Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

FIXED BY GEORGE. utes before I rang—oh, yes, I saw you start | out and change your mind and come back and everything, George; I wasn’t twenty feet away from you! And I watched you hug fer and kiss her and—just tell me the truth! How long has this been going on? Hadn’t you manhood enough to come to me and tell me you loved her?” Geraldine demanded, and her tone grew thick and hard. “Isn’t there plain—plain decency enough in Poole te make it impossible— but there isn’t, because he’s doing it! I— I wonder if all men—and some few women like you—can be like that!” “Will you—hear the truth?” George managed. “Yes, but not that thing about the wo- man on the sofa being a patient and—all that rot! Remember, I’ve been looking at the painted creature ‘who keeps the place for some time. You might possibly lie your way out of.the rest of it, but you can’t lie away that paint, and her nakedness, and— ugh! ”? “TY know! I know!” said George. “I can’t explain her myself, because I don’t know anything about her except that she’s eccentric, and that there’s certainly a high- ly improper look to her. But Margery’s here to back me up—’’ George cried, and waved a quite dramatic hand toward Mar- gery, and then stopped. It was the first time he had glanced at Margery Poole in some minutes. He had expected to find her cool and collected and ready, as should have been any young wo- man whose innocence of all wrong was so perfect. Instead, Margery had selected the southeast pillar of the old four-poster for support, and had tottered against it. She Stood with one hand clasped at either side of her pretty head, white, mouth-open, eyes blank with horror. As a perfect picture of black guilt,.much practise before a mirror might have improved the effect a littl— but only a very little. “Why, Geraldine thinks—Geraldine thinks—she thinks—” Margery gasped. “Yes, isn’t it fortunate that she does think once in a while?” Geraldine asked caustically. ‘Or it’s rather unfortunate from your point of view, is it not? If Ger- aldine hadn’t happened to think, these lit- 607 tle meetings might have gone on indefinite- ly! However, she did! —well?”’ ‘“ Gerry,” said George shakily, ‘I can’t talk while you talk, you know. I’m not going to bawl you down.”’ “Oh! Quite a courteous scoundrel, aren’t your” Geraldine sneered. ‘“‘ Go on, then. Only don’t try the story about the patient and you and Margery coming here to scare her husband, and all that. That’s too ridiculous.”’ “But it’s so!” And now Geraldine flushed fiercely. Mul- tiplied by several hundred, the mild little temper which had started Geraldine toward New Jersey this afternoon .was sweeping her into its hot grasp! ‘“So I’m expected to play the born fool to the very end, am I?” she cried. ‘‘ Well, it worked this afternoon, when I let you fight with me and get me out of the house so that you could come here, but it doesn’t work now, George Dare! You'd like to have me tiptoe out for the—pah!—pa- tient’s sake; that’s what I understood from Poole. You watch me tiptoe!”’ “Gerry! Not so loud® That—girl’s reason may—’”’ Margery faltered. _ “That for her reason!” cried Mrs. Dare, and snapped her fingers furiously. ‘‘ That girl’s a beast who deserves to hear just what Vit tell her, and—’” ‘“ But she isn’t!” “Then she’s a poor, weak-minded fool who actually doesn’t know that Poole is married to you—although how that can be passes me. But if that’s what she is, she’ll hear the truth in record time!’’ said Geral- dine, as she started for the door. ‘I prom- ised Arthur I’d stay here and hear what you had to say. I’ve done that now, and I stick to the little resolution IJ made on that veranda.” “ Res-resolution?”? George echoed. - “ Yes, I’m going to wreck this pretty lit- tle shop, and what I can’t do with my tongue I’ll do with my hands!” stated Ger- aldine, who had gone far past all reason. “Oh, this isn’t the end of it for you two, of course! You'll have your day in the divorce court as well, but something tells me that that woman down on the sofa is at the bottom of it all. Poole, Heaven knows, mM Go NOOK