Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

BING, BANG, BOOM! He was suddenly aware that the weight was gone from his chest, that the binding arms no longer encircled him, that he could breathe—breathe—Afill his crushed, bursting lungs with life-giving air! He heard a rush of footsteps about him—a scream—a hum of- voices, coming to him across infinite space— . , And then the vale of bldckness closed upon him. CHAPTER XIV. - THE POSSE. OW long he remained unconscious H Bert could not know; but when he again opened his eyes and saw that _ he was still lying on the floor, where he had fallen, he realized that his oblivion must have been of short duration. Ruth was kneeling beside him, her white, anxious face quite close to his; and behind her he saw the wide, frightened eyes of Sara. ‘““Qh!. He—he’s not dead!” said Sara tremulously; and Bert smiled faintly to re- assure her that he was indeed still possessed - of life. “ J—T think I was knocked out,” he mur- _Mured, raising himself to one elbow and shaking his head as if to fling aside the cobwebby remnants of insensibility. drew a deep breath and winced with the pain that accompanied it. He looked at his hands, swollen and bruised and streaming with half-dried blood. The other man’s blood, he thought, with grim satisfaction— most of it. Then he raised his eyes to Ruth. ‘ Are you—all right?” he asked her. She nodded, a tinge of color creeping into her cheeks. ‘“ I—I’m all right,” she said, “‘ but you —I was afraid he had killed you!: We tried to lift you to the bed—but you are so heavy! Can’t—can’t you manage to get over there so that you can lie down more comfortably ?”’ ‘Why, there’s nothing the matter with me,” said Bert; and with an effort that stabbed him with a hundred knives of pain, he rose shakily to his feet. “ You dicn’t see that scrap, did you—Miss Warren?” TA So | He—he was so—so_horrible!”’ He 289 He smiled mirthlessly. “While it was go- ing on, you were where I just came from.” Ruth buried her face in her small white hands, a quick shudder hunching her shoul- ders. she sobbed. Bert’s lips tightened, and he clenched his swollen fists. ‘‘ What happened to that man?” he asked fiercely, addressing Sara. ‘“I—I don’t know,” she quivered. “I don’t know what it’s all about: It’s all a —a mystery to me, Mr. Boom. When dad and I drove up to the house we heard a noise, and—-and we ran up-stairs, and— and when we got up here we saw somebody climb out of that window, and—and you were lying there on the floor, like dead, and —and Ruth was on the bed, just 6 ing—” ‘“ Where’s your father?” ‘*-He—he went after—whoever climbed out of the window,”’ Sara replied, twisting her handkerchief about her fingers. ‘“ Can’t — you tell me what—happened? you here?” ‘I was passing the house, and I heard Ruth’s scream,” he explained shortly. “When I got up here I saw this man hold- ing Ruth in his arms, and—” Why are ‘Qh, my God!” she gasped, clapping her - hand to her mouth, her eyes staring in horror above it. * And then—vwell, we began to fight. I’d have managed him all right, only I couldn’t hit him hard enough.” He paused and looked down at Ruth, who was still sobbing quietly. ‘‘ You’d better get your sister to bed. I suppose she’s just nervous.” He started toward the door, and Sara grasped him frantically by the arm. ‘Where are you going?”’ “T’m gomg after that man,” he told her. ‘Qh, you mustn’t!” she pleaded, cling- ing to his arm. ‘“ Don’t leave us here— alone! I’d just die of fright if—” He patted her hand reassuringly. “Tl stay, then,” he agreed. ‘‘ While you're getting Ruth to bed, I'll go in the other room and wash this blood off my hands.”’ COM G AOOLK COlini