The Argosy for May — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

216 “Belong to him?” howled the dis- tracted .wretch. “No, no, no! ‘They are mine. I will withdraw the charge, I tell you; but only on condition that the bonds are returned to me at once.” ‘““And rather than consent to that,” broke in Rock, “I would spend every night in a cell for the next ten years!.” The police captain, who had _ been studying the faces and actions of both young men and considering within him- self, suddenly reached a decision to send for George Ramsey again, but this time more peremptorily and upon his own hook. ‘There is more in this case than ap- pears on the surface,’’ he muttered into the depths of his heavy mustache, “ and I guess it’s about up to me to learn what has been going on.” , | He made no mention of his purpose to either of the young men, however, but; having secretly despatched the message, watched with amusement the game which was on between them. Corning, ghastly now between appre- hension and anxiety, was trying by every means in his power to induce Rock to give up the bonds, and let the charge of burglary be dropped; but Harry was sturdily resisting all his persuasions. At last, after a manifest inward strug- gle, the sharper came to a desperate resolution. Pretending to want a drink of water, he crossed the floor, and as he passed the other’s chair he muttered in a rapid undertone : “That draft you cashed for Spear is bogus, and will cost you your job. If you let me keep four of the bonds, you can have the other six, and so be able to square the thing up. Is it a_bar- gain?” Like a flash, Rock was upon his feet ; and all the nervous strain, the pent-up passion, and the restrained feeling of that eventful day went into the blow which he sent smashing squarely into Corning’s face. : “Take that, you thieving hound, you crawling, treacherous beast, for an an- swer to your dirty bribe! ” The recipient of the blow went to the, floor, dazed and with his cherished beauty pretty effectually spoiled for the time being; but as the police captain sprang forward to interfere, Harry THE ARGOSY. turned on his héel and resumed his seat as though too utterly contemptuous of such vermin to pay any further attention to him. At that moment there came a rap on the door, and the captain interrupted the rather caustic homily he was energetic- ally delivering to both combatants in order to open it. “That must be George Ramsey,’ he muttered to himself ; but it wasn’t. It was, to his surprise, a very stylishly and becomingly attired young woman, who, her face suddenly suffused with color, rushed up to Harry Rock and took both his hands in hers. Then she turned to the captain. ‘IT am Anita Ramsey,” she explained, ‘and when your message came, stating that Mr. Rock was in some sort of trouble down here, my _ brother was asleep, and as my father is in Philadel- phia, there was no one to come but myself. If I can be of use in any way, pray command me, for any member of our family would esteem it only too great a privilege to be of assistance to Mr. Rock.” “I’m afraid you can’t be of any help, though, ma’am,” replied the captain dis- appointedly. ‘ What I wanted to ask your brother about, you see,” oblivious to the signals Harry was making to him, ‘was in regard to some bonds which Mr. Rock insists belong to your brother, but which this Mr. Corning also claims as his.” ‘ Bonds?” she repeated with a puz- zled air. “I didn’t know that George had any bonds.”’ ‘These are ten railroad bonds of the value of one thousand dollars each,” went on the captain, with the hope of refreshing her memory. ‘“ See, here they are. Perhaps you may remember your brother’s having had them?” He lifted the envelope from his desk and held it up for her inspection. ‘“ Why—why—” she gasped. ‘ Those bonds are mine! My very own, that father gave me for a present when—”’ But the police captain’s attention was caught by a figure which, rising from the floor, had started to steal furtively through the door. “Hey,” he called to his subordinates in the other room, “ don’t let that man get GomicbdookstGco