Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

62 wet through. The trees, while they warded off the rain directly, dripped big drops on him. His wet clothing made him uncom- fortable and brought depression ‘to his spirits. He was young and he was facing trial for the first time. trouble before. - He had learned telegraphy easily when he had left high school and had had no trouble in getting a job. Ambition had brought him from the jerkwater road on which he had made Mr. Morse’s ac- quaintance to this bigger road, where he had expected opportunity to be greater. And now somebody had opened the gate on him when he had seemed to be hitting a good clip and he had gone all over the right-of-way. He was roused from these somber thoughts by the sight of a woman going up the steps of the boarding-house. She paused before the door and stood with her finger on the button of the electric-bell. Then the lightning died away. Shelby waited. He wondered about her. She was not a dweller in the house. If she had been she would have had a key. The landlady opened the door in a mo- ment, and after a brief exchange of words the girl stepped inside. The door was closed, A few minutes passed and the land- lady came out and started rapidly down the street, her umbrella over her head. Shelby saw these two developments by flashes of lightning which were becoming more widely separated. He saw that the storm was dying out and that he must have a closer view if he were to keep in touch with what was trans- piring over there. He hurried across the street and stood under the trees on that side. His impatience made his wait seem long. But the girl had been in the house scarcely ten minutes when she emerged. Shelby heard the night-latch click behind her. She descended the steps and passed so close to him that he could see, in spite of the umbrella she held over her head, that she was young and graceful. She hastened down the street. ‘They say there’s generally a woman mixed up in everything,” Shelby said to himself. ‘ I'll just see about this.” He had never been in ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. He followed the girl to the corner of the next street. There was a car line here. The girl stopped and glanced up the street. She stood fully revealed in the light from the arc-lamp above her. Shelby, pausing, had a chance to observe her. The girl seemed to be waiting for a car. Presently Shelby approached her and stood within three feet of her. Out of the cor- ner of his eye he saw her throw a quick glance in his direction. | Susceptible Shelby thrilled under that glance, for it came from. as pretty. a pair of Irish gray eyes as he had ever had turned in his direction. But he seemed to be merely a young man waiting for a car, and the one glance was all the girl favored him with. She turned her gaze in the quarter from which she expected the car to come. Its light came into view in a few minutes. While the car rapidly approached Shelby stood in indecision. It was only a hunch that had made him follow the girl—a hunch born of the fact that she had spent a few minutes alone in the house in which Thorn- ton lived. She might never have heard of Thornton. On the other hand, she might be closely associated with him. Should he board the car and see where she went? If he did so, he might miss Thornton. If he did not, he might allow an actor in his drama to elude him. The car was stopping before he decided. The Irish gray eyes had been turned on him again and he saw that into them a little question about his being there had dawned. If the girl were wondering about him, he would be wise to wonder about her. He followed her on board the car. She went to the middle of it. He sat down near the door. Then he raised his eyes. Her eyes, filled with interrogation now, were on his face. As their glances met a flush dyed her cheeks. She looked away quickly. They rode half a dozen blocks and then the girl reached up and pressed the button. Shelby was just behind her as she stepped to the ground. He was a little uncertain now as to what he was going to do. He had followed her in vain if he did not speak to her, but he was at a loss for an comiclboooks C©