The Argosy, June 1904 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

THE FOOL’S POCKET. BY W. BERT FOSTER. The man who was missing, and the extraordinary spot in which he was finally found. SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. THE story is told in the main by Benjamin Hubbard, an old man of seventy-five, senior partner in the law firm of Hubbard, Ayer & Waterhouse. who, with his sister Lillian, have been left orphans. Fool’s Pocket, in which Lynn still has confidence, although it was reported to be worked out. They have charge of the affairs of the hero, Lynn Shepard, Lynn’s father was interested in a mine out West, the He borrows money from the Gregorys, father and son, in whose store he works as a clerk, to go out and make a personal inspection of the mine. He finds it will pay to work it, but before he can do this he must obtain permission of the other partner with his father in the investment, Preston Shaw, who was a rascal and has mysteriously disappeared. from the Gregorys, his claim on *% will revert to them. Jethro Hawley had been associated with Shaw and sister Mary is living in England with the Hawleys. Shepard in the mine deal. Yf Lynn cannot start work within a certain period, covered by his loan In this crisis, he learns that Preston Shaw’s Lynn sails for England, contrives to render a service to Hawley (son of Jethro), a blacksmith possessed of mysterious wealth and who claims that Mary Shaw is weak in intellect. Lynn, who passes under his first name, takes more than a keen interest in the daughter, pretty Bertha Hawley. She tells him strange tales about a diving bell, an unfinished invention of her grandfather, Bertha in her pony cart, Lynn is amazed to see Chris Gregory appear in an automobile. frightens the pony, who backs the cart over a precipice. Bertha with one arm and clings to the branch of a tree with the other. Driving one day with The machine Wagon and horse go down, but Lynn snatches But the branch has already started to break away from the trunk, leaving the two swaying above a horrible fate. CHAPTER VI. THE VILLAIN UNMASKED. {Tv splitting tree trunk yawned slowly as its lvine appendage swung to and fro. In that moment life looked a very small thing to Lynn Shepard, for death came near, and in its presence all else was dwarted. Then he glanced again at the face of the girl who clung with him to the branch. Her eyes were closed and her lips mored. This seemed to inspire him with hope. There was still a chanee. God was on high, and in [lis eye a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without no- tice! Iie turned his own face upward again, but not in appeal to the Omnip- otent. It is given to woman to pray and man to work. The chauffeur had joined Gregory and the stable-boy at the edge of the preci- pice. Lynn lifted his voice and shouted to them. “Quick! Bind something about that Find trece—stop it from splitting! something, for God’s sake!” ifis words spurred Chris Gregory to action. He wore a long traveling coat; but beneath was a golf suit, the knick- erbockers upheld by a leather belt. ile whipped off the belt, and in an in- stant had it fastened about the trunk of the elm just below the split. But that single strap looked a frail thing indeed to hold the tree trunk intact. The chauffeur disappeared, and was back in a flash with a longer and heav- jer strap which he had carried in the beot of the auto. This went twice around the tree, and just as he got it buckled Gregory’s belt parted with a loud snap! But the heavier strap held. The gash stopped right there. Quickly the two men slipped out of their coats and tied them together by the arms. This life-line was flung over the edge of the cliff to the endangered couple. Tiynn was all but gone now, for the girl was hanging upon him heavily, *This story began in the May issue of THE ARGOSY, which will be mailed to any address on receipt of 10 cents. PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG comicsoolx ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED CO©