The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 237: what you’re looking at

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

A STEAM-ROOM FRACAS. this way, and it tires me to hold you, with all your petulant twistings; but I want you to sober up, Kell, and real- ize what you’re coming to. Right now you're crunching along on the crust of crime, as I told your cousin at the club to-day, after you’d returned Scrog- gins’s cigarette-case. You've got to take a brace—a brace of braces.” Keller splashed his feet nervously on the sloppy floor and tried to wriggle from Tillinghast’s grasp. “You're a_ perfect rotter!’ he blurted out like an angry boy. ‘“ And yet they call you a prince of good fellows, and all that rot. You're as unsportsmanlike as a bank clerk, and, furthermore, you're a bully.” “IT know the four years’ disparity in our ages makes me look like a bully, Kell,” replied Tillinghast. ‘“ But, to tell the truth, you seem like a boy to me, and my drastic action is only urged on by a sort of parental neces- sity. You've got to come to your senses, and somebody’s got to lead you there. Now, I’m going to take it upen myself to return this ring to Miss Hartworth, and what would you think if I told her all about how it came into my possession? ” “Td think you were a very cour- teous gentleman, naturally,” sneered the other; it was evident the jolt he had received had somewhat shaken the hold of the rum omelets. “Well, that’s what I’m going to do, unless you promise to give over this little business of picking up things that don’t belong to you.” “T tell you that ring is mine!” cried Keller, now really frightened. “Then why do you squirm at my showing it to Miss Hartworth? If it’s really yours, you can explain it easily enough; but the engraving inside will argue against any false stories, you know.” | “The ring’s mine! Give it to me!” cried Keller desperately. Making a frantic effort to break Tillinghast’s hold, he suddenly slid along the seat toward a bell in the wall. other, catching his intention. 223 “None of that!” exclaimed the “T tell you I’m in earnest. You’ve gone far enough. You need a good scare.”’ “The governor’ll have a thing or two to say to you when we get out of this.”’ Keller was now savagely sullen. “And I'll have something to say to him. Ill tell him what you’re coming to and recite a few of your little tricks at the club. Do you think they'll amuse him, make him smile as the fel- lows do?” There was silence except for Keller’s hard, fast breathing, and the rippling of the tank in the middle of the steam- room. Then, on a sudden, the younger fellow doubled up quickly and butted his head into Tillinghast’s chest, jolt- ing him from the narrow bench to the slippery floor. They rolled together, Tillinghast struggling to regain his hold and Keller fighting to evade it, to the edge of the cold-water tank in the middle. Keller managed to squirm across Tillinghast and catch two tense fingers inside the rubber band, holding the ring at Tillinghast’s wrist. With a wrench the band snapped, and Tillinghast made one effort to grab the smaller man as his form slipped away in the enveloping mist. He managed to catch a heel, Keller having got nimbly to his feet. With a quick jerk, Tillinghast threw the other foot off balance, the vague form swayed above him for a moment, top- pled, and then splashed head first into the cold-water tank. Quick as thought, Tillinghast was in after him, diving for the fellow, who had screamed and sent up a mul- titude of big bubbles on going down. He had him up in a moment, gasp- ing, spluttering, and screaming inartic- ulately. Tillinghast remembered Kel- ler’s fear of the water, and cautiously clung to the slippery ladder with one hand while he held his companion, floundering and splashing, spluttering and cursing, out in the middle of the tank. CoOMmicbook CO