Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

MAGNIFICENT FOLLY. “Tris.” he began, ‘“‘I reckon you think I’m a plumb fool about Mike. And I reck- on I don’t miss it far, that’s a certainty. But don’t nobody, not even you, know what he’s meant to me.” Charlie hesitated with a strong man’s dif- ficulty at finding words for his own deep feelings. ‘“T never had no falks—my mother died before I can remember, and my daddy was killed in a drunken fight, so I just growed up spontane-yus, as Miz Dowdy would say.” He laughed with a sudden whimsi- cality. ‘‘ The man that raised me had nine children, and he and his wife and every last one of them kids chewed tobacco, ex- cept the baby—” Iris’s face expressed her feelings. “ And it never had no teeth!’ finished Charlie mirthfully. “Was that on the ranch?” asked ins, laughing with him. ““Yes—the Three X’s. I reckon you’ve saw it on my watch chain,” and he pointed out the X X X to the girl. Charlie had purposely introduced the in- terlude to save his story from becoming | too sad. He went on: “J cleared out for myself as soon as I was able, but I was awful lonesome. Lord, I reckon you don’t know how lonesome a fellow can get out on the plains and not die. Of course, I knew lots of men, but they wasn’t the right sort—not the kind to help a fellow get anywhere—they never learned me nothin’ but cussin’ and drinkin’ and gamblin’. If I’d ever cared about a woman it might ’a’ been different, but I never. I always felt like my face would burn up and set my hair on fire when I talked to one. So I herded with a rough bunch. “ That’s the way it was when Mike come along. Life was mighty tame to me, and I was follerin’ a straight course to the devil. I never cared for nothin’, and I’d ’a’ been ruint before now, but with his funny fool- ishness he kept me off the street and out of temptation. ‘““T never had nobody to care whether I done right or wrong before, but he took an interest and made me feel it—without exactly tellin’ me se—and that’s the grand- 259 est and most steadyin’ thing in the world, to know that somebody does care. Of course, I’m nothin’ but a hard-boiled grass- hopper, but—”’ Charlie stopped abruptly, suddenly be- reft of words by a striking phenomenon. A tear had fallen on his hand. He looked up m surprise, and saw in Iris’s face the source of the supply. To the girl Charlie’s homely tale had lost its comic element and was dignified by pathos. Her eyes were brimming lakes. Charlie felt a peculiar helplessness. ‘Don’t cry, Iris. Please don’t,” he pleaded. At his words the flood broke, and the lakes were inundated. . ““ Now, see what I’ve done! I reckon I’m the blunderingest fool—”’ “Hush, Charlie,” she sobbed. “It isn’t you. It’s me,” she added ungrammati- cally. The artless plaimsman hastened to re- assure her. ‘‘ Nobody blames you,” he de- clared magnanimously. “Of course, you fell in love with him. And that’s what I’m coming te—I don’t mind. I used to think I couldn't bear for Mike to marry, be- cause— Well, women’s my 6éaié-no-war, he says. But I don’t mind you, Lis. I don’t. In fact, I’m right glad.” He pat- ted her hand reassuringly. ‘‘ That’s what I started out to tell you. You can have him. I give him to you, free and willing.”’ The irony of it! In the stress of the amazing situation Iris could repress her feelings no longer. ‘““Qh—oh! You don’t know. He doesn’t know. He wouldn’t want me. Oh, Charke, Iam so unhappy!” She dropped her head, and her frame was shaken with weeping. Charlie looked at her, dumb with sur- prise. Here was another matter about which he was sure he “ didn’t know as much as he knew.” He stroked her hand in silence. Perhaps it was the happiest remedy he could have devised to assuage the storm, for, unimpeded, it soon spent its force, and the girl, soothed by the gentleness of his touch, yielded presently to placidity. She withdrew her hand and wiped her tears. ““ T’m such a goose! ”’ “You're a sweet woman, Iris. It’s a comicboooks C©