Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

A NEW GIRL IN TOWN. Diantha was not feverish and disheveled like some of the other women; she was very pale, her eyes glittering. Worse than the merely feather-brained women, he saw that the very devil of gambling possessed her. Gone was her lovely and touching openness of look; her whole face was pinched and hardened by the ugly passion. He groaned inwardly at the sight. He knew it was her first visit to the place; he saw that it would prove her everlasting ruin unless she were quickly taken away. He circled around the table, and by de- grees worked himself close to Diantha’s side. Sutliffe saw the maneuver and scowled, but said nothing. Diantha was perfectly oblivi- ous. Moments passed before Guyon could muster up the courage to speak to her, his heart was beating so, his tongue so numb. Finally he whispered: “‘ May I speak to you a moment?” Diantha looked around in impatient sur- prise. Neither Guyon nor any man alive meant anything to her at that moment. Seeing who it was, her lip curled slightly, she shook her head and returned her fas- cinated gaze to the wheel. Sutliffe smiled in hateful triumph, but Guyon was too anx- ious to think of that. He could almost have wrung his hands in his helplessness. Diantha placed another bet. Guyon waited on the result. She lost. His des- perate need sharpened his wits. “I’m supposed to be an expert at this game,” he whispered swiftly. ‘“ Let me tell you what I know.” It worked. She turned to him with ‘a new look—sharp, eager, hard. To see that look on her face nearly broke his heart. Sutliffe scowled at her move, but could not interfere. “ T’ve lost every time since the first time,” said Diantha fretfully. ‘‘ Other people win. It’s not fair!” Guyon’s heart yearned over her as over an unconscious child in danger. His deep eyes quested in her face while he sought for the right words to say. “ Well?” said Diantha impatiently. “Come away!” he whispered. “ This is no fit place for you. If you knew how ter- rible it was to find you here—looking like these other women!” | 235 “Ts that You're a Diantha stared at him angrily. what you wanted to say. Well! nice one to be saying it!” “It’s because I know how rotten it is that it hurts so to see you here!” he whis- pered. ‘ Leave me out of it. I’m bound for hell in my own way. But you—you were like something happy and natural— something out of doors—away from cities— I can’t stand it! I can’t stand it!” “I’m afraid you'll have to,” Diantha murmured coolly, and returned to her place at the board. The smile returned to Sutliffe’s face. He gave Diantha more chips. Guyon stood back watching her with the same look of desperate anxiety. Her scorn had not touched him. He was not thinking of him- self now, but only of her. For her sake he could even humiliate his. pride to the point of appealing to his successful rival. Approaching Sutliffe, Guyon said in a tone chosen to avoid giving offense: “ Just a moment, Sut.” Sutliffe could not. very well refuse the direct request. But indeed he had no wish to. He foresaw an opportunity to triumph further over his rival. The two walked a few paces from the table. Diantha, ab- sorbed in her play, paid no attention. They talked in careful undertones. Said Guyon: “ Sut, this place is bad for her!” “So they say,” sneered Sutliffe. He took a cigarette with a bored air. ‘But I mean specially bad for her,” Guyon persisted. ‘‘ She must have had the seeds of it in her. That’s not her fault. But see what it’s doing to her. She doesn’t even know what’s the matter with her. She can’t take care of herself!” ‘““T can’t see that’s it’s any business of yours,” Sutliffe said with a hard stare. “‘Oh, leave me out of it,” said Guyon. “It’s any decent man’s business, isn’t it, to take care of her?” “ Really, Guyon, you ought to go on the stage,” laughed Sutliffe. Guyon still schooled his rising anger. “Look here, Sut, I don’t want to make you sore. There are things I could say— but I want to appeal to your sense of de- cency. Look at her! Can you let her go on? That child?” . comiclbooolx C©