Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

~ A HATFUL OF TROUBLE. Arthur had a queer feeling. “Let me think a minute, Felice dear,” he begged. “I’m rather confused. And, may I smoke, please—over in the big chair?” She patted his cheek. “ Collect your thoughts, smoke all you want to, and then go back to the very be- ginning—and tell me everything,” she said. He laughed. The laugh vented a little of his irritation. “It would take me all night,” said he, “and it’s getting late. Il go back to the time I phoned to you. I’m reasonably sure I had my own outfit at the time.” “ But,” said Felice with, fresh bewilder- ment, “why, then, did you start in to thank me for changing it—when I didn’t do it? I gathered from what you said about the things they found in the bag— well, what was in it, anyhow?” Arthur told her. ‘““ How did they ever get there?” “| have no idea. I’m going to find out if ean : She came over and sat downs on the : arm of his chair. Arthur squirmed. That chair held the secret of the three steel-sheathed test tubes. ‘Her spontaneity, however, touched him. It would seem that Felice cared for him considerably. He tossed the cigar out of the window, lest he profane her angelic presence by a vile weed that solaced his hitherto semimonastic life in the labora- tory. She caressed his hair. Her feeling was as motherly as any girl’s love is, if it is deep-seated. The maternal will not be de- nied. “We'll both find out,” said she reassur- ingly. “‘ Only, Arthur, I had an idea, some- how, from your manner, that you were pleased that the police didn’t know what you had in your bag. Now was I right or wrong in that?” “Eminently and entirely. algebraically and geometrically, correct,” said Arthur Tower, wishing he could have seized his ab- sent unicorn as handily as he did this phase of his multiplying dilemma. “T’ll get to that part of it later. It wasn’t so much what was iz my bag, as the construction 555 they would be certain to put upon it. The police,” said Arthur Tower, more manfully than heretofore, “ are not strictly scientific.” . “They were doing something awfully queer to-day,” said Felice, “in coming down here to arrest you.” “They were mistaken. They admitted they were mistaken. They probably have no idea, whatever, how badly they were mistaken. And yet they are certainly as clean-cut and as fast working men as any police department in the world has, for they proved it, when they arrested me. Felice, dear, believe in me always, won’t - you—as I have always believed in you?” She looked down at him tenderly and yet enigmatically. Her eyes shone. “T wanted to rush out and grab the pistol and stop them—when they dragged you off to-day,” said she; in a voice that matched the touch of her hand. “I don’t know what I might have done if mother hadn’t come up.” _ Arthur made no seconds. “ That’s mighty fine and kind of you,” said he, at fast. The words were common- place, but the tone was not. -“T’m going out to walk around and get things straightened up in my mind, Felice. Then I’m coming back in, and tell you what I think happened to that bag. The habit I’ve formed of crawling in on myself to cudgel out & problem—and, believe me, this is a rather involved problem—is too strong for me to think clearly—especially near you.” “ That’s not a half bad idea,” she agreed “And ll go and see how mother’s head- ache is getting along. -Poor dear, she’s all tired out. And if you’re not too late get- ting in, we’ll have some of Mammy Poin- dexter’s cold custard.” reply for several CHAPTER XXfI. EQUATION EXTRAORDINARY. RTHUR TOWER put on his unicorn- less headgear and slipped out the side door. If possible, he must reduce this mystery to terms of mathe- matical formula without delay. oO a (EOMAIE NOOKS, (EO)