The Argosy, June 1904 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

THE FOOL'S POCKET. Mr. Hawley!’ ously. He strode forward. At that instant the breakfast-room door opened and Bertha came in. Her eyes flashed from one to another of the group—her mother erying be- hind the coffee urn, Englebock’s s face, hard and expressionless, at the table, Chris Gregory grinning at one side, and the inflamed countenances of her father and Lynn Shepard. exclaimed Lynn furi- She understood the situation in- stantly. : * Father—father!” she eried m a low voice. “I beg of you! Mr. ard is our guest.” * What!” roared Jackson Hawley, turning on her. “ You knew this fel- low’s right name? ” “Mr. Shepard explamed the entire matter to me yesterday,” she said calm- ly. “tle would have done the same to you had there been opportunity.” * Explained! What explanation can there be for a fellow’s coming to a gen- ileman’s house under an assumed name? Preposterous! ” * Don’t, father, he is our guest.” “And you take up for him, do you, vou hussy ? ” eried the smith roughly. ~ You'd give cneouragement to a man who has come here to ruin your own father x He stopped, and his face went sud- denly white. Ile had said too much, and even Englebock, from behind the table. was forced to utter a grunt of warning. = al have meant nor wished you no harm,” Lynn said, keeping in check his passion. “J have come, indeed, to ask a tavor merely. But L was not sure of whom to ask the favor at first” “Yow ll get no favors from me!” exclaimed the smith. “ Pve seen quite enough of vou, Mir. Lynn Shepard. I know vour breed. Your father and his lawyers made us trouble enough years avo. Versecuting a poor woman, as they did, and irving to squeeze out o her her own brother’s blood! 1 know re, * Father—for merev’s sake!” Bertha, seizing his arm. “Do you know what vou are saving? How can you speak so to Mr. Shepard? Te is Shep- eried PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED D07 your guest. And remember what he has dene. He saved your life—think of that! “And had it not been for him If would not be here now—TI would have heen dashed to pieces at the bottom of Adam’s }fiil.” ller father shook her off. “Do you dare plead for him?” he cried again. = Yes, sir, [ dare,” she satd proudly. “ And I plead for your own better na- ture against your worser self. You will be sorry for your words.” “Ave, ?’m sorry that 1 ever brought a child into the world that would turn on me like this!” said her father. “You don’t know what you are doing. Vou are beside vourself. his fellow has turned your head.” “No. He has not. But I know him to be a noble man. I do not believe him equal to smirching bimself with the villainy of which you accuse him.” “What's this? What’s this?” erted HTawley. “ Dare you flout me to my face? What is this man to you?” The shock of the qnestian silenced everybody in the room for a moment. Lynn clenched his wounded hands. He could have struck the man in the face and felt no pain at that instant. Bertha’s countenance grew as white ax the cloth whieh covered the Jong table. [ler cyes dropped before her father’s. “ He is my friend—he is vour guest,” she said thrillingly. “We both owe lim our lives. Even Caplain Enelo- bock yonder has to thank him inis morning that he is still alive.” She {urned upon the seaman suddes ly w ith a gesture of pleading. =¢@ aptain Ieneleboek,” she eried, = <peak forme. Do not let my father in- jure aman to whom we all ewe so much. Remember that vou are Mr. Shepard’s debtor yourself.” iineglebock rose slowly from the table. This face was like wood. “Tt know all T have to thank Mr. Shepard for,” he said harshly. “T know that I would not have been in danger at all had it not been for him. [He would have cast me down that bank had not the bank itself given way and car- ried us both with it!” C@ AMG —) TOO S C@ im —) CY