Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

608 was staid enough a year ago. I want to get at her, and—” ‘No, Gerry! gasped. With a shock, Geraldine paused in the doorway for an instant. ‘“You—you’re so low that you’d protect her because she makes my husband safe for you!” she said hoarsely. ‘‘ Come and watch it!” | She was gone now—gone to do what? George Dare literally wrenched himself free of the numbness that was upon him. She was speeding lightly down-stairs, while Margery dragged at his sleeve and choked: “George! Do something! George! She’s out of her head! That girl’s—rea- son! You stop her!” : ‘Tl try!” mumbled George, as lowed Mrs, Poole. The long corridor was empty before them; so were the stairs, when they reached their head. Even in these few seconds Ger- aldine had attained the living-room because there was much moving about in there, as if people were running for cover. The sounds stoppef, though, as George and Margery rushed downward. They caught Geraldine’s voice—and now they saw Ger- aldine, standing very erect, Sneering down at Angela, who sat upright on the couch. ‘Why he carried me up-stairs like that? Is that what you were asking?” she was saying just then. ‘“‘ Well, he did it, my dear, because I insisted upon coming in here and creating a real disturbance, which I’m about to do now. Do you see?” She hesitated an infinitesimal second, considering Angela keenly, while Dr. Poole visibly tried for breath and failed. ‘“ Are you in love with that beautiful mountain?” she asked, indicating the physician. ‘“T—I am going to marry him!” Angela said faintly. | “How about his wife? Has she consent- ed?” darted from Mrs. Dare. ‘‘ His—wife?”’ screamed Miss Starr. “His wife, to be sure—that lady, over there, the one you saw my husband hug- ging and kissing. That’s Mrs. Dr. Poole, although one might not suspect—”’ After which Geraldine said no more. That sudden, awful, ear-splitting shriek No, Gerry!’ Margery he fol- THE ARGOSY. of Angela’s would have drowned the puffing of a locomotive! CHAPTER XIII. LATER COMERS. D° not underestimate this shriek. It was not a mere loud cry, indicating grief or rage or amazement or a combination of the threes In volume, in penetrating pow- er, in emotional impetus, this shriek was in a class all by itself. It struck terror to the heart and set tl.s skin to crawling, it caused one’s hair to rise politely and to stand re- spectfully before its might. A girl falling from a thousand-foot precipice and hitting a particularly sharp.rock might emit a shriek like that, but Angela Starr had ac- complished it while sitting on a perfectly comfortable couch. Nor did she ruin its effect by. essaying other shrieks. As the echoes of this one died slowly through the house, Miss An- gela devoted a very impressive ten seconds to clasping her hands and staring at Dr. Poole with great, wild eyes. ‘Then: “Wife!” she whispered. ‘‘ Your wife!” eS She—” “Is she? Angela. ‘Of course, I would have told you, but that—” ‘“Qh—oh!”’ cried the patient. And then, with a whirl, she had turned about and thrown herself face downward into the pillows. Face buried, her clenched fists beat and beat and beat, while her muf- fled screams sounded -hideously from the feather depths! ‘My father! My father! came up from them, too. ‘““T shall do my best to explain to your father,” came thinly from Dr. Poole’s white lips. “Vou can’t explain! You can never ex- plain—to father! And I thought—you brought me here—to this place! To this place!” : Once more she screamed. The fists beat on and on and on. It was painful enough for all of them, of course, yet its most pronounced effect Is she? Is she?” screamed He’ll—” HOO (C(O) S (C(C)