Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

7’ half had gained enormously since e cold bath, and it drew his aimless feet own the alley which he had traversed a Short month ago for the first time. He ‘4 ( und himself Standing just where he had _ Stood when he first saw her behind the _ Syringas, where the smell of the mince pies _ on the window sill had stopped him dead as the scent of woodcock would stop a bird _ dog. Peering down the alley he saw that ___ the stable door was closed, and walking to it also saw that it was locked. He had had a curious idea of going back into that tin shed and starting on the sec- ond twenty bushels, for it might be that Kitty or Tom Osborne would come in there at five or a little after and on that familiar ground he could get over the shame of the meeting. But that door was locked tight and he turned back—cold, miserable, home- less—and stared into the strip of murky splendor in the west. The lawn was full of chill, misty light, and the northwest wind sang in the sere shrubbery and the weathercock on the roof pointed unswerv- ingly toward Seattle or Portland, or some of the other places where he ought to be. Then, far above him, he heard a faint, confused cry—a cry like the sound of a pack of hounds heard over a dozen ridges of hills. Springtime listened with his head back, trying to locate it, trying to under- stand what it was—then a resounding honk from Archie told him that it was the cry of wild geese on their way south—the inde- _ sgceribable, romantic clamor of his brothers _ of the air. As he peered into the northwest _ he could just make out the pattern of them —-a long, slant line with its tip bent back ike a broken lance. Springtime vaulted the e and raced across the lawn, for in some _ Mrs. Osborne’s whole life had been ed just for this moment—the moment cchie should be free to wing his way ‘is brothers in the sky. essenger bolted up the or, and shouted in: geese! ) They’re coming over steps, a saw two ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, heaved herself to her fee my good Heavens!” She the porch and from eee We an Jawn, peering u id pattern of wild geese. Archie had his neck thrust out of the bars of his coop and was doing curiously limber things with it as he — a into the sky. is long beak opened and close yard was full of his brazen camen oa a clear cries which he sent heavenward were Somewhat blurred by the Indian meal, the evening ration of which had just been set before his coop. He would look up and call, and then sink his head up to the eyes in the warm mess, then look up again and the coop trembled at his struggles, The lady of the house had put ineffectual hands on the structure that housed him, and was tugging at it. Already the pattern of geese was directly overhead, so that when Archie looked up, there was a backward bend in his neck. Their melancholy chorus came straight down. “Free him!” cried Mrs. Osborne, and kicked at the coop. ‘“ Set him free!” Springtime kicked it over with one blow and Archie was free. He stood peering up- ward for a second, honked, stretched him- self up on his toes and spread his great wings. Slowly he moved them, soft whis- tling things that swept up small feathers and set them whirling. His mistress stood by him, raising her hands and letting them fall as though she would waft him upward, murmuring inarticulate words of encourage- ment. There was no doubt that the broken wing was healed, and more and more rapidly Archie fanned the air until he rose a yard off the ground and hung there for a mo- ment. Then he came down as gently as thistledown, and although his loud, clear voice proclaimed him king of geese, he trun- dled across to his platter and sank his beak into it up to the eyes. The flock was drift- ing south rapidly, and as their clamor be- came more and more distant, Archie seemed loth to let them go—once again he got a foot or two off the ground, but seemed un- able to hold his gains. Always he came back to the platter of t, saying: Qh, _commeal, and Springtime, who began to see