Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

714 Hal shook his head. , “Well, what are you going to do about it?” asked Roger disagreeably. Hal flushed darkly. ‘“‘ Got any sugges- tions?” he asked. “ Supper’s ready,” Celesta interrupted. Roger got off the bed. “ I suppose I can take this rig off to eat in,” he said bitterly. “IT do like to sit down to my meals like a gentleman!” He went into the adjoining room. The moment he was out of the way, Hal’s whole aspect changed. He went close to Celesta; his hard, stubborn face became beautiful with tenderness. “How have things been to-day?” he asked. “ Pretty hot, eh?” She looked at him openly and trustfully —too openly for him; he would have liked to see a faltering in her gaze—and said: “Not so hot for me as for you, walking the streets.” “But you have to keep company with the hot stove.” “Never gave it a theught.” “J almost believe you’re happy in this place.” “Tam. I have so much to do.” “ Aft first it nearly drove me wild, think- ing of you im such a place,” he said in a low voice and shaken with feeling. “ You see, I expected to take better care of you than that. I still hate to see you here, but it’s different now. You’re so much finer than I thought. No, I don’t mean that. That wouldn’t be possible. I can’t properly express what I mean. I mean, in addition to everything else, I’m beginning to think you’re stronger than any of us. I’m beginning to lean on you, too!” “That’s the nicest thing you ever said to me,” Celesta declared, red with pleasure. Roger returned to the room, habited as a “ gentleman.” To cover his emotion, Hal asked quickly: “ What’s for supper?” “ Beef a la Provencale,” said Celesta. “ Gee whiz!”’ “Oh, it’s only beef stew, really,” she confessed; “but that’s what the sisters called it.” “Lucky for us you took cooking,” said Roger. + ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. They sat down to their meal. By the time they had finished the most strident noises of the day were stilled. A faint stir of air came in through the win- dows at last. It was the hour of relaxa- tion. Roger lit a cigarette, and Hal pro- duced his pipe. But their peace was presently broken by a resumption of the whining tinkle from the yard below. Roger swore under his breath, “The dago doesn’t seem to have made some progress,” said Hal. He rose. “ Be- lieve I'll go down and see if I can’t help the poor wop.” ‘ “Now I suppose it Il keep up half the night,” muttered Roger. “ He goes out of his way to exasperate me.” Next day it appeared as if the tide had turned. Hal came home earlier than usual with a jubilant air. “Got a job!” he cried. the blue sky!” “Oh, splendid!” beaming. “I knew you would! all about it.” “From a-want ad,” Hal said. “Lord knows I didn’t expect anything from fhat source. But I cut ’em all out this morn- ing and made my rounds as usual. This one sounded like nothing at all. ‘ Wanted, a male attendant for an invalid; one with some medical - knowledge preferred.’ 1 thought so little of it I left it for the last. It was a doctor on the South Side; a sort of shady-looking doctor, but gee, I can’t be too particular! ““ Seems he’s got a dope-fiend patient, and T’m to take care of him. You know—dole out his dope to him, and hold him down if he gets too obstreperous. Not exactly the job you’d pick in good times, but now it’s like manna from Heaven! Twenty-five dollars a week! What do you know about that? Twenty-five a week! morrow. I say we shall have a steak for supper on the strength of it. They feasted that night. Even Roger had no excuse for il] temper, though he had somewhat the air of missing his grievance. Afterward they sat near the open window in the twilight. The harassed lines were “ Right out of Celesta exclaimed, Tell us GComicbooks It begins to- (C@