The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

WITH THE BEST ter-of-fact tone, as he jumped on the run- ning-board. ‘‘I want to get back to the camp, and as vou seem to be going—” He stopped short, with sudden embar- rassment. ‘“T beg your pardon, miss,” he apolo- gized. ‘I didn’t notice—er—I supposed at first I was talking to a man. I don’t know how I came to make such a queer mistake, A’m sure.” ‘This cap and duster I’m wearing probably misled you,” said Nella with a laugh. ‘‘ But does it make any difference —the fact that I’m a girl, I mean? I am going as far as Van Cortlandt Park and shall be glad to take you to the camp.” The soldier hesitated. She thought at first that he was goimg to refuse; then, with a slight shrug, he swung into the seat beside her. “If you are sure that I sha’n’t be in- truding I shall be glad to avail myself of your kind offer,” he said. They rode for a while in silence. Nella’s passenger appeared to be a very taciturn young man. Either he was the most bashful member of Uncle Sam’s army she had ever met, she told herself, or else he was trying to make it clear to her that he had no in- tention of presuming on her kindness by forcing himself on her acquaintance. {t was the girl who broke the ice. ‘““T suppese you have been visiting friends in Hastings?” she remarked. Her companion nodded. ‘Yes; I went up there to take dinner with—with my fiancée,” he informed her. “Qh, you are engaged to be married!” Nella’s eyes twinkled. ‘Is that why you hesitated about riding in this car when you discovered that there was a girl at the wheel?” ‘That was one of the reasons,” he con- fessed simply. ‘‘ Of course I was consider- ing the matter from your standpoint, too. I didn’t like to.force my company on you. But I must admit that the lady I am going to marry is—er—of a very Jealous dispo- sition. If it should happen to reach her ears that I was seen riding in a runabout_ with a pretty girl at my side, it might put me in rather bad with her.” “ But you could explain.” OF INTENTIONS. 149 The soldier laughed deprecatingly. ‘That might not be so easy as you im- agine. Irene—her name is Irene—is—er —very exacting. She thinks that when a man is engaged he has no right to as much as look at another woman. I am afraid my explanation would hardly satisfy her. Naturally she would be somewhat in- credulous if I attempted to make her be- lieve that I mistook you for a man when I hailed you.” ‘Then why did you finally decide to ride with me?” Nella asked whimsically. ‘ Aren’t you taking an awful chance?” Her companion shrugged his broad shoulders. “It isn’t very likely that Irene will hear of it. Anyway, a soldier has to take chances, you know. I am in a hurry to get back to the camp, and yours was the only car in sight.” From the expression that came to Nella’s pretty face it was evident that she was not greatly pleased by his frank response. There followed another long pause, as the red runabout sped over the dark roads. “Ts she very pretty?” Nella asked presently. ‘The most beautiful woman in the world,” the man declared, rapturously. He laughed. ‘I suppose you're thinking that’s a bit strong, but—vwell, Ill show you her picture and you can judge for yourself.” He produced a wallet from a pecket in his uniform and took therefrom an un- mounted photograph. As he drew out the print an oblong slip of yellow paper fell from the wallet to the floor of the car, but neither of them noticed that occurrefce. ‘She certainly is beautiful,” Nella de- clared, in ail sincerity, as she held the picture so that the light of the incandes- cent lamp over the speedometer fell on it. ‘“No wonder you are so afraid of losing her. Unless this photograph flatters—”’ ‘““Flatters! It falls far short of doing her justice. It’s a fairly good likeness of her, as photographs go, but, of course the camera has its limitations. It would take a portrait painter to give you a real idea of what she looks like, and even the great- est of artists couldn’t make good if he oO Comicbooe S CO