Argosy All-Story Weekly, 4 February 1922 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

ee not too cordially. aS “Saw you across the street,” William ‘How about a Tittle walk : = “Tm afraid,” he was told, “‘ that would be impossible.” “But I want to talk to you,” he in- = . “ve wanted to know you better = ince the first day at the office—no other os girl like you in Hobart, I'll say that.” ge =e Willies’ s tongue was not quite responsi- ON AO Wa DN) id We i ee 2 on the girl stopped, facing William on ~ the sidewalk, before they had gone past the , s — last of the lighted stores. “Mr. Biddle,” she said, “I do not wish to walk with you now. ‘And, if you will © Scat me, I should prefer to go on alone.” Z “Now, listen, sister—” William laid a ie detaining hand on the girl’s arm. ‘ Why == € ’t you be a sport? I’m all right; just 2S -Tonesome; have a heart! If I had a nice little girl to talk to for a while—”’ “Will you please let me go?” . There Was a note of distress in Margaret’s voice. Se _ The encounter was wholly unique in her ~~ experience. = : = “Not until you promise to talk to me. Come on now, be a little reasonable, that’s see 2 ~ ge se William’ s voice, imperfectly BE == reached further than he had lated. S _ The nature of his remarks was decidedly unusual here in Hobart. = Ae “ Drop it!” commanded Hugh, and there ‘was a cold warning in the tone. ee Once again, and once too often, William Ss Jet his anger triumph over his discretion, Eg of which he had never possessed a sufficient as £2 “ What the devil have you got to do with ee thing, anyway? Tend to your business, and I'll tend to mine.” as This is mine,” observed Hugh quietly. Ma t was Taarytng 2 away: The — . 4 — < _" a “Ed 7 = =~ < oe rd —"s ee - ¢ ~s we - = a! a ee - - te Ae = ae > = =e ae i Ss. a | ARGOSY-ALLSTORY mine foreman drew back Pea then, _jhis mouth. exceedingly tender at the bottom, as he og Fs = aed He turned away from Margaret fu- ae ss a <= = =e swift as a snake strikes, delivered himself of one mighty blow. Before it William was as chaff before the wind. After falling he rolled over twice, hung for a moment at the edge of the side- walk, then slipped softly down into the powdery red dust of the roadway. | Ten minutes later dust-bespattered Wil- liam, with a darkening bruise beginning to show above a collar that had once been white, was stretched at length on a blanket- covered bunk in the cabin at the edge of town where Silent Hugh kept lonesome bachelor hall. The boss of the night-shift tore that col- _ lar from its place, felt William’s pulse, threw a blanket over the recumbent heir to Hobart, and, going out to his delayed labor, closed and thereafter locked the door. CHAPTER IV. INTO THE DEPTHS. ILLIAM awakened with the smell of WV boiling coffee and the sweet aroma of smoking bacon tickling his nose, after numerous half awakenings and con- fused dreaming filled with a partial realiza- ‘tion that he was extremely uncomfortable. The cooking breakfast aroused no hunger pangs. William felt that he would desire nothing resembling food for days to come. There was a taste as of ashes of aloes in His head was sore on top and was reminded when an incautious hand came in contact with his chin. “T feel rotten!” was William’s first co-— herent thought. ‘‘ What did I do?” as an exclamation followed after that. By no effort could he remember more than those four drinks at Logger Shannon’s, ‘‘ Awful stuff!’ He knew that there had been some - difficulty with Hopewell Davies, then the sidewalk, then oblivion. “I must have had more than that!’ he decided plaintively. The sunlight of early morning streamed = through the single window of the little © cabin with sufficient brightness to be pain- ful in William’s eyes as he followed SS = = Soe movements of Silent A tah Me as + <a .= Ee a = Le ae —> ; —— Ken —— ee, ‘ . a . ==> us =<) mic ieboo! IKSs ao Sy =