Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

SHELBY’S HEAD-ON ner he saw a man approaching from the other direction. He slowed his pace to see if the man was a policeman. As he passed under a light, the man proved to be in civilian dress. Shelby quickened his steps again. ‘The man reached the corner just ahead of him. As he came into full view, Shelby had to choke back an exclamation. The man was Osborne. He suffered a renewal of his red fury against Osborne then. If Osborne had not been a despicable liar, Shelby would not have been in his present predicament. But he fought back his emotion. A su- preme act of violence was already chalked up against him at police headquarters. He could commit no lesser acts. As he controlled himself, Osborne passed down the street on which the girl lived. Shelby fell in behind him, twenty feet away. From beneath the down-drawn peak of his cap he saw Osborne turn and scrutinize him sharply. But his appearance seemed to satisfy the copier. He went on again. He came presently to a house on the next corner. He turned in at this and ran up the steps. Shelby walked past and stopped in the shadow of a tree. Osborne rang the door-bell. There was a moment’s pause. Then the door was opened. The light re- vealed Ethel Sutherland. Shelby had feared that she would come to the door. The moment Osborne had turned at the corner Shelby had had a prevision that her home was his destination. As Osborne entered the house, Shelby leaned back against the tree. He was sick- ened. He.was a boy out of his own home only a year, and in that year he had been welcomed in many pleasant homes. The sight of the girl standing there with the light falling on her brown hair and with her eyes fixed on Osborne’s face made his heart ache with longing. He wished he might have gone up those steps and have been received by this girl, as she might possibly have received him, if they had not been caught in this net. | And then suspicion of her flared up in him. Why was Osborne going to see her? She had gone to see Thornton. Thornton had been Osborne’s friend. And now, in spite of what she had said about Thornton, CRASH. rt Osborne was her guest. She seemed to have lied. Probably she had been “ stringing ”’ him. He straightened up from the tree and stood listening intently. There was hardly a sound in the street. No one was in sight along its length, so far as he could make out. Walking along the line of trees on the soft turf, he came to the side of the house. From his position he could look through a - window. Osborne seemed to be preparing to leave. He was standing with his hat in his hand. The girl was standing across from him, lean- ing on the back of a chair. The chair was thus between them. Shelby saw that the girl’s head was .thrown back. Her gray eyes were alight The It was a hard and there was a smile on her lips. smile made Shelby shiver. and bitter smilé. Osborne was smiling, too, evilly. Shelbv wondered what they had been talking about to bring those expressions to their faces. He could see Osborne’s lips move. The girl shook her head. Expecting Osborne to move toward the door at any moment, Shelby prepared to go back to the street. Before he could move, a heavy hand was laid on his shoul- der. Instinctively he struggled to free him- self, but he could not shake off that grip. He looked around, sure he was in the hands of a policeman. But the man who held him was Silent Simpson. There was a grim smile on Simpson’s lips. “‘ Lord, how you scared me, Silent,” Shel- by said. ‘ What do you want?” “‘T did want you to shinny on your own side,” Simpson said, ‘‘ but since you won’t I want you to do a little work for me. Come out here.”’ They walked out into the deep shadow which the trees made. “As soon as Osborne leaves, go in and see Miss Sutherland,” Simpson said. ‘ Find out all you can about what she and Osborne have said. Call me up when you leave her. If I’m not at home, call me first thing in the morning.” ‘€ Suppose she tells me something in con- fidence?” Shelbv said. comicloool C©