Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF Deacon Pitt stepped iorward hurriedly. - Jt chanced that Deacon Pitt, like his son Weldon, had many interests in the Hayes camp. “You keep out of this, Lawson!” he said. “ Huh?” rasped Uncle Arthur. “You keep your oar out of this affair and—”’ ‘Well, who in blazes are you, to tell me that, you psalm-singing old hypocrite?”’ Uncle Arthur demanded. “I'll get in and stay in! I'll back up Henry Bond, with every dollar I got! Hear that?”’ “Yes, and for every dollar you raise to back Henry Bond, Ili put ten behind Dave Hayes, if he needs ’em! I—” Thomas backed away dizzily. They were all talking now, were they not? Yes, all five of them were talking at once, and with a hot, swift, incoherent fury that was simply dumfounding. Sally had dropped to the chair in the cor- _ ner, where she held her forehead and moaned in a strange, futile fashion. Delly steod nearer the door, round-eyed, amazed at her own work! And they were waving their hands now, as they talked. Thomas shook himself to-. gether and tried to think—tried to hear. It was all but impossible, even after three of the terrific minutes. Sally’s father was explaining luridly to Dolly’s father just what he meant to do in a business way, avenging the insult. Dolly’s father, on the other hand, seemed equally enthusiastic as he delineated the wreck that lay ahead of the Henry Bond interests. Uncle Arthur shook his fist in Deacon Pitt’s very face; Deacon Pitt’s jaw wagged up and down incessantly, albeit Thomas could not distinguish a single word in the general din! And—ah! They were getting down to specific cases now, were they? Hayes was explaining, in his own slightly emotional fashion, the manner in which the Bond & Bond Manufacturing Company and all its related industries should go. down to de-— struction. And at the same time Henry Bond was making clear the dir@\dlisaster that loomed with perfect’ certainty before and ‘three original Grimshaw companies, the 12 A THE BRIDE. 369 Hayes concern itself and the three banks so closely interwoven with their several destinies! Thomas reached the wall and ceased his backing. In a way, he was able to under- stand now. Nothing. like this had hap- pened for full ten years! Why, for half a decade or more the old feeling had been mainly passive enmity, flickering up insig- nificantly here and there, but steadily going of its own accord to a ratural death. At this very minute, the band across the street was blaring in celebration of the feud’s final end and the burial of the hatchet—and here the feud had chosen Thomas's ill-fated flat in which to flame out once miore and the hatchet, out of the ground, was fairly doing somersaults of de- light all over the place! And now the noisy part was over. They were moving toward the door. They had forgotten his very existence. _“ Finish fight, this time!” Hayes was saying, wickedly, as he urged his daugh- ter on. “Til send you home in the car, Dolly. I’m going down to the offices and start things!” The machine rattle was Uncle gun ‘Arthur, coming to the end of his personal argument with Deacon Pitt; above it spoke Henry Bond: “Your finish! Believe me, if it costs me my last dollar, Hayes, ,your =_ Sally!” “ Ah!”’ Mrs. Neble faltered, sickeningly. ‘Go to your own home for the night!” snapped her father. ‘‘I can’t spare time now to take you home! Don’t cry! I'll strip the skin from his bones and put his daughter in rags for that insult, child! Go ,and lock yourself in while I’m here to protect you from physical violence!” He pointed, panting. Mrs. Noble went. Across the corridor, the door closed. Henry Bond strode out, snarling, with Uncle Arthur after him, talking rapidly. They took the stairs. Dorothy, with one bewildered backward glance, passed out be- tween her father and Weldon Pitt. They passed to the elevator, and Thomas Hen- ning’s door swung gently after them and latched. Young Mr. Henning himself remained COUMIUC AOOLK COlini