Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

106 turned in at a public-house, a rather noto- tious place which in other days he would have scorned to enter. The bar parlor was crowded with a mixed mass of humanity, and a bold-eyed girl of common appearance edged up to him with a laugh. “‘ Just come from your rich uncle’s fu- neral?” she asked. ‘Guess he didn’t leave you anything, but if you’ve got the price of two beers on you I'll go shares with you. I’m that thirsty me tongue’s hanging out.” She ordered the drinks herself, and Dick paid for them mechanically. He scarcely knew where he was or what he was doing. Never once did he speak to the girl, and presently, after stealing several glances at his set, white face, she became a little frightened and slipped away. “That one’s headed for the crazy- house,” she confided to a friend. It must have been nine o’clock before Dick picked up his small bag of belongings and left the public-house. He crossed the big open park where the breeze blew fresh and keen from the river and thence on by way of the bridge to Witcham Mere. No one had recognized him, for he had not happened to run into any one with whom he was intimately acquainted. Nevertheless he had created an atmosphere of mystery and interest about himself. To- morrow all Witcham would know of this stranger who had flitted like a ghost through the town after inquiring for Mrs. Marshall at the cottage in Mount Street. CHAPTER XXIV, ELSPETH MAKES A DISCOVERY. ETER TREMLETT was giving a pri- P vate dinner-party to-night to cele- brate his election as mayor of Witcham. The councillors and their wives were coming and a few other people of im- portance in the community. Tremlett had not been able to revert to his former frugal habits. The thing was simply impossible, made doubly so by the fact that he himself was being subtly en- slaved by a love of luxury. And Amy—he would scarcely have be- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. lieved it possible for a woman to change to such an extent since becoming his wife. What could have happened to her during those three weeks in London? He had expected to be happy, but this woman he had married was not the Amy Marshall of his dreams. He had her; she had come to his arms almost too readily; yet even in this short time there were mo- ments when he regretted the thing he had done which had resulted in its being pos- sible for her to become his wife. There were times when her strangeness terrified him. It was as though an evil Spirit triumphed in her and watched him maliciously from the gray eyes, to see what he made of her. : A great tragedy had befallen Loraine Drew. She had hoped to leave temptation behind her when she stepped into Amy’s shoes, but it had followed her to Witcham. With plenty of money at her command she was able to send to London for the drug which had conquered her. At first she honestly persuaded herself that it was only for a little while, until she had turned this dangerous corner and ar- rived into the fair security of her new sur- roundings. The fact that the real Amy had been seriously ill of brain fever helped Loraine to pass off many of her own lapses, It was easy enough to persuade Dr. Leach into believing that her memory for names and faces had become slightly impaired: But really Loraine had made few mis- takes. Her greatest difficulty was with Elspeth. Elspeth was not merely puzzled; she was suspicious, but she kept her thoughts to herself. A time was coming, hqwever, when she would be obliged to speak them aloud. In Peter’s household his wife had created something of a sensation. She knew such a lot that Dorcas would never have believed Amy could know. She revised the wine cellar and displayed an astonishing taste for vintage champagne. She demanded dishes which the cook had never heard of, and scarcely ever was she to be seen with- out a cigaret between her lips. She jeered at Witcham society and begged Peter to take a house in London. “‘She’s like a snake, crushing the life comiclboooks C©