Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

MOONING AMONG MOONSHINERS. on. ‘ Come on out, Nancy, and meet the gentleman.” “T haven’t any stockings on and I’m right modest,” came from behind the tree in a voice I knew, but could hardly recognize, it had suddenly become so civilized, if you get my meaning. All the same she came out, really blush- ing, and I realized for the first time how pretty she would be if she was rigged up with regular feminine togs and war paint. “Miss Nancy Grey, may I present my friend Mr. Duffy McFie?” Harry intro- duced us. ‘“ Miss Grey used to be in the internal revenue service and now she’s with the prohibition enforcement office. You ought to like Duffy, Miss Nancy. He’s a heedless individual.” “So I found out, and I do.” She gave me her hand and I took it, but I was no ways satisfied for having been steered up against sudden death as personi- fied by old Wambold, just to gratify some whim of this masquerading little, litthe— well, she was just what I thought her at first, little she-devil. But on the way up the river on the launch, with old Wambold cursing up in the bow because the law had him at last, she tried to make amends. “ The men that were to come and help me didn’t show up,” she said as we sat to- gether, apart from the rest. ‘“‘So when I saw the unconcerned way you took it when they pitched you off this boat, I decided I’d try to use you. “YT had on this disguise that I wear in getting around the country, so I determined to play on your sympathy in helping me get rid of his stuff, anyhow, whether I caught him or not. I was afraid to do the job alone for fear there were traps around it and I’d get caught in one, all alone. I do hate the stuff so badly I wanted to de- stroy it if we could no nothing more. I didn’t let you touch the still because it was too good evidence if he ever was arrested. ‘“ But when I saw how willing you were to help, I concluded to try and catch the old sinner, anyhow, without the other of- ficers. I knew I was putting you in a tight place. But I was going into it with you, and I made up my mind that you wouldn’t 669 get any worse out of it than I did myself. You sure 2re a nervy man, Mr. Duffy Mc- Fie. Tl get you a job in our service if you'll take it.” I felt a warm glow all over. Those chances I had taken seemed well rewarded. All the same I said: “No, thanks. I'll stick to the hardware store. The dryer the goods I handle in future the better suited I’m going to be.” [V. I piwn’r stay long at the store, though. A newspaper headline and a young woman lifted me out. There might have been twenty customers in the place while I was reading that front-page story in the after- noon paper. I let the other clerks handle them and stood riveted by the show case where I’d happened to glance at the rag. Why shouldn’t it hypnotize me? There it was in big black letters: FIGHTING WAMBOLD ESCAPES Noted Murderer and Moonshiner, Sent te Capitol Grounds Through Mistake, Eludes His Armed Guards. I felt a kind of tremble run through my pins. Did this son-of-the-mountain-dew know who had been responsible for his capture. By all accounts he was a vindic- tive cuss. “I'd like to look at automatics, please.” _ I jumped. I hadn’t realized that I had stopped in front of the gun counter, for I work in a hardware store. But it wasn’t merely the notion of guns fitting in so nicely with my thoughts that made me start. I knew that voice. To make sure I took a full look at the speaker. ‘There was no mistake, it was Miss Nancy Grey. I knew her in a minute, though I hadn't seen her for three weeks, and then she was barefooted, in the disguise of a river girl, whereas now she was a walking model of all that’s new in feminine fashion. But I had the advantage of her—she didn’t seem to know me at all. I had shown her two or three guns—she wanted a small size, but not a toy—when I ventured to jog her memory. COMMICLOooks (C@)