Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

| 368 and we're going to meet just once more, very privately,” he added, breathing hard, “PH give you the thrashing a hound like you deserves! I will, if I hang for it!” “Dad!” gasped Miss Hayes. “Don’t be frightened, Dot. It isn’t go- ing to take place here. Come!” _ He took her arm. Thomas, quite auto- matically, extended both hands in pleading. His best reward was the single glance of pure detestation with which Miss Hayes favored him as she moved away. And, like her father, ceased moving! CHAPTER XXX. CONCERNING THE HATCHET. TILL more of Thomas Henning’s friends had crowded their way into his pretty little living-room—Sally Noble, this time, and the tall, lean, very cultured- looking, rather evil-looking gentleman with the_ rimmed nose-glasses, who was Sally’s father and, at the same time, Henry Bond. Aye, Henry Bond, chief of the clan of Bond, who had shaken hands with David Hayes and lunched with David Hayes this very day, for the first time in twenty-two years! Their smiles were startled—yet they were smiles during that first ten seconds. “ Henning is here?” Mr. Bond queried, in his low voice. | “ T’m—er—here!” Thomas contrived. “ Ah, Henning!’ pursued the lean gen- tleman, as he approached Thomas. “ My daughter tells me that you occupy a rather odd position in ber troubles? I want to chat with you for ten minutes and—er— it may be as well for the rest to hear.” “ Look out for that feller, Bond!” Uncle Arthur advised. 6d Ehe”’ “ Decidedly so—Lawson’s right! ”” David Hayes added. Henry Bond frowned slightly. His daughter, just beside him, recovered from a brief attack of sniffing and biting a lips and looked about. “ Oh—Doily!” she cried, impulsively. Miss Hayes drew herself up suddenly. “Qh! Please!” she cried, and thrust out, ~- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. a delicate hand to fend off the approaching presence. ° ‘‘ W-what?” faltered Sally Noble. “ Nol! pathy in your troublest’’ Miss Hayes said, with curling lips. ‘“ I can’t sympathize with with troubles of that sort—creature !”’ “What?” cried Henry Bond, and ceased his frowning to whirl amazedly upon Miss Hayes. ‘“ What: was that?” Dorothy had suffered keenly that even- ing. That may have been the reason. At ali events, Dorothy glanced up and down the length of Sally’s father and favored him with a most unpleasant smile. ‘’ I don’t care to know Mrs. Noble,”’ she said insolently. ‘I can’t know Mrs. Noble —really. I can’t feel myself even an ac- quaintance of a woman who makes love to ber Ausband’s partner—in his flat, in her flat when her husband’s away, wherever they may happen to be, you know!” An instant, Henry Bond stood speechless —only an instant. “What the—the devil do- you mean by that?” he gasped. ‘* What—here !’’ David Hayes shouted, with almost equal amazement, as he dashed forward. ‘“‘ Whose daughter do you dare swear at?” “Yours! Yours, when she dares—’’ “ You—you confounded, slithering scoun- drel!”” David Hayes gasped again, -and fury © blazed in his eyes. ‘I'll take that out of your hide!” “Don’t threaten me, Hayes! I’ve car- ried a gun for ten years, after your last threats!’’ said the astonishing Mr. Btad. “T have it now! And—anmd—hby Gad! Hayes, if that baggage of yours was a boy instead of a girl, I’d. blow you out of the way and tear her limb from limb! You heard what she said?” “I heard it and it’s the truth!” David Hayes announced. “ You lie!” roared Henry Boad. “ By—by golly!” Uncle Arthur cried, al- mest delightedly, for he was and always had been a powerful Bond partisan! “ Go it, Henry! That’s the stuff! Doggone their peacemaking—that’s what I’ve said Please don’t come to me for sym- from the start! Go-at him and finish him, Henry!” connie books. contr