Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 62: what you’re looking at

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D2 the envelope and read the missive swiftly. Her face became pale as ashes and her breath came more quickly. He noticed these symptoms of fright as she read, and it was difficult to resist the feeling that the proper move for him was to take her in his arms and quiet and soothe her. If it had not been a public place— “Js it as bad as that?” he asked softly. “* Oh, I must go at once—it’s important!” she ejaculated, “It’s from—” “Can you tell me what it’s about?” he inquired. ‘“ Of course, if there’s anything I can—” _ No, I think there’s nothing you can do, Mr. Morley,” she broke in, ‘‘ I—I think T can’t tell you—now—what it’s all about, but I must go at once.” They both rose. “‘ Perhaps I can help you,” he persisted. **T would like nothing better than—” “You're very good, Mr. Morley, but I can’t call upon you in this particular case. It’s—it’s all right—there’s no help needed. I was foolish to be so alarmed. It’s from Ignace Teck and he’s at my house—I must go back at once.” He stepped up close to her, so close that they almost touched where he towered above her like a good natured rock. - ” T want you to promise me, Miss Pom- eroy, that if you need assistance of any kind, you will call upon me. Any time of the day or night, any place—”’ “ Thank you so much, Mr. Morley,” she breathed softly. ‘‘ It will be good to know that. I promise. You'll come any time—”’ “All you have to do is send for me. T’ll break all records coming to you. Now, let me send you home in my car—it’s wait- ing outside.” “No, you had better call a taxi for me,” she decided, shaking her head dubiously. “Tt would be the wisest course to pursue.” CHAPTER XIII. A CALL ON MR. TECK. R a while Val sat in the onyx and gold lobby of the Giltmore and consumed numerous cigarettes. Action it had to be, he decided; he was not the man to ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. take a passive part in the melodrama that was wrapping itself around the woman he loved. Here was love and adventure. He knew that Jessica Pomeroy was de- termined on her course; he could see that she had a high sense of duty and obliga- tion—and if her duty and her sense of ob- ligation led her even to the point of mar- rying the loathsome object that had no hands, why, she would do it. He knew that. It was not a question of whether she cared for him, Valentine Morley. How could a perfect creature like Jessica Pome- roy care for an ordinary man like him? But he would make her care! And the first way to do that was to release her from her assumed obligation to marry this Ignace Teck. She had intimated that if it was proved to her that he had murdered Mat Masterson she might reconsider her deter- mination—she was not bound to marry a murderer. But how to prove that? “Tf I can find out that he has the books,” thought Val, “‘ it stands to reason that he must be implicated in the murder of poor old Mat—and it’s a sure thing he has ’em.” He was thankful that he had found out his address from Miss Pomeroy. That would help. If he had the books they were very probably in his place on the East Side. That, then, was where Val must look. There was another important reason for get- ting those books, Very possibly there was a clew in them to the lost wealth of the girl’s father. Otherwise, why should Teck be so anxious to get them back that he would even commit murder? That money belonged to Jessica Pomeroy, and Val was determined that she get it. Lost treasure! The love of a beautiful woman! The dark villainy of an unscrupu- lous scoundrel! It was good to be alive and to be caught up in the swirl of this affair. Val’s blood tingled in his veins, and he rose hastily, smiling gently. There was no time like the present. Ignace Teck, he was sure, was at Tessica’s—he cauied her that private- ly—home. That being the case, what was there to prevent Val from making a raid on the handless one’s rooms? Nothing. Teck had done that to him, so there was no ethical reason why he should not now re- turn the compliment. oO GComicwdooksaco