The bomb could not gooff. The papersays so. Come, I will show it to you when you come over. I told you it did that you should know how such a guilty man would feel.’’ Gradually, as she talked, his clear sense returned to him, and he knew the truth. He tried to tell her of his boundless gratitude, but words failed him, and he could only sob and repeat that she was his guardian angel. «© Bhen,’’ she said, ‘‘ will you promise your guardian angel you will have no more to do with that villain Max, or any of his kind.”’ “Ves! Yes! I promise it with all my heart and swear it before God. Not for nothing shall I have had such feelings as I know this day. Oh, to think of what I might be this minute but for you. Ottilie! Lzebchen! How shall I be good enough to be worthy of your care for me?’’ | ‘“You will go far away from here, in the first place. You have made some bad friends, and maybe some bad habits that are not good for you, since you have been out of work and I want you to leave them all—the friends and the habits.’’ ‘“ And you, Ottilie?”’ ‘‘ Would you not, if necessary—for a while? ’’ ‘* A little while, if I must, yes; but I cannot any more trust myself much if you are not with me.’’ } , ‘‘Tam not the one to argue you out of that idea. But here is your chance. My married sister, who lives in Montana, you know, writes to me that a fine opening is there for a good blacksmith who understands tool mak- ing, and you do—don’t you? ’’ ‘“Oh, very well. I can forge and temper as well as any man.’’ ‘“Then there is where you must go.’’ ‘But, surely, that Montana is big enough for two? ’’ - “You think so? Well—we will try.”’ J. Hf. Connelly. (S@) Eomicbooks