Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

432 he wouldn’t put ye out fer the world! says that God made the land ye be on, an’ that he hain’t got any more right to it than ye hev, reely; an’ that ye hev more ’n. paid fer the old house.” Captain Drummond dropped into his chair and took the paper in his trembling hand. “‘ He—he clears the place!” he fal- tered. ‘“‘ Thank God! It was Him what did it!” Mr. Lowny was astonished. He had ex- pected to hear a vivid recital of how he had been “ done,’ and was hardly prepared to find himself elevated to a plane of which his hard, business life had permitted him to know nothing. Something within him seemed to break and he experienced a sud- den revulsion of feeling as he noticed the childish emotion of the ancient mariner. He took a step forward and was about to protest, but Mr. Turk gave him a look that halted him. “Tf ye dare interrupt me by buttin’ in I'll brain ye where ye stand,” he exclaimed in a strident whisper; then bending over the old man and patting the thin shoulder, he shouted: “The place is all clear, pop! That paper proves it! Mr. Lowny had it made made out fer ye in Boston ‘cause ye had paid so much intrust for forty year. He brought it to ye for yer birthday present. He’s a real fine feller, he is; he’s a real God-fearin’ Christian, an’ his heart’s big- ger ’n a quarter-boat. He’s one o’ them philanthropists what go around doin’ geod without blowin’ a fog-horn abeut it. That’s why he don’t say much. He wants to shake han’s with ye.” Mr. Turk straightened himself and turned to the astonished Bostonian. ‘“ An’ now go up to pop an’ tell him I’m a damned liar—if ye can. Go up an’ kill him by U He - tell. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, tellin’ him ye be goin’ to fight him—that ye be a hard-hearted skin-a-bone, if ye dare. But I don’t think ye be ekle to it.” Mr. Lowny feit that he had been com- pletely flanked, but he did not resent it being beset by a force of mingled emotions the like of which he had known nothing since childhood. And he was not all yellow; indeed, he was largely like other men liv- ing in a world which made little appeal to their better nature. And it was rather too much for him to knock himself from the pedestal on which the astute Mr. Turk had placed him. He was beaten. He came for- ward impulsively and held out his hand to the man he had expected to dispossess. It was grasped by both of Captain Drum- mond’s, down whose cheeks tears of relief were now streaming. Mr. Turk dashed his hand across his own eyes. The Boston man turned to him. “I presume that now you will enlighten the entire county about your smartness,” he said, with a touch of bitterness. The return was hearty. ‘“ My land! Does the shoe pinch ye there! Ye can bet that even pop won’t ever know, unless ye I am’t that kind, mister.” ‘““ But the storekeeper—” . “Gosh! I’ll break his face if he opens it. Don’t you fear nothin’,” Mr. Lowny fired his last shot, but he al- most smiled as he sent it forth. ‘‘ Mr. Turk, the storekeeper told me that you were a meek sort of person; that you lacked spunk; that you were spiritless.”’ The other caught the grim smile of sur- render and laughed joyously. “ Wall, so I be, when I ain’t roused up. Take a cheer and set down. Damned if I think I lied to pop about ye, after all! And, say, I’ll let ye off from payin’ that hundred dollars ye promised for settin’ ye ashore.” U NOVEMBER BIT of snow in a dull, gray sky— Wood-smoke with a haze of blue; A flock of wild ducks flying high— My armchair, a pipe, and you! Ruby Erwin Livingston. oo) ,< com (E(0) |