Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

Hews, and second the great effort to keep 4he wary Johnny from knowing that any- _ thing was in the wind. ; The net drew closer about him. It was less than a week after the newspaper writer had set his typewriter chattering over the story of the checker-playing marvel when Mrs. Osborne fluttered into the tin shed with a slip of newspaper flimsy and a tele- gram. The girl ceased her everlasting turn- ing of the crank and cried out with joy when she read the telegram and the mes- sage from her friend of the pen. ~ Publicity brings results,” said the note, and the telegram read: Mrs. K. Martin, 10 Harrison Street, this city, thinks checker-playing boy her runaway Son, John. Please advise how to get boy here. R. Dean, Editor Wellsville (Ohio) Courant. ~ Wellsville!” cried Kitty, turning the slip over and over in her hand. ‘“ Why, that isn’t sixty miles from here on the State road. Dad and I have driven it dozens of times.” * Wellsville,” said Springtime; ‘“ I know that burg. ‘There’s a good hangout there and the bulls are all easy. Sure, it isn’t Over sixty miles from here. The slick little devil! I wonder if he knows how close to home he is?” Mrs. Osborne charged toward the door, but Kitty intercepted her. She did not trust her mother’s judgment in times like these. “I’m going to find Johnny!” cried the mother. ‘“ He ought to know, most cer- tainly.” “Oh, good gosh, no!” said Springtime, and Kitty seized her mother by the arm and __- * He’d = be gone like a shot, moms! Don’t, please don’t! You'll ruin every- ven if you look as though there were out of the way! You have no t a wild Jad that is'” said Mrs. Osborne with uid want his mother again. ven if he is abnormal. The 4 a8 not to want to go doesn’t remember his ar to me, al- >t DOV ” a9 to ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the matter, and you may count on my ¢«.- lence. Go ahead as you see fit.” my SI : When she had gone out of the shed pringtime and Kitty looked at each other Those long Silent hours there when Kitty We trang the crank and Springtime was playing bell ringer had built UPD a camera- deri€, so that she understood his unspoken thought. a Gee, we'll have to be wary!” said Kitty. “ We'll have to be as cautious as anything. We'll take him home. -Yoy and I in the flivver. I can drive it and you can hang onto him—maybe he'll fight when he see where he’s going.” % I’m wondering if it’s the right place,” said Springtime. “It sure would be a peach if we dragged him off to a mother he didn’t belong to. I have an idea that a mother with a lost kid would be so anxious to believe that he was alive that any old picture of a healthy lad would look like her own. I'd better telegraph and find out. I know a fence there who's wise to everything in that town. How about it?” “ Right, as always,” said Kitty. ‘* What's a fence?” “Never mind. You'll never see one— leastways the kind of fence I mean.” “ Be careful,” cautioned Kitty, ‘‘ and I'll slip it to dad when he comes home.” On the way to the telegraph office Spring- time met Johnny—Johnny with traces of blood on his upper lip and a rent in his knickerbocker suit. He stopped when he saw Springtime coming and waited for him. ‘Gee, I've been playing football,” he said, ‘“ and you ought to have seen me get away with that ball! I sure showed these hick kids what playing is.” “Go on!” said Springtime incautiously. “That town you come from is about half the size of this one. I laugh at you when you call this a hick place. Did you ever hear the old proverb about people that lived in glass houses not throwing stones?” “Veah?” said Johnny as he cocked an eye at his pal. ‘‘ Where you heading?” ‘ Down the street.” “Pll go with you.” “ You will not. I’m busy.” “Oh, sleuth stuff!’ mocked Johnny. © Or are you buying the girl a ring? Cant | b exe) <yeo) a ca mii a