Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

370 quite motionless. He had, indeed, all but forgotten himself. The ghastliness of the whole catastrophe fairly overwhelmed him. It was on again! Their idiotic feud was on again—full tilt and to a finish this time! And what did it mean? Ruin for Braydon! And that was no exaggeration, either; dol- lars by the hundreds of thousands had been hurled into that absurd fight in the past; concerns which might have prospered wonderfully had been ruined for mere spite. One bank had failed; one had gone out of business rather than continue; two had tottered and were still not quite through tottering.. Let the whole thing start over again and every firm not absolutely wedded to Braydon would quit in sheer disgust! Real estate, of which Thomas had bought more than a little this last month, would go to bits. Yes, and the Henning and Noble firm bade fair to go down in the wreckage as well and— «|, just over and all the younger gen- eration making friends and even intermar- rying—just like Pete and Sally and Dolly and I—” Thomas found himself saying aloud. - “ Did she leave it?” hissed from the cur- “ t?” cried Thomas, with a sharp start, for these last minutes the very fact of Mary’s existence had passed from his brain. “ Were you there? Did you—did you hear the excitement?” “T heard it all! Did she leave st?” “ Mary, have you any idea of what it means to this town?” Thomas exploded. “Tt means that everybody—” “T don’t care anything about the beast- ly old town!” Mary cried passionately. “ Did Dorothy leave that cloak of hers on the chair? It slipped there when she first ‘came in and I didn’t dare look again to see if she forgot it. Is it there?” “ No—er—it isn’t there,” Thomas said dully. “Look again!” | “T’m looking!’ sighed Thomas. “ Mary there are some things even more impor- tant than your clothes and—” “Not to me, you—you callous fool!”’ Mary’s voice gasped at him. ‘“ How dare you say that? How dare you stand and the boy’s mad! ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. mumble about the town when ?’m—I’m standing here like this! “Isn’t there one shred of decency in your Isn’t there a particle of chivalry or shame in you?”’ — Thomas forced himself away from the wall. me “Yes—yes. I'll get you something to —er—wear, Mary!”’ | “And this time, do it!” the bride cried furiously and there was a tremor in her voice which rather scared Thomas and quickened him. “I can stand a great deal —I have stood a great deal!—but I can’t stand everything. and I won’t try! You get me something to wear or I’Il—do some- thing desperate! ”’ She was panting now, quite audibly. Thomas shivered and looked about for his hat. There would be stores— “Have they gone?” came from his door- way. “ Sally!”’ escaped Thomas. : ‘Yes, I couldn’t stay there. Alone and thinking—no, I couldn’t! I’m not the sort that broods and endures uncertainty and wonders!” Mrs. Noble continued, gustily, _as she entered swiftly and closed the door. “What did they mean by it? Tell me that? What did the Hayes girl mean? And—tell me where Peter has taken her, Tom! Just tell me that! _ “T want to see him, because I—I know I want the truth!” “Well, I’m going to run out for a few minutes, and if you'll just sit in your little ‘fiat till I get back?’” Thomas suggested. “Sally!” floated, clear and high, from behind the curtains of his music-room. ‘* Sally, come here!” Mrs. Noble, because her nerves were bad- ly unstrung, shrieked frankly. “Who is that?” she demanded. “‘ Sally!” the voice said sweetly. come here and see for yourself. a minute with you!” One swift glance of inquiry Mrs. Noble shot at Thomas Henning. The inquiry found no answer. - Mrs. Noble rose quickly and sped to the curtains—aye, and directly through them! And Mrs. Noble, after a great, gulp- ing breath, screamed faintly again!’ EOMRIC OG <¢ Just I want SS SOL