Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

560 to get out of town? I don’t know what I’ve done to him, but he—” “Yes! Beat it!’’ said Thomas. CHAPTER XXXV. AFTERMATH. HE hush became even deeper. Ten seconds hence they would be looking for William, the would-be conqueror. They were not looking now. With one last sweeping glance, William headed for the wall—for the door—for the street! And he had made it, and they were not after him yet. He slowed down suddenly and,walked across the street. He whisked into, the Cypria Apartments and to the Stairway, passing the sleeping elevator boy. Two steps at a time, William ascended to the fifth floor—and with half a dozen little bounds he was in Thomas Henning’s flat again, panting, aghast! He had done—what? He did not know. There had been that last awful crash, and then, with an infernal girl in blue scream- ing—a girl who did not even resemble Mary—William remembered feeling the crowd about him, seeing some one lift the visor of the. prostrate knight, seeing the white face and closed eyes of his fairly in- timate friend, Hugh Bond! And now he was safe, for a little. Wil- liam clenched his cold hands and stood motionless. His hkigh-keyed, overstrung temperament had found vent with a ven- geance; plain, old-fashioned sanity was re- turning to William’ so rapidly now that the rush of it amounted to physical pain. A man in an iron hat, falling like that, may well have a fractured skull. “They'll hang me!” William gasped , _sloud. “ Billy! They won't! They can’t!”’ screamed Mary Emerson as she dashed through the curtains from Thomas Hen- ning’s music-room! ‘“ You didn’t do it! You couldn’t do a thing like that! Billy! Say you didn’t! Billy!” : Her arms were about William’s neck. Unbreathing, Williani stared at her. Mary laughed wildly and tightened her arms. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “No, Billy!’ No! Say yoy didn’t!” she persisted. “Don’t look’ at me lke that, Billy! I—all I did was to go to their wretched ball! Honestly, Billy, that’s all I did: I just went to their horrible ball and everything — everything _happened aafter- ward until I was — like this and — Billy, will you please listen to me? Billy, just a minute, will you listen?” ‘“I—go on, Mary,” Wiliam choked. ‘Tl listen.” This is the sort of interview upon which one drops the most considerably thick sort of curtain. Let the curtain be considered -to have fallen. Let us, then, assume that it has shielded both William amd Mary from sight and hearing for a matter of ten minutes. It arises again! William’s long light overcoat was upon Mary, and her appearance, if unusual, had undergone a decided improvement. @Wil- liam’s arms were about Mary, and there was a peculiar expression upon his features. He was suffering, but in a different way, for he was happy despite his suffering. He was strong, but in a different way, for he was calm now. But there was nothing calm about Mary. “ Billy, we can do it!” she pleaded. ‘We can run now! . See! come after you yet, and—’’ William smiled sadly and shook his head. It may be that for a moment he gazed longingly toward the door, which had not quite closed after him, but his voice was steady as he said: . “No, Mary. It’s no use. I went crazy and ri have to take the consequences. If I’ve killed him, Ill stay right here and face the music. I—” His words .died! about Mary. Fixedly, he stared at the door, for steps were approaching. “ Knocked him absolutely cold!” a Strange voice stated, out there, as some other of the Cypria tenants made his way home. ‘ Yes, he was senseless until five minutes ago, Jane an And a woman’s voice spoke, although they could not catch the words, and then the masculine tones again: 1A GIDNOOKS co 7, YN AL They haven't - His arms grew tighter— Colin