Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

152 | THE ARGOSY. But Bert did not take it with such easy carelessness as Dolph; he was biting his lips with vexation. “ The balance you refer to—my sav- ings—I no longer have. It is gone.” ‘“Gone since you mentioned it yes- terday, doubtless,” hazarded Dolph. ‘Since you last saw me,’ replied Jack. “Then like yourself, it ran away to Harmon and didn’t come back, I sup- pose,” sneered Dolph. “ Stop this, Dolph, and come along,” cried Bert. ‘ We have no further busi- ness with Burke—at present.” “Wait!” cried Jack, advancing into the middle of the room after a hasty glance behind his bedroom curtains. ‘“T owe you an explanation of my fail- ure to return.” ‘“ You’re wrong,” retorted Bert. “ We owe you a return for your kind- ness, and we shan't fail to pay the debt,” and Bert moved towards the door. “ IT used the word ‘ owe’ as a mere figure of speech,” said Jack as he in- tercepted his callers and backed up against his door; “ and I shall insist on explaining.” “ Oh, as you please,” rejoined Bert. ‘“ But don’t tag a moral to it, for heaven’s sake,” begged Dolph. “You know that bridge over the stream just before you reach Harmon,” began Jack. “As I came in sight of that, going at a clipping pace, I saw something dark tumble off through the side rails, heard a splash, a gurgle, and then I knew that somebody had fallen into the river. “I dashed down the bank and saw, floundering in the shallow water for- tunately—whom do you suppose?” “Oh, come! no conundrums, Burke, when I’ve got a big one of my own to answer, said Bert, tapping the carpet with his foot. “Well, then,” said Jack, “it was Teddy Young!” — “And so that’s where he was while we were hunting for him high and low. I hope you brought him back with you, with fifty five dollars in his pocket,’’ ob- served Bert. Man!” cried Jack, “do you know what he was doing there—in_ the river? He had tried to drown himself !”’ Bert and Dolph were shocked into seriousness for a moment. “Well,” said Bert at length. “I didn’t think Teddy was quite such an idiot as that.” ‘* And leaving his debts of honor un- paid,’ said Dolph with a look of dis- gust. ‘Don’t you see, you despicable, hardened blacklegs, that you—yes, you —would have been responsible for that boy’s death, if he had succeeded? It is you who have made him neglect his studies to the point of flunking this month ; you who have led him into debt, won his money from him, made him overdraw his allowance, until his father refused to give him another cent; 1t was you—you contemptible young scoun- drels—who drove him to _ despair and ” ‘* See here, Burke! ” exclaimed Bert, frightened by Jack’s flashing eyes into paleness and a certain degree of calm; “you’re making your words too strong.” “The only things too strong for you,” cried Jack, flinging his door wide open, “ are my good right and the toe of my boot. Get out of my rooms once and for all,” and Jack seized Bert by the coat collar. * Wait, Jack, wait!” cried a boyish voice from behind the curtains, and there burst upon the trio an apparition of little Teddy Young in a night shirt, holding a pair of trousers in his hand. “Wait till I give them their money! Wait, wait! ” The two young sports stood aghast! They could not help seeing that there was something wrong about poor Teddy. His face was flushed, his eyes blazed, and he was feeling in the pocket of the trousers with a sort of feverish frenzy eo