Adventure, June 1911 — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

Dad and Destity and he was helpless because of the long reach of the outstretched arm. Gray-eyes curbed his anger instantly and instead of driv- ing in his clenched right hand, he opened it and rubbed his bruised nose with it. The girl said nothing, but looked from one to the other curiously. “What did you do that for?” Gray-eyes asked? “For what?”’ echoed the other in pure ; amazement. “Hey, bo, see yon Kelly on the sad sea waves? It cost me six only last night! And on the deck of that ferry-boat is a black broadcloth coat, rg1z model, in- _side of which is my gilt timer with wheels © that go round and round, price one hundred and fifty! Lost, bo! Lost! And just be- cause you wanted to get as much water out- side ‘as you had booze inside, and I thought it was up to me to pull you out of the wet! Do you think I’d let any one come across with a play Jike that and no come-back?” _ “You tried to save my life?” said Gray- eyes. “Nix on the melodrama,’ protested the other. ‘‘And by the way, you’re rumpling up my shirt-front something awful. You can throw off your clutch—lI’ve decided to let you live.” “Thank you,” said Gray-eyes, grinning as he released him. _ The short man raised an inquiring thumb and two inquiring: fingers to his scarf-pin. Then he dropped his chin on his soppy shirt-front and deliberately counted the buttons on his waistcoat. “You didn’t take anything away but your hand,” he said at last, approvingly. The younger man flushed. “I am not a thief,”’ he said coldly. “That’s what I said,” assented the short man tranquilly. ‘‘Now if you'll tell me your name, I’ll introduce you to this lovely skirt.” ‘My name is Harold Armitage.” “Oh, Harold!’’? murmured the short man joyously. ‘‘Madam,” he went on, turning with a bow to the brown-eyed girl, “allow me to present muh moist friend, Mr. Har- old Armitage. I’ve known him at least a quarter of an hour on land and sea, and it has been some crowded. Mr. Armitage, this is Miss— Name, please!” ““My name is Elaine,” said the girl gravely. “Oof!” grunted the short man, catching his breath. “Ah! Mr. Armitage this is 223 Miss Elaine. You’ve got to hand it to her for. being some good-looker, and her name listens like a book. And now, Miss Elaine, would you mind presenting me to your friend? We have met somewhere, but have had no formal introduction.” The girl looked at him, unsmiling. ““Name, please?” she asked. “T might tell you it was Adelbert Percy Fitz-Fitz, but it ain’t,’’ he answered. “I’m just Jake Buchmuller.”’ “Mr. Armitage, Mr. Buchmuller,” said the girl seriously. “If you gentlemen,” she went on, “will sit down on these hatches a few minutes, I will see what can be done in the way of dry garments.” She turned on her heel and swung off down the deck. Jake looked after her, ap- probation written all over his expressive features. “Tf,” he sighed at last, “that skirt is the captain’s little daughter, lash me to the mast, matey; I’ll never desert the ship!” Harold nodded. -" Jake plunged his hands into his trousers pockets. Instantly he emitted a loud wail. “Qi-yoi! Oji-yoi!’”’ he moaned, seating himself upon the hatch covers and rocking his body to and fro. ‘‘It’s gone, it’s. gone!” ‘““What’s gone?” asked Harold. : “Muh bankroll! Muh lovely little bunch of money!- Oi-yoi! Oi-yoi!” “How much was in it?” “Five hundred and thirty dollars!” Harold drew from his pocket a package of moist bills and began to count: “Fifty, a hundred, one-ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, seventy, eighty, two-hundred, two-ten, two-fifteen, two-seventeen—two hundred and seventeen dollars.”” He looked up. “Tl have to owe you the balance; this is all I have,” he said. ‘‘And heaven knows when I am going to get any more!”’. he added. “‘Not on your silhouette!’’ shouted Jake, indignantly waving back the proiered bills. ~ *‘[’m no cheap sport, kid. You can lend me a twenty to tide me over, if you care to, but that’ll be about all in that line. As for what’s gone, it’s gone, and there’s ne divi- dends in weeps over burnt money, as the Bible says. But tell me, did deponent truly state or were you stalling on the name- plate?” be Eh? 73 “That Harold Armitage business. Is that what they call you back home?” Comilcloookxs.COhMm